The role of the procurement professional is slowly but surely changing to become more involved in the management process, rather than being a paper-pusher, said industry experts.
Speaking at the Hotelier Middle East Procurement Summit 2015, the panel moderator Julian Thomas, partner and leader – supply chain practice, PwC said: "Procurement is changing and the role of procurement is changing and the function has moved from the back office to the mainstream. It is now entwined with the strategic development of most businesses."
After challenging the panellists to comment on this statement, ADR Middle East managing director Abdelghani Sinan said this topic is a very relevant one in today's market. He said that the perception of top management is that procurement is still very secondary and transactional.
He continued: "This cascades down to the fact that because the perception is such, there isn't a willingness in investing in the talent running the procurement function."
Mohammed Kapital, vice president – supply chain and logistics, Jumeirah Group said that his team has shifted perceptions, and agreed that this also requires support from top management. "We have been involved in all the budgeting, we have been involved in all the pre-opening from the beginning. We shifted from being informed to being involved. The classic way of procurement is to be informed, and be just a paper-pusher. But we have shifted ourselves to be involved from the beginning."
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Showing financial saving results and effiency was a method by which top management realised the importance of the procurement team in decision-making, Kapital said.
Mansoor Malik, head of business development MENA, CIPS, added that over the last decade, the institute has seen a transformation [of the job] from being a paper pusher function or a compliance function to one that is performing and at the leading end of the organisation. It's definitely a journey as something our CEO labels “the irresistible drive of a hidden profession”.
"This drive needs to be fuelled by matching levels of competency and skill. Compliance is definitely there, but it’s also about being a consultant of your business. It’s about driving value, generating value, and we are seeing a transition, especially for the hospitality industry. A lot has been achieved over a short period of time, which is very encouraging."
Read the full report of the Hotelier Middle East Procurement Summit in the December 2015 issue of Hotelier Middle East.
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