WHAT'S HOT

By Susan Avery, Information Technology Editor -- Purchasing, 3/22/2001

"Unless purchasing is involved up front, we will not have an impact on savings," says Donald Anderson, purchasing manager with Remington Arms Co., responding to a new PURCHASING Magazine survey. In it, we queried readers about their involvement in the technology buy at their companies. For a whopping 90% of these companies, the technology buy is managed by a team made up of representatives of purchasing, IT, finance and end users. "IT professionals are trained to specify and select hardware, software and supplies," says another respondent. "But, just like other departments, they do not know how to buy these items." Among the responsibilities of respondents serving on technology buying teams: selecting the supplier and negotiating the agreement. Says a third respondent, "As component prices drop, a good purchasing department is able to translate that into either better prices or upgraded units."