Section 3: The 6 core tasks of strategic sourcing

Strategic purchasing has six core tasks. These are
the analysis and the control of the demand, the preparation of tenders, the analysis of the procurement market and the management of supplier relationships.

The purchasing department:

• knows what is needed where, when and in what quality (demand analysis and control).
• formulates the tender together with the doctors and nurses.
• knows the procurement market and how to stimulate real competition.
• manages supplier relations.
• controls the needed quantities and ensures the best prices.
• implements a controlling system to monitor internal and external developments.

The biggest challenge with so many suppliers and products: How do I set priorities?

We suggest to establish a portfolio management.
With a portfolio strategy, you ensure a transparent and a understandable structure. Why? Because your buying strategy
is build around the needs of doctors and nurses. This facilitates cooperation.

Learn more about the different pricing strategies for different products. The deeper your understanding of pricing strategies ist, the more succesful your price negotiations will be. We give you numerous practical examples.

The chapter closes with a detailed practical example from the University Hospital in Bonn. We dive deeply into the product standardization for the heart center and
an show you how you can establish an easy to understand project reporting system.