Negotiation in the Purchasing Process
Supply Chain negotiation can be simple or complex.
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BY MARTIN MURRAY
Updated March 18, 2018
Negotiation in the purchasing process covers the period from when the first communication is made
between the purchasing buyer and the supplier through to the final signing of the contract. Negotiation
can be as simple as trying to obtain a discount on a case of safety gloves through to the complexities of
major capital purchases.
A purchasing professional must aim to be successful in their negotiations with suppliers to obtain the best
price with the best conditions for every item that is purchased.
Smaller Supplier Base And Long-Term Contracts
The negotiation process has become a more important sector in the supply chain process as companies
look to reduce their expenditure whilst increasing their purchasing power. This means that purchasing
professionals have to negotiate increasingly better rates with suppliers whilst maintaining or increasing
quality and service.
In the past, companies had a long list of suppliers who they would purchase different items from which
required purchasing resources to spend limited time on negotiating the lowest prices. The best solution
available was to compare list prices from catalogs and select the vendor based on that information. The
trend over the last decade has been to rationalize the supplier base and enter into long-term agreements
with single-sourcing. This offers companies the ability to negotiate significantly lower prices for items that
they were purchasing from a number of separate vendors.
Vendors Are Partners
The emphasis in negotiation moved away from lowest price scenario to negotiating with fewer vendors to
obtain the lowest price with the best service, quality, and conditions. The aim for companies was to reduce
overall spends rather than negotiate the lowest price with a large number of vendors, which did not give
the best overall result.
The negotiated long-term contracts with a smaller supplier base have produced more of a partner
relationship between buyer and supplier. The relationship can become less adversary which benefits buyer
and vendor. In a partner type or relationship, the buyer will encourage the vendor to increase quality and
service and the vendor knows that by doing this the partnership will continue with a renewed contract with
guaranteed sales.
Negotiation or RFQ
Non-government purchasing departments continue to offer a range of prequalified vendors a request for
quotation (RFQ) for items or services that it wishes to purchase. The competitive bid process can produce
a range of bids and conditions that the purchasing department will evaluate and then award the business.
This may or may not involve some form of negotiation.
Most negotiated business will involve items or services that are not necessarily definable by an RFQ. The
purchasing department and the vendor will negotiate more than a price. The negotiation will usually cover
what is to be manufactured or what is the extent of the service to be provided, the warranty, the
transportation services, technical assistance, packaging alternative, payment plans, etc.
Purchasing items or services of significant cost will require extended negotiations to arrive at a final
contract.
Purchasing professionals are required to participate in these types of negotiation to ensure their companies
obtain the best price with the most favorable terms, and staff may need to be trained in negotiation
methods as it becomes more commonplace in a difficult economic climate.
Negotiation Objectives
Purchasing staff should enter all negotiations with clearly defined objectives. Without having objectives the
possibility for the purchasing professional to concede on price, quality or service is significantly raised. The
negotiator should enter into discussions with the vendor with precise objectives that they wish to achieve
for their company.
The objective should not be absolute and should allow for some flexibility. However, the negotiator should
also ensure that they do not deviate from the objectives and allow themselves to negotiate on areas that
were not part of the discussion. For example, a negotiator may have worked with the vendor on their
objectives on price and service, but not quality. When the vendor starts to discuss quality, the negotiator
should refrain from any agreement where they are without a set objective.
Negotiation is an important part of the role of the purchasing professional. It is a skill that is learned and
training can help purchasing staff in understanding what is needed when negotiating with vendors.
