Some key disadvantages of global sourcing can include: hidden costs associated with different cultures and time zones, exposure to financial and political risks in countries with (often) emerging economies, increased risk of the loss of intellectual property, and increased monitoring costs relative to domestic supply.

Challenges Relating to Global Procurement

• Non-adherence to quality standards.
• The difference in time zones.
• Long-range logistics.
• Accountability problems.
• Compliance issues.
• Delays in supply.
• Language barriers.

Problems associated with sourcing abroad varying import or export restrictions at either end of the transaction, such as tariffs and quotas. complicated documentation requirements for cross-border processes. fluctuation of currency exchange rate. unstable economic and political climate or local or regional environment.

Managing the “4 pillars” of global procurement – people, process, technology, and supply chain – is crucial for ensuring a global approach to standardizing technology infrastructure for the enterprise.

Steps involved in a Procurement Process

• Step 0: Needs Recognition.
• Step 1: Purchase Requisition.
• Step 2: Requisition review.
• Step 3: Solicitation process.
• Step 4: Evaluation and contract.
• Step 5: Order management.
• Step 6: Invoice approvals and disputes.
• Step 7: Record Keeping.

Steps in the Purchasing Process Purchase Requisition- The First Step in the Purchasing Procedure is the Purchase Requisition. In this Step, the Departments fill their material requirements in the Purchase Requisition Form and give it to the Purchase Department.

The “purchasing” portion of the purchasing process kicks off with a purchase requisition submitted to the purchasing department or purchasing manager by the individual, team, or department requesting the goods or services. The purchase requisition contains full details on the items or services to be obtained.

We will give a brief overview of the five rights (or five Rs) of procurement, and the importance of achieving them here as follows:

• The “Right Quality”:
• The “Right Quantity”:
• The “Right Place”:
• The “Right Time”:
• The “Right Price”:

There are five essential methods of purchasing:

• Bulk Purchasing.
• Hand to Mouth Purchasing.
• Speculative Purchasing.
• Blanket Purchasing.
• Reciprocate Purchasing.

Types of Purchases

• Personal Purchases.
• Mercantile Purchasing.
• Industrial Purchasing.
• Institutionalized or government purchasing.

Here are the top objectives of most business’s purchasing departments.

1. Lower costs. This is by far the primary function of the purchasing department.
2. Reduce risk and ensure the security of supply.
3. Manage relationships.
4. Improve quality.
5. Pursue innovation.
6. Leverage technology.

A three-way matching is a process of matching purchase orders (PO), goods receipt note (GRN), and the supplier’s invoice to eliminate fraud, save money, and maintain adequate records for the audit trail. Three way match is usually done before issuing payment to the supplier post delivery.

In a 2 way matching accounts payable process within your Accounts Payable (AP) process, quantity and amount on the invoice are matched to the corresponding purchase order. It automatically matches based on a combination of Item Number, Description, Quantity, and Unit Cost.