SPECIFICATIONS AND PURCHASING

LYSONS has suggested the following reasons for the importance of purchasing staff being knowledgeable about specifications:

1. The primary purpose of purchasing is to contribute to the profitability of an undertaking by obtaining better quality products or services in terms of fitness for use at the least possible total cost.
2. Purchasing staff are the intermediaries between the user and the supplier. They are therefore responsible for checking the competences of products or service specifications. When negotiating with suppliers, purchasing staff must know what they are negotiating for.
3. The satisfaction of the user requirements depends on obtaining reliable suppliers
4. Purchasing staff should be expert in the application of value analysis and the provision at the design or specification stage of innovative suggestions aimed at achieving cost reduction without detriment to the requirement performance, reliability, quality and maintainability.
5. Purchasing staff should be able to advise on whether or not any of the requirements stated in the specification are liable to cause commercial, environmental or legal problems.