Aestiva Wiki
Back to Search >

Procurement vs Purchasing Systems


Procurement, at its most basic level, is simply the process of acquiring goods and services. The word procurement however is often associated with purchasing when the processes become more involved.

For example, when purchasing involves requests for quotes (competitive bidding), cost analysis,
supply chain analysis, and the need to adhere to compliance rules, the processes move outside
the realm of "purchasing," and become known as "procurement."

However, there is no hard definition. Buyers of software systems that call themselves procurement solutions may be indeed more sophisticated, or not at all.

See Also

Aestiva Procure To Pay, Aestiva Purchase Order, Procurement Software, Purchase Request Software, Purchase Request Software, Rouge Spending Controls, Accounting Purchase Orders, Purchase Order Compliance

Purchasing Note

Top purchasing systems, like those provided by Aestiva, provide more features than many
so-called procurement system, but at a fraction of the cost. Sometimes the term procurement is more of an
indication of cost than capability. All organizations, before buying a procurement system, should complete
a benefit analysis that matches what they need with what they are getting. After all, procurement is more
about automating your process. It is not about bells and whistles and sky-high promises.