Technology is dramatically affecting all roles in procurement — making top procurement blogs an invaluable resource for the latest developments in the field. Evolving job descriptions are requiring employees to develop new skills to adapt to this digital era.
Unfortunately, in many organizations, there may not be a defined path for procurement professionals to develop the required skill set. For example, Deloitte’s recent Global Chief Procurement Officer Survey 2021 found that training is always first in line when it comes to budget cuts. Procurement leaders are only spending 2.1% of their budgets on training and development for their team, and even high performers spend only 2.4%. This means that employees and leaders in procurement need to find ways to educate themselves and stay on top of developing trends.
An easy and cost-effective way for professionals in any industry to expand their knowledge is through reading top procurement blogs and articles written about their trade. We have curated a list of six blogs for procurement leaders and professionals to explore and develop the skillset required to thrive in the future.
The list is a mix of blogs that have been around for years and some newer rising blogs. All of these blogs provide valuable content for procurement professionals on at least a weekly basis. In no particular order, here is a list of the best procurement websites to help you to thrive as a procurement professional in this digital era.
Tip: Use a content aggregator to read content from different procurement blogs in one place. Aggregator tools like Feedly allow you to log in and access the most recent content from purchasing blogs you follow to ensure that you stay on top of your game.
Best for: Procurement Professionals
Spend Matters creates content in a wide variety of areas within the procurement space, including eProcurement, e-invoicing, procure-to-pay (P2P), and supplier relationship management. The authors sprinkle in general opinion and broader content when it fits into the bigger picture of procurement, supply chain, and economic issues.
The procurement blog content is aimed at everyone from junior analysts to the most seasoned professionals. Spend Matters publish numerous blog posts per day as well as regular original research reports and webinars. Industry experts and practitioners often contribute to the content on the site, which offers a great alternate view of topics.
Essential reading: How to make the case for procurement technology investment: Expert practitioners share their tips
Best for: Procurement Leadership
Procurement Leaders is powered by a community of over 700 leading global corporations and 35,000 senior procurement, sourcing and supply chain executives. Through their content, Procurement Leaders provide the in-depth insight and expert guidance needed to transform procurement into a critical business driver.
Procurement Leaders offers a good variety of content types, including regular blogs, white papers, and webinars. They research thousands of executives every year and create a vast array of data points. These data points provide access to a unique source of credible, up-to-the-minute and independent trends and data.
Essential Reading: Time To Reshape Procurement
Best for: Procurement Professionals
Procurious is a global, online procurement business network that provides an opportunity for the procurement and supply chain community to connect. The online community allows professionals to access the latest news and advice in the space. It helps you build personal brands, advance careers, develop skills, contribute to relevant discussions, and expand networks to global proportions.
On top of networking opportunities and discussion forums, procurement and supply chain professionals can further educate themselves by reading one of the blog posts that are posted each weekday. The procurement insights blog topics are extremely varied, which means that there should be something of interest for you on this site.
Essential Reading: What to do when Slavery is Revealed in your Supply Chain
Best for: Procurement Leadership
Procurement leaders will find a lot of value within SoftCo’s Procurement and Accounts Payable blog (at least, that’s our goal.) From bringing supplier relationships into the digital age to compliance with new legislation, the blog covers a number of leadership tactics and strategies to help you modernize your procurement efforts.
On top of weekly blog posts, you’ll find new webinars and white papers on a monthly basis. If you’re a procurement leader, this content will help you increase the efficiency of your procurement team year after year.
Essential Reading: How to Reduce Costs with Procurement Spend Analysis
Best for: Procurement Professionals
The Next Level Purchasing Association (NLPA) is a leading procurement education provider. Through online training and certifications, The NLPA helps procurement leaders develop more successful teams, and helps procurement professionals have rewarding careers.
In addition to their training and courses, the website also has an active blog. The weekly blog features Charles Dominick’s (NLPA President & Chief Procurement Officer) procurement tips and advice as well as trending procurement topics.
Essential Reading: Incorporating Value-Driven Procurement into Negotiations
Best for: Procurement Leadership
CPO Rising is a news and media site written for and about Chief Procurement Officers and other supply management executives. The website provides a steady stream of top-quality, progressive, and original content that educates, challenges, entertains and engages the reader.
CPO Rising is owned by Ardent Partners, a research and advisory firm. A lot of the research from Ardent Partners is published on the CPO Rising site in the form of blogs and articles. Early access to this research allows procurement professionals and leaders to remain ahead of their competitors and adapt to the latest trends.
Essential Reading: Procurement 2022: Big Trends & Predictions Report
