In December 2011, CFO Research Services launched Reaching New Heights: The Dividends of Collaboration Between Finance and Procurement, a survey of more than 200 senior finance executives at companies throughout North America, Europe and Asia conducted with support from Ariba. A follow up to CFOs' Views on Procurement-Information, Risk and Money, a similar effort conducted in 2007, the survey sought to understand how CFOs' views of procurement have changed and determine whether the function is playing a more strategic role in helping them achieve their goals. Among the key findings:

Procurement is transforming to make a higher-value, strategic contribution.

In the past, the dialogue between the finance and procurement functions was largely transactional. Finance executives traditionally viewed procurement's job as simply acquiring goods and services at the cheapest possible price and on the best terms. But advances in technology, multi-disciplinary skills, and macro-economic factors have dramatically changed this view. When asked to characterize how procurement has evolved over the last three years, nearly three-quarters of respondents say it has become "more strategic-minded."

Technology is fueling the transition.

What's behind the shift? "The global recession has put the squeeze on margins-drawing finance's attention to the impact that procurement can have, beyond meeting savings targets," Knox explained.

Additionally, trends toward outsourcing and increasingly global strategies have stretched supply chains, introducing a completely new set of both opportunities and risk.

"Working collaboratively, and equipped with the appropriate technology, procurement can help to tackle these issues and become effective stewards in more strategic initiatives," Knox said.

Among the areas in which the finance executives surveyed say procurement can play an expanded strategic role:

• managing working capital

• managing risks to business performance

• expanding into new markets or business lines

Nearly half of the respondents whose companies participate in business networks saw "great opportunity" for procurement to become more involved in managing working capital, compared to 39 percent of those whose companies don't. In terms of expanding into new markets or business lines, one third of those polled whose companies use networks see a "great opportunity" for procurement to increase its contribution, while only about 17 percent of those whose companies don't participate in these networks felt the same.

There's still work to be done.

While procurement has made great strides in transforming into a more strategic capability, there is room for improvement. When asked to choose the most important change that procurement can make to increase its contributions to corporate goals, more than half of all respondents selected "improve process efficiencies." Another 40 percent chose "improve collaboration with supplier network," "increase automation," and "improve discount and rebate capture with suppliers."

"The opportunity for procurement to contribute to the company's strategic agenda has never been greater," said Tim Minahan, chief marketing officer of Ariba, which provides collaborative business solutions. "As the findings of this report indicate, procurement should play an increasingly important role in driving not only cost savings but also value creation for the enterprise. But to do this, they must forge an even closer alliance with finance and further automate key commerce processes-from sourcing and order through invoice and working-capital management-both within the enterprise and across their supply chain."

It's a big vision. But, says Minahan, "With the help of commerce networks to connect trading partners and streamline inter-enterprise processes, it can be fulfilled."

Source: CFO Research Services