Procurement Glossary
A
Responsible purchasing
Responsible purchasing refers to purchases made by a company that respects its social and environmental responsibilities.
Direct purchases
Purchases of components (ingredients, packaging) included in the cost of production.
Global buyer
Responsible for one or more product categories (other term: category manager), and responsible for developing the purchasing strategy for these categories (provides guidance to local buyers).
Local buyer
Responsible for purchasing within a factory (multiple categories, one factory) and manages relationships with local suppliers.
B
Bill of Materials (BOM)
All the elements (components) that make up a finished product. For example, the BOM for a car would be a list of all the components that make up the car.
Purchase Order (PO)
Document managed by a procurement officer that allows orders (volumes) of products to be placed in accordance with the terms of a contract.
C
Purchasing Center
An organization that centralizes purchasing for other companies. By leveraging economies of scale, a purchasing group can obtain better commercial terms and pass on the benefits to its member customers.
Convenience
Term corresponding to a product and mainly used in the field of mass distribution (examples: butter, chocolate, sugar, plastic, etc.).
Contract
Document drawn up between a buyer and a supplier specifying the terms and conditions of purchase:
- Supplier details
- Product and its specifications (specifications)
- Volume
- Price (with or without cost model, indexed or not)
- Period of validity
D
Purchasing Manager
Purchasing function within the management committee. He/she defines (in collaboration with global buyers) the company's purchasing policy and ensures that it is implemented.
E
European Article Number (EAN)
European item code for a given reference. It is used in industry and commerce to identify an item.
F
G
H
I
Incoterms
"International Commercial Terms" refers to the rules and terms applied to international trade. For example: EXW (Ex Works) corresponds to the factory price.
K
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
Performance indicators, also known as KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), can be defined as a means of measuring results against defined objectives.
L
Lead Time or Procurement Lead Time
Delivery time by the supplier (calculated between the order date and the delivery date).
Smoothing of quantities
Smooth out the quantities ordered from a supplier over a given period (example: order of 1,200 tons over 1 year, 100 tons per month).
M
Purchase currency
Prices expressed in three different currencies:
- Purchase currency (I buy the commodity in USD)
- Local currency (my factory is based in Canada, CAD)
- Group currency (headquarters are located in France, EUR)
Multi-commodity
Several raw materials combined to create a product (example: chocolate is a mixture of several commodities, sugar, butter, cocoa)
N
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
Confidentiality agreement in French. This is a legal document between two parties, intended to ensure the confidentiality of an exchange, a document, or a collaboration.
O
Price quote
Document sent by a supplier to its customer in order to make a price proposal and present the price (response to a call for tenders).
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the act of externalizing (no longer performing internally) a service or job function.
P
Supplier panel
All suppliers selected within a family or category that are capable of producing identical or equivalent parts.
Purchasing policy
All of the objectives and strategies that a purchasing department sets itself in order to serve the company's project.
Price
It can be expressed in several ways, with or without a cost model, indexed or not...
- Cost model: breakdown of the final price of a product (commodity price, processing price, transport price, etc.)
- Without cost model: the buyer has no visibility on the breakdown of the price (only the final price)
- Indexed: depends on market fluctuations
- Non-indexed: fixed price defined with the supplier
Purchasing Price Variance (PPV)
In French, purchasing price variance refers to the difference between the actual purchase price of a product, component, or material and the standard price defined in the system.
Q
R
Buyer-supplier relationship
The relationship between a buyer and a supplier is unique, as it combines:
- the need for trust (the buyer trusts the supplier to meet deadlines and deliver quality, for example)
- an economic link (the supplier wants to be paid for its products and/or services)
S
T
Dashboard (TDB)
Performance monitoring and management tool that provides a comprehensive overview of the company's activity (collection of KPIs)
Purchase coverage rate
Percentage of coverage relative to production needs (example: I need 1,000 tons, I have contracted for 800 tons, I am 80% covered, and 20% remains to be covered).
V
Added value
Operations carried out by the company on the raw material (transport, production, assembly, packaging, labeling, etc.).
Supplier monitoring
Action to stay informed about supplier news, technological advances, innovations, etc. in order to reap the benefits.
Market monitoring
The act of staying informed about a given market, its main players, its locations, etc., in order to gain an advantage.
W
Focus on what really matters
Sales, Purchasing, Production: our platform specializes in your business challenges to help you make faster decisions, take better action, and achieve sustainable progress.
EzySales
View your sales drivers in real time to better manage your sales
Gross To Net (GTN), rates, margins, agreements, etc.
EzyProcurement
Anticipate your needs, reduce your costs, secure your strategic purchases
Contract, coverage, price variance, productivity...
EzyManufacturing
Optimize your production capacity with clear and reliable indicators
Yield, production, capex, cost planning, etc.
