Implementing a strategic procurement is no longer the preserve of large companies. Thanks to the technological developments of recent years, SMEs can improve their procurement processes relatively simply. Indeed, procurement software publishers have found ways to create tailored solutions that address the problems of IT skills shortages and ergonomics. They offer intuitive, modern tools that can be implemented by non-technical teams.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the procurement strategy a company can adopt, and introduce you to Lapala, one of the most modern procurement software available.
What is a Strategic procurement?
The question of how to implement a Strategic procurement often arises when looking to centralize requisitions, purchase approvals and standardize the order life cycle, from purchase order to invoice payment. At first glance, Strategic procurement could be defined as a set of practices and methods designed to optimize the way an organization identifies, selects, negotiates and receives its purchases, while enabling the company to gain greater control and visibility.
So it’s not just a question of buying the best product at the best price, but of contributing to the company’s overall performance, both financially (cost reduction, secure supplies, transparency) and qualitatively (innovation, comfort at work, risk management).
Key difference from traditional procurement
Unlike more “tactical” or “transactional” procurement approaches, where the focus is primarily on placing orders, making quick price comparisons and hand-crafting order management and invoice payment. Strategic procurement builds a standard, centralized procurement process. From purchase requisition to payment, it offers a guided, traceable and partly automated experience of procurement flows.
It involves setting up procurement software, raising team awareness and introducing principles of continuous improvement to help a company move forward naturally. Gone are the days of complex information searches, multiple entries in spreadsheets and lengthy e-mail exchanges… everything is centralized in a single procurement collaboration tool.
Why is a digital Strategic procurement important?
- Cost reduction and budget optimization
Procurement accounts for a significant proportion of company spends (raw materials, supplies, services, etc.). By adopting a strategic approach, we can optimize costs, not only by improving the procurement process, but also by digitizing, automating and rationalizing the supplier panel. - Improved quality and reliability
By focusing on strategic suppliers, and using the analysis features of procurement software, the emphasis tends to be on selecting partners capable of offering consistent (or even superior) quality and controlled delivery times. In this way, downstream production or service provision benefits from greater stability. - Reinforcing innovation
It’s common for companies to start a digital transformation with procurement. Indeed, procurement activities are multi-departmental, and gains are received at every level: employees are freed from non-value-added tasks, managers have better progress monitoring, and directors have access to dashboards to help them make better decisions and implement optimizations. - Risk management
Anticipating disruptions, managing market tensions, ensuring regulatory compliance and controlling the risk of fraud are all part and parcel of Strategic procurement and the benefits of purchasing software. In reactive mode, it’s too late when a major problem arises. In proactive and strategic mode, resilience levers are identified and contingency plans put in place.
How to implement a Strategic procurement
The stages may vary from one company to another, but there is often a common core:
Step 1: Centralize requisitions and orders with procurement software
With procurement software, you can simply centralize all your requisitions and orders. Software offers employees a guided and intuitive experience from requisition to payment. Within a few weeks, you’ll be able to analyze all the data and make effective decisions.
Procurement software can also be integrated with existing ERP and accounting software. These features automate non-value-added tasks and save time for your teams.
Step 2: Analyze spends
The analysis focuses on the following points:
- List all purchases by category, supplier and product/service type.
- Identify order volumes, invoice amounts and recurring purchases.
- Detect any duplication or unnecessary spends.
It is also at this stage that “risk areas” are identified (single supplier, wide price variations, technological dependence, etc.).
Step 3: Study your supplier repository, set up a supplier relationship and contract management
For each finding resulting from the procurement analysis, is the current supplier panel relevant and appropriate? This study can be based on trends, commercial fluctuations and the company’s internal policy.
The aim is to identify opportunities for optimization (new suppliers, geographically differentiated sourcing) and to manage risks (avoiding unintentional exclusivity, for example).
Supplier selection is not limited to price, but incorporates criteria of quality, financial health, compliance with standards and capacity for innovation. In strategic mode, we seek to establish a relationship based on trust, fluid communication and joint projects. We also organize milestones to monitor the relationship:
- Setting up periodic assessments
- Shared objectives (cost reduction, deadlines, CSR, etc.)
- Possible co-development
Purchasing analysis enables us to identify spends that can be pooled, and to set up a contract with certain suppliers. Negotiations aim to reach a balanced agreement:
- Balanced: covering the buyer’s objectives (price, deadlines, quality, penalty clauses) and also protecting the supplier’s legitimate interests.
- Contract management: monitoring of clauses, periodic review, adjustments in line with market or project developments.
Stage 4: Performance monitoring and continuous improvement
Once the strategic procurement process has been deployed, it’s time to measure performance. Here are some commonly monitored indicators:
- Savings (reduction in total cost of ownership)
- Quality levels (non-conformities, return rates, etc.)
- On-time delivery
- Innovation or value-added propositions by the supplier
- CSR compliance (carbon footprint, working conditions, etc.)
The process doesn’t stop once contracts have been signed. Ongoing iteration is at the heart of the Strategic procurement concept in order to :
- Regularly analyze feedback from the field, market and technology developments
- Adjust supplier lists, contractual clauses and validation thresholds
- Support suppliers (training, audits) to raise supply chain standards
Find all the best practices for procurement management by reading this article: 11 Procurement Best Practices in 2025.
The main challenges in implementing a Strategic procurement
In practice, many companies face common difficulties:
- Lack of reliable data
Without a good information system, it’s hard to get a complete picture of spending and procurement from requisition to payment. Scattered excel spreadsheets and random e-mail exchanges can hamper the implementation of a coherent strategy. - Resistance to change
Internal teams may be resistant to change if they perceive Strategic procurement as simply “more control”. Suppliers may be wary of challenging established practices too abruptly. - Underestimating risk management
Some organizations continue to act in fire-fighting mode: they don’t detect risks until it’s too late. Yet a disaster, a critical breakdown or regulatory non-compliance can have far-reaching consequences (financial, legal, reputational). - Lack of appropriate digital tools
Relying on all-paper or all-Excel systems does not make it easy to manage the volume, complexity, approval rules or consolidation of all indicators. Modern tools are essential for effective management.
Benefits of using purchase requisitions and orders management software
- Reduce and control costs
Savings over a given period can be a major competitive lever. For example, centralizing purchasing volumes with a key supplier can help you obtain preferential rates. - Enhanced supply chain visibility
We know exactly who supplies what, at what cost, with what level of performance. This reduces blind spots and facilitates arbitration. - Improving quality and innovation
By working closely with suppliers selected for their expertise, we can develop new products faster, solve technical problems more efficiently and innovate continuously. - Increasing compliance and sustainability
CSR issues (such as reducing carbon footprints, respecting working conditions) are now an integral part of Strategic procurement. By choosing suppliers who are certified or concerned about their environmental impact, we limit risks and enhance our brand image. - Saving time for teams
Strategic processes, once structured and supported by high-performance tools, make buyers’ day-to-day work more fluid: fewer repetitive tasks, more added value in analysis and negotiation, more collaboration with other departments.
Key indicators of a Strategic procurement
How do you know if your Strategic procurement is bearing fruit? Several indicators can be monitored. Obviously, depending on your level of maturity, start by choosing one or two, and once you’ve mastered them, increase the level of monitoring. Here are the main ones:
- Savings rate: Change in total acquisition cost over a given period.
- Return on Investment (ROI) for procurement projects: Direct measurement of value creation.
- Availability of critical items: reduce out-of-stock situations, meet deadlines.
- Claim or non-conformity rate: Indicator of supply chain quality.
- Internal satisfaction index: Are downstream teams (production, logistics, sales) satisfied with the service provided?
- CSR performance: environmental and social impact measurements, ethical audits, etc.
- Innovation or co-development: Number of collaborative projects with suppliers, speed to market, product differentiation…
These KPIs must be discussed and updated on a regular basis to ensure the relevance of the approach. The idea is not to have a static vision, but to adjust continuously.
Strategic procurement: What, why and how?
Here we find a synthesis of all the above:
- What: This is a proactive, cross-functional approach to Procurement, aimed at aligning procurement decisions with the organization’s strategic objectives.
- Why: The stakes are many: cost reduction, elimination of non-value-added tasks, better control and visibility, innovation, sustainability and global alignment.
- How to achieve this: By means of a structured, centralized procurement process, the use of procurement software, fine-tuned management of supplier relations…
Implement Strategic procurement with Lapala software
To illustrate the impact of digital transformation in concrete terms, let’s take the example of an SME that decides to break away from its scattered Excel spreadsheets and paper-based processes and adopt Lapala procurement software.
1. From requisition to invoice, a seamless process
- Centralize purchase requisitions: Lapala offers an online form, directly connected to your ERP or financial software, avoiding the proliferation of e-mails and scattered Excel files.
- Automate approval circuits: depending on the amount or category of purchase request, the workflow automatically calls on a manager, director or procurement manager. Approvals are traced, and data consolidated effortlessly.
- Managing the order life cycle: Once validated, the request becomes a purchase order. Lapala automatically sends the order to the supplier, arranges the documents (quotation, contract, receipt), and updates the ERP. The Lapala process also includes management of receipt, order verification and invoice payment.
2. Budget control and real-time performance
- Customized dashboards: Directors and managers can monitor spends live, identify where the biggest cost-cutting levers lie, and spot potential risks (budget overruns, order anomalies).
- Automated notifications and alerts: With Lapala, it’s the right task, at the right time, for the right person, without unnecessary clicks.
- Cross-analysis: On the platform, Procurement, Invoicing and Accounting data can be used to assess the profitability of each supplier or spend category.
3. Compliance and traceability
- Clear audit trail: every request, every validation step, every attachment is logged. No more chasing e-mails and paper signatures.
- Reducing the risk of fraud: The configurable validation circuit avoids abuses (an employee placing an order without authorization). Total traceability limits the risk of fictitious invoices.
4. Code-free scalability
- Adaptation to the specific needs of each company: Unlike solutions that are too rigid, Lapala offers a no-code approach. Fields, steps and validation rules can be created, modified or deleted in just a few clicks, without the need for an external IT department.
- Fast ROI: Set-up is quick. Training is light because the interface is intuitive. Teams adopt the tool more easily, since it’s designed for them, not the other way around.
5. Impact on teams
Strategic alignment: Executives and managers can compare operational performance (on-time delivery, quality) and financial performance (cost, margin) in real time. This makes it easier to make decisions and adapt strategy.
Refocusing on added value: Teams no longer re-enter data into Excel or ERP, but concentrate on value-added tasks.
Reinforced collaboration and a healthy climate: departments can submit their requirements, monitor progress in real time, comment on or report problems. No more frustrations.
6. Concrete results
With this type of SMB management platform, many SMBs observe :
- 50% time saving for teams managing requisitions and orders
- 30% reduction in average requisition validation time
- Faster alignment of suppliers’ offerings with actual needs (because the communication loop is easier).
- Fewer errors and less stress in exchanges (all documents are centralized)
- Reliable reporting for management, which can then better define Strategic procurement
- Better collaboration between departments: production, logistics, finance, etc.
Find the complete comparison of Procurement software by reading this article: the 9 best Procurement solutions for 2025
Conclusion
Strategic procurement is no longer just a concept reserved for large corporations. In a rapidly changing world – with component shortages, rising energy prices, changing regulations and sustainability imperatives – companies of all sizes need to adopt a structured approach to secure their supplies, generate savings and innovate.
Key points to remember :
- The adoption of digital tools is often essential to master the growing complexity of operations.
- Our strategic approach is based on a rigorous analysis of spending and the supplier market, followed by the establishment of lasting, co-beneficial relationships.
- Change management, team buy-in and transparent communication are key to successful deployment.
By investing in such a strategy, companies not only reduce their costs or optimize the quality of their supplies. They also gain real competitive leverage, enabling them to innovate, manage risk more effectively and adapt more quickly to the vagaries of the market.
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