| Description | Strategic Intent | Literature |
| Process re-engineering | ||
| Re-engineering effort should focus on internal and external processes to minimize effort and improve performance. Buying companies can adjust processes to better fit supplier processes. | Cost of acquisition Functionality Performance reliability Durability Lead-time to delivery | [8] |
| Process automation | ||
| Automate the (already simplified) processes. | Cost of acquisition | [52] [53] |
| Delegating call-off responsibility | ||
| Items low risk and low value; purchasing function staff do not add value to daily purchasing operations. Responsibility delegated to end-users. | Cost of acquisition | [54] |
| Purchasing cards | ||
| Issue purchasing cards to nominated staff within company. | Cost of acquisition | [55] |
| E-commerce | ||
| Set up account with supplier enabling online purchases. Can be affected by intermediary website availability, internet auctions, and high number of transactions with single suppliers. | Cost of acquisition Purchase price Lead-time to delivery | [51] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] |
| Consolidated billing | ||
| Reducing frequency of invoicing and costs (time and effort in payments). | Cost of acquisition | [61] |
| Benchmarking against industry norms | ||
| Compares arrangements offered by suppliers. | Purchase price | [62] [63] [64] |
| Capture supplier expertise and innovation | ||
| Pool company and supplier knowledge and expertise. | Total cost of ownership Functionality Performance reliability Durability Image | [5] [66] [83] [84] |
| Quality planning | ||
| Details the processes and procedures used in design and manufacture, along with inspection and testing requirements if quality is a risk factor. | Performance reliability Adaptability and flexibility Durability Image | [67] - [79] |
| On-site supplier support and training | ||
| Developing supplier knowledge and capabilities. | Performance reliability Adaptability and flexibility Durability Functionality Lead-time to delivery | [8] [80] [81] [82] |
| Supplier account manager | ||
| Provides company focal point to manage supplier relationships (“good customer”). | Continuity of supply | [8] [86] |
| Demand forecasting and early phased release of specification information | ||
| Used to slot requirements into the supplier’s production schedule, reducing the risk of delayed delivery, facilitating more reliable contractual commitments to suppliers. | Lead-time to delivery | [80] [82] [87] |