Procurement is basically buying goods and services. How tough can it be? As professional buyers can tell you, sometimes very.
Acting as the broker between end-users and suppliers, professional buyers play a central role in an often complex, high-value process. From clearly defining user requirements, to shaping and running formal competitive processes, they must use limited resources to balance value, organizational policies and stakeholder interests with legal and fairness considerations - all under the scrutiny of suppliers and the media. Informal challenges, litigation and bad press can erode stakeholder
confidence and impair an organization's ability to attract and retain the best suppliers. The end result can be failure to achieve critical business objectives.
Practical Procurement walks you through the procurement and contract management cycle, from early planning considerations and market assessment options, to post-contract evaluation and continuous improvement strategies. Using plain language, the book includes real case examples and provides practical tools and sample clauses. Whether you are just starting out or you're a seasoned practitioner, Practical Procurement can help you maximize value and preserve supplier relationships by planning and conducting effective, legally sound procurements.

MAUREEN SULLIVAN, LLB, CTP, SCMP PRESIDENT, LEGAL EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, THE PROCUREMENT SCHOOL
Maureen Sullivan began her career as a lawyer, so has seen numerous procurement pitfalls from the litigation trenches. Moving to more of a 'preventative maintenance' approach, she joined National Education Consulting Inc. (The procurement School) in 1995 and assumed ownership in 2009. Under her visionary leadership, the Procurement School has become Canada's leader in online learning for procurement and contract management professionals.
With more than 25 years of experience in writing articles, case summaries and course content, Maureen has gained a wide reputation for her practical, plain-language approach to this often-complex topic. She has presented at countless conferences and events and has acted in various procurement and consulting and advisory roles. Maureen was named one of the 100 influential Women in Canadian Supply Chain¿ by Supply Chain Canada in 2019.