Technical Name: 0ROLE_0002

The purchasing manager is head of the purchasing area and thus responsible for the procurement of materials and services as well as the optimization of the procurement process generally.

As head of purchasing operations, the purchasing manager analyzes both the activities of the various purchasing groups (groups of buyers) and the general procurement process in order to review purchasing policy and develop new strategies whenever necessary.

The purchasing manager also performs the function of a superior. That is to say, he or she takes charge of purchasing projects, controls cost center data, and is responsible for personnel administration within his or her area.

In order to carry out their tasks properly, purchasing managers need to have a great deal of information at their fingertips: this information is made available through the BW Business Content.

Accordingly, a purchasing manager can display analyses of his or her cost center and purchasing groups for example.

Analyses of the enterprise's requirements and stock situation are available, providing information on which materials, supplies, and services are needed, and in which quantities. Such data enables the strategic buyer to determine the areas in which negotiations must be entered into with vendors and manufacturers.

Using vendor analyses (through vendor evaluation and comparison, for example), he or she can obtain an overview of existing vendor relationships and their quality.

The following workbooks are available for the tasks of the strategic buyer: