The most important points in brief:
To increase profitability sustainably, companies must specifically Potential for savings in purchasing identify and exploit.Optimised procurement is the most efficient lever for EBIT: through the combination of digitised processes and strategic Demand aggregation and a consistent TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) consideration, procurement costs can often be reduced by 10 % to 25 % – an effect that goes far beyond what can usually be achieved through pure revenue growth.
Key Facts on Purchasing Savings Potential
- Leverage: 1 % Cost savings in procurement can increase profit by up to 10 % depending on the industry.
- Process costs: Automating routine tasks (e-procurement) significantly reduces transaction costs.
- Strategic focus: Moving away from pure price reduction towards Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
- Resilience: Diversified supply chains secure operational capability during market disruptions in 2026.
1. Demand aggregation and standardisation
- Volume bundling: By focusing on fewer core suppliers per product group, you achieve higher purchasing volumes and thus better price tiers.
- Variety reduction: Standardise requirements (e.g. uniform IT hardware). Fewer variants mean lower warehousing costs and simpler processes.
- Framework agreements: Secure fixed conditions for your entire company volume over fixed terms.
Expert tip: Introduce a cleaned-up article list. Often, switching from special productions to market standards can save double-digit percentages without loss of quality.
2. Digitalisation and e-procurement
In 2026, manual ordering processes via email or phone will be a massive cost driver. The administrative costs (process costs) for a single order will often be higher than the value of the goods themselves. Digital systems eliminate these „hidden“ costs.
- Automated workflows: From a request to the automatic approval of an invoice, manual interventions are eliminated.
- E-catalogues: Employees use an internal portal where only approved articles at negotiated prices are visible.
- Data transparency: Only digital systems provide the necessary data for real-time analyses and price benchmarks.
Practice example: The introduction of an e-procurement tool often reduces the process costs per order from €80 to under €30. With 1,000 orders per year, this already represents a direct profit contribution of €50,000.
3. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Strategy
A low purchase price can be deceptive when it comes at the cost of high follow-on expenses. TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) analysis is a holistic approach that evaluates the entire lifecycle of a product – from acquisition to disposal.
- Logistics & Storage: Consider freight costs, customs duties and the cost of capital tied up in inventory.
- Maintenance & Quality: A cheap component with a shorter lifespan or higher scrap rate in production is ultimately more expensive than the premium product.
- Disposal: Costs for recycling or proper disposal must already be factored in at the time of purchase.
Important: Train your buyers to compare offers not solely on the purchase price, but using the life-cycle cost model.
Would you like a brief consultation on this?
4. Strategic Supplier Management (SRM)
In volatile markets, the supplier is not an opponent but a strategic partner. SRM aims to shape collaboration in such a way that both sides benefit and risks are minimised.
„In modern competition, it's no longer individual companies that compete, but entire value chains.“
- Supplier development: Work with top suppliers to optimise products. Suppliers often know more efficient production methods.
- Performance Tracking: Regularly assess suppliers based on hard facts (punctuality, quality) to identify weaknesses early on.
- Innovation: Involve key partners early in your development process to achieve cost-effective designs (design-to-cost).
Insider knowledge: an A-list supplier who understands your processes will prioritise you during times of crisis – an invaluable advantage for supply chain security.
5. Avoiding Maverick Buying
Maverick Buying refers to uncontrolled purchasing outside of official procurement channels. When departments independently book services without involving procurement, valuable conditions are lost.
„Every euro not spent on procurement lands directly in the company's profit without deduction.“
- Compliance: Define clear guidelines on who can order up to what amount and when purchasing must be involved.
- User-friendliness: Ensure that the official procurement route is the easiest. If the system is cumbersome, employees will buy „freelance“.
- Controlling: Identify invoices without order references retrospectively to provide targeted training for those responsible.
By eliminating Maverick Buying, you can achieve average price advantages of 15-20 %, which would otherwise be lost in the uncontrolled spending.
6. Consistent ABC and XYZ analysis
Time is money in purchasing. ABC analysis classifies goods by their value share, while XYZ analysis assesses the predictability of consumption.
- Focus on A-goods: These represent 80 % of your purchasing volume. Invest most of your time in intensive negotiations here.
- Automation for C-items: Small parts have low value but often account for 60 % of the workload. The goal here is maximum process automation.
- XYZ Integration: Plan stock levels based on consumption consistency to avoid tying up capital.
Core Strategy: Leave C-parts to the system and use the freed-up time of your experts for the strategic optimisation of A-goods.
7. Global Vs. Regional Sourcing
The pure low-cost country strategy is a thing of the past. In 2026, resilience and sustainability will count just as much as the unit price. An intelligent sourcing mix ensures supply capability.
- Dual Sourcing: Utilise a global supplier for cost-effective baseline demand and a regional partner for short-notice peaks.
- Transport costs and time: Regional sourcing reduces CO2 emissions and transport times, increasing flexibility.
- Risk managementDiversify your sources geographically to avoid being dependent on a single region.
Pro Tip: Calculate the risk-adjusted costs. An overseas supplier might be 10 % cheaper, but the risk of a supply chain disruption could end up costing millions.
8. Practice Check: Leverage in Numbers
To illustrate the importance of these strategies, a simple business calculation is helpful. Let's consider a company with a purchasing volume of €5 million and a profit margin of 5 %.
- Scenario A (Revenue Increase): To increase profit by €100,000, the company would need to increase revenue by €2 million with a % return of 5%. This usually requires high marketing and sales costs.
- Scenario B (Purchasing Optimisation): To achieve the same profit increase of €100,000, purchasing merely needs to save 2 % of its costs.
The result: The leverage in procurement is often many times higher than in sales, as every saving directly improves the gross profit without detours.
9. Conclusion: Sustainably utilising savings potential in procurement
The realisation of Savings potential in procurement is not a one-off cost-saving measure, but rather a strategic, ongoing task. Those who utilise technological innovations such as AI and simultaneously shift their focus to a holistic TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) consideration secure a decisive advantage. By 2026, purchasing will no longer be a pure cost factor, but a central value driver for the entire company.
10. FAQ on saving potentials in purchasing
What's the best way to get started with procurement optimisation?
Begin with a detailed spend analysis. Gain transparency on who is buying what from whom. Often, initial quick wins can be found here through simple supplier bundling and the cleansing of duplicate master data.
Is digitalisation only for large corporations?
No. Modular cloud solutions in particular offer small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) a cost-effective entry into e-procurement today. These systems often pay for themselves within the first year through massively reduced process costs alone.
What is the most important lever for immediate success?
Reducing Maverick Buying. Ensuring all staff order through existing framework agreements immediately reduces costs without the need to renegotiate new contracts with suppliers.
How do I measure the success of procurement measures?
Use clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The most important are the savings rate (comparison of old and new prices), the purchasing rate (proportion of centrally managed volume) and the process costs per order.