Mind. Boggled.

I’m not the most politically astute of people. I glance at the headlines on Google and listen to the newsbreaks on the radio. But I do kind of keep up with the world, and when I hear things, I think about how they apply to my life.

So on these pages I’ve been spending some time talking about how the Procurement profession has been affected, and should respond, to the current economic climate.

If you look at *any* of the press regarding Procurement (here’s a hint, go to Google news and plug in the word Procurement), there’s a lot of discussion about the industry, the downfalls, the changes and how this is an opportune time for Procurement to help companies weather the storm.

So I was left agog when I read this today:

“69% of purchasing professionals are yet to examine the impact of the last six months on their supply management strategy, leaving them exposed to potential long-term problems.”

WHAAAAT?

I’m embarrassed for my profession. We have no one to blame but ourselves. We’re often accused, by both The Client and the supplier reps, of being “out of touch”, in the “Procurement Ivory Tower” or just plain not strategic.

I usually bristle when I hear that as I work very hard to establish deals that make good business sense, based on both the internal and external environments. But this…this is embarrassing.

I have no defense. Other than to tell all my Procurement people to READ THE NEWS! Set up a Google alert. Think a little.

Source.