The post pandemic has created a very different global marketplace which has affected many aspects of supply chain and change the way companies operate, in particular the means to secure the supply. Please choose an organisation that you are currently working for, or you are familiar with, where its procurement operations have been greatly affected. You may pick a commercial organisation or public institution for your study.

(a) You will need to briefly describe the organisation and analyse its procurement requirements. Explain its category management structure which supports the strategic procurement. You are required to provide an overview and discuss how spend is identified along with the types of categories purchased.

Analyse the criticality of both category management and strategic sourcing in meeting the business needs of the organisation you have chosen.

(b) Using examples from the organisation you have selected, develop a process that might be applied for the implementation of a category management approach to procurement.

(c) It is said that category management requires much collaborative effort to succeed which includes the use of cross functional teams (CFT). Examine the challenges that you might face in managing a CFT and securing buy-in from the various stakeholders to systematically identify opportunities to increase the value of third-party spend. Demonstrate how you might overcome these challenges.