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SciQuest Helps Organizations 'Green' Their Procurement Processes

By: Chris Riedel

10/3/2008

In a recent announcement, SciQuest said it has been consulting with customers of its procurement automation and supplier enablement solutions on ways they can utilize electronic procurement practices to achieve overall sustainability goals.

According to SciQuest, a recent KPMG survey found that 42 percent of the more than 600 senior-level procurement professionals questioned noted that they regularly "evaluate suppliers on environmental and human rights performance." In an effort to address the growing trend, the company suggests that organizations interested in merging sustainability goals with procurement practices seek to establish key procedures designed to aid the process.

The three primary areas outlined by SciQuest--and achieved through eProcurement solutions--include the development of sustainability guidelines for suppliers, the establishment of effective communication through the use of procurement dashboards, and the integration of internal and external purchasing processes.

"Procurement's increasingly crucial role in sustainability initiatives stems from its singular ability to generate savings and efficiencies with each and every transaction an organization makes while ensuring compliance with purchasing guidelines," said Jamie Duke, chief operating officer at SciQuest, in a prepared statement. "The ability of eProcurement systems to control what items can be purchased from which suppliers carries great weight and gives organizations the oversight they need to ensure that their green purchasing policies are followed."

According to the announcement, the use of eProcurement tools to achieve sustainability goals carries the added benefit of providing "green" suppliers with a significantly expanded market.


About the author: Chris Riedel is a freelance writer based in Florida. He can be reached here.