ROI, or Return on Investment, is a factor in every business, whether it be for-profit or even non-profit. The bottom line is that owners, investors, and anyone with a stake in the business wants to make sure they are getting their money’s worth. A contributor to a non-profit wants the same – is their donation being maximized and put to good use. So that brings us to our current topic, procurement certification. Allowing and encouraging your purchasing team to achieve procurement certifications will help improve your ROI, both in what the business gets from the employee and how the increased knowledge makes the department and functions more efficient.
A business may implement several strategies and tactics with the end goal being to minimize spending and maximize savings thereby getting an improved ROI. How effectively those strategies are put into place is directly related to the skill level and training of the people following the guidelines. Having the very best missions statement and goals in the world won’t help if it is not backed by good people.
The return on investment will be improved when the individual team members in the procurement department are experienced and have a clear idea of what they are doing. Procurement certification can help provide a greater understanding of their job and responsibilities, expand their thinking, and provide additional critical thinking skills that will allow them to contribute more to the team and to the business. Surveys comparing purchasing and procurement staff results that have certification to those without clearly show that those with certification provided a higher Return on Investment. But you don’t need surveys to tell you that better training produces better results.
Procurement certification also gives you more creditability which in turn helps produce better results. When making proposals to company executives or presenting ideas for improved efficiencies, you automatically start from a better position having procurement certifications behind your name. This credibility lends itself t helping you achieve more. When you do that, the overall ROI for you as an employee and for the purchasing department within the company will all be improved.
If your business does not offer funding for procurement certifications you may want to make the case as to why this type of investment in you will provide an excellent return. We touched on this idea in the opening that you can provide an improved ROI to the business yourself. Employees, no matter what the business, are always the greatest asset. In many instances payroll is also the biggest expense so if the business can improve their ROI by offering to pay for certification that may be very appealing. But if they don’t, you will want to consider doing this yourself on your own time to become more valuable to the business. By showing initiative and producing improved ROI as a result of your certification you put yourself in a better position to be awarded and recognized. Being at the right place at the right time is more than pure luck, it is preparedness and you can be better prepared by getting certified.
