Procurement
Procurement Moves Online as a Result of Pandemic
Propelled in large part by the pandemic, procurement across all sectors, including K–12 and higher education, is making a big shift toward online. Some 85 percent of organizations report they pushed
more of their procurement to digital as a direct result of the
pandemic, and 96 percent of those expect to continue doing so beyond the
pandemic, according to a report released this week.
The 2021
B2B E-commerce in Evolution Report, from Amazon Business, found that, in education in
particular, more than a third of institutions (34 percent) now do more than half of their
procurement online. (That’s slightly below the overall average of
38 percent.)
The top priorities from survey respondents in
education diverge from other sectors. They include:
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Reducing costs;
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Supporting remote work;
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Increasing supply chain diversification;
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Improving sustainability; and
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Supporting local businesses within the community.
According to the report: “Nearly half (46 percent) of education buyers
said supporting remote work and learning is a top priority for 2021.
Like nearly every other sector, the education industry has
experienced fundamental changes as a result of the pandemic, and it’s
likely this trend will remain in some capacity. Schools are thinking
beyond the traditional classroom and leveraging technology to offer
more flexible, remote teaching environments — permanently. Online
purchasing has emerged as a convenient and efficient way to track and
send school supplies to teachers and students dispersed across
geographic locations.”
More details and a link to the complete report are available on the
Amazon
Business blog.
