Advances in e-procurement : a product/buying situation focus

It has been noted that e-procurement represents a substantial competitive advantage when implemented seamlessly. Other than technological and cultural considerations, the level of IT integration in procurement will depend on the buying situation, on the type of product and on international product standards. This paper explores the levels of suitability of e-procurement in relation to three dimensions that focus on the product/buying situation; from a buyer perspective the advantages of e-procurement will depend on the buying situation, the strategic importance of the product, and the existence of international standards for the product. The buying situations have been classified according to their increasing complexity and uncertainty as straight rebuy, modified rebuy and new task. The second dimension defines the level of strategic importance of the product. The third dimension regards the recognition and level of acceptance of international standards for the product. The preliminary analysis of empirical research from the UK and Italy suggests that e-procurement will prove valuable in situations of straight rebuy of non-strategic products that have widely accepted international standards