Written by Marijn Overvest | Reviewed by Sjoerd Goedhart | Fact Checked by Ruud Emonds | Our editorial policy
Freelance Procurement — Everything You Should Know
Key takeaways
- Freelance procurement involves independent procurement professionals offering their expertise in sourcing, negotiation, and contract management on a project or contract basis.
- To stay up with the changing digital world, procurement experts started freelancing.
- In companies without internal procurement specialists, procurement services are contracted out to independent contractors.
Freelance procurement is popular with many companies, especially those who need more help in their procurement process. However, what is it and how is it done?
For this article, we will talk about what freelance procurement is. We will tell you some of the common jobs that are freelanced in procurement. Additionally, we will show you where to find the best procurement freelancers.
Once you are finished reading this article, you will gain a better understanding of what freelance procurement is. Thus, when the need arises, you know where to look for a freelance procurement professional.
Freelancing in Procurement: What is it?
Since the pandemic, more people become freelancers as many job opportunities can be found on the internet.
We all know that freelancing is a way to provide service as a self-employed individual. It often entails that you work under contract. However, you do not need to report to an office daily which gives you the flexibility to work.
In procurement, many companies freelance procurement professionals to support or help them optimize their sourcing and procurement processes. Additionally, they freelance procurement experts if they do not have enough in-house procurement experts within their company.
In a world that is rapidly adopting e-procurement, many companies are needing more and more talent. Thus, the best way to get the job done immediately is to hire a freelance procurement professional.
Although you can easily find a freelance procurement professional online, you still need to be wary of their skills. With a multitude of candidates that you can hire, you must ensure that you will only stick to professionals whose skill set is necessary to optimize your procurement process.
Additionally, if you are going to search online for freelance procurement professionals, you must have a budget for it. You must take note that different procurement freelancers have different price ranges in order for you to get them working in your company.
Common Jobs Mostly Freelanced in Procurement
Procurement professionals have different performing roles in the procurement industry. Naturally, freelance procurement professionals have different functions as well.
Here are the 3 most common jobs freelanced in the field of procurement:
1. Procurement Consultant
A procurement consultant is an individual who has an extensive professional experience in purchasing or procurement.
Procurement consultants can work for large consulting firms or they can be freelancers. Usually, they are industry specific and rarely work outside their sector of expertise.
Procurement consultants are one of the most sought freelancers in procurement. This is due to the fact that many companies need help in aligning their organizational goals and objectives with their procurement strategy.
Thus, procurement consultants are crucial in making the procurement process of a company successful.
2. Procurement Analyst
A procurement analyst is an individual who evaluates products from suppliers to know which ones the company should buy. The duties of a procurement analyst may include meeting with suppliers, testing products, making cost reports, and negotiating supply contracts.
Additionally, a procurement analyst provides procurement managers with an analysis of the raw material development, market situations, and current supplier base. He or she is also responsible for ensuring that all products bought from the supplier are delivered on time.
This is why when you are going to look for a freelance procurement analyst, you must ensure that he or she is dedicated and committed to her or his work.
3. Sourcing Specialist
A sourcing specialist is someone who establishes an effective sourcing process that will help the company to save costs and maximize profitability.
A sourcing specialist may source products or even manpower to help the company grow by choosing the right people for the job or project that a company will do.
They are responsible for sourcing suppliers and maintaining long relationships with them as well as with existing suppliers. Additionally, they provide solutions to enhance the company’s spending and outsourcing.
Thus, you must be careful when finding a freelance sourcing specialist for your company as they are crucial to save costs in your company.
Where to Find Freelance Procurement Professionals?
Where can you find freelancing procurement professionals? In the digital world today, there are many emerging job hiring and job posting platforms online. Aside from LinkedIn, here are other platforms you can browse through to find freelance procurement professionals:
1. Procurement Freelancers
Procurement Freelancers or PFL is a startup that connects companies to purchasing professionals that seek procurement support in their processes.
Unlike any other freelance marketplaces, PFL is exclusively geared towards the particular needs of procurement departments. Thus, allowing them to find and hire procurement freelancers that perfectly match their project requirements.
Additionally, through their platform, businesses can now securely share confidential procurement information without worrying about leaks.
2. Toptal
Toptal is a company that provides freelancing services to organizations that need support in their operations.
Toptal can provide you with the top talents in procurement for you to optimize your sourcing and procurement processes in your company. It has a great list of talents and also showcases its various strengths.
Thus, Toptal allows you to access the top procurement professionals in the world which will enable you to determine which of them suits your requirements.
3. Upwork
Upwork is a company that helps companies to connect to top talents that can help their company grow.
Just like other freelancing companies, they have a plethora of lists of procurement professionals whom you can work with to streamline your procurement process. Additionally, Upwork has a “talent scout” option which helps you find talents that suit you well without breaking a sweat.
Conclusion
Procurement Freelancers or PFL is a startup that connects companies to purchasing professionals that seek procurement support in their processes.
In summary, freelancing is a way to provide service, usually under contract, as a self-employed individual. In addition, being a freelancer gives you the flexibility of time and work schedule.
With that, many companies hire freelance procurement professionals to ask for their services in supporting and helping them optimize their sourcing and procurement processes. They also do this if they do not have enough in-house procurement experts within their company.
The most common freelance procurement roles are procurement consultants, procurement analysts, and sourcing specialists. They can also be hired via online platforms like Upwork, Toptal, and the most recent one, the Procurement Freelancers or PFL.
With that, these procurement freelancers can provide their services and expertise to you that will help you streamline and optimize your procurement processes and progress your business operations.
Frequentlyasked questions
What is freelance procurement?
It is a way to provide services as a self-employed individual in procurement.
Is it good to freelance?
Freelance is good for a company, especially those who do not have a permanent procurement professional within their company.
Where can I search for freelancers in procurement?
You can find many freelancers just by searching on the internet. You can also use the websites that we have shown you in the article to connect with the best procurement professionals.
About the author
My name is Marijn Overvest, I’m the founder of Procurement Tactics. I have a deep passion for procurement, and I’ve upskilled over 200 procurement teams from all over the world. When I’m not working, I love running and cycling.
