Procurement Analyst – The Ultimate Guide for 2023

Do you have what it takes to become a procurement analyst? Or are you already an analyst and want to learn how you can improve your skills? 

Becoming a procurement analyst may sound like an amazing deal since most procurement jobs nowadays pay well. However, one should also learn about the responsibilities the position entails. That is what we are going to talk about for today’s article. 

We are going to learn what a procurement analyst is, what he/she does, and all other aspects of the job that you need to learn to become a (more) effective procurement analyst. 

What is a Procurement Analyst?

A procurement analyst is someone who evaluates supplies from vendors to determine which ones the company should buy. Duties may include meeting with vendors, testing products, creating cost reports, and negotiating supply contracts. This should give applicants an idea that working as a procurement specialist needs dedication and commitment.

Apart from the duties mentioned above, other duties of the procurement specialist may include the following:

• Providing procurement managers with analysis on e.g. raw material development, market situations, supplier landscape, latest news on current supplier base
• Choosing vendors based on the cost and quality of the materials
• Ensure deliveries are made on time.
• Maintain communications between the suppliers and the company
• Issue delivered purchase orders to suppliers
• Negotiate supply contracts. These include prices, shipping methods, and delivery timelines.

The Qualifications of a Procurement Analyst

Think you can become a procurement analyst? Then why don’t you give it a shot?

To become a procurement analyst, you’ll need a diverse set of skills for the job. The said skills include the following:

• Extensive experience in checking the vendors that work with a company based on price, quality, and availability.
• Sound knowledge of hardware and software procurement.
• Knowledge of MWBE monitoring and evaluation.
• Solid understanding of business management, supply chain management, strategic sourcing, and eProcurement.
• An expert in creating accurate forecasts to meet retailer and supplier demands.
• Impeccable negotiation and decision-making skills on top of good written and verbal communication skills

Apart from the skills needed for the job, your educational attainment should also be in line with the procurement analyst career path. For those who are interested in becoming a procurement analyst, one should earn a Bachelor’s degree first and foremost. 

Employers are looking for those who hold a degree in Engineering, Accounting, Business, or Finance. This is reasonable since procurement analysts spend a lot of time calculating, comparing, and analyzing the costs of working with suppliers. These skills are often taught through coursework in financial accounting.

Apart from financial and business skills, communication skills are also an integral part of becoming a procurement analyst. Communication skills are usually learned through coursework in communication studies, usually through a class in business communications.

After the educational training, there is also a need for applicants to undergo on-the-job training before they can finally graduate. On-the-job training lasts over one year with procurement analysts being taught how to perform the basic duties of procurement analysts. The duties consist of SAP business management software and spreadsheet analysis.

Finally, there is a need for applicants with impeccable negotiation skills. Procurement analysts always go through the rigid process of negotiation training. They say that negotiation is a skill that can only be acquired through experience. That much is true. However, we at Procurement Tactics take all those years of experience and come up with a course that takes all the lessons we’ve acquired through years of negotiations so that we can help up-and-coming procurement analysts become top negotiators themselves.

We are talking about the Negotiation Course For Procurement Professionals. Have a look at our courses today and become the edge of your procurement team.