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Purchasing cooperation: definition & important aspects for buyers
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Purchasing cooperation in a nutshell:
A purchasing cooperation is the systematic merger of several legally independent companies for the joint procurement of goods or services. By pooling purchasing volumes, the partners involved can strengthen their negotiating position and obtain better conditions from suppliers.
Example: Three medium-sized mechanical engineering companies join forces to form a purchasing cooperation for steel products and achieve an additional volume discount of 7% compared to their previous individual conditions thanks to their combined annual volume of EUR 5 million.
Contents
Purchasing cooperation: An introduction
What is a purchasing cooperation?
A purchasing cooperation is an association of companies or organizations that jointly organize their procurement in order to obtain better conditions from suppliers. By pooling purchasing volumes, the members increase their negotiating power, receive volume discounts and can save costs. The aim of the purchasing cooperation is to create competitive advantages that would be difficult for each member to achieve alone.
Core elements of a purchasing cooperation
Importance of purchasing cooperation in procurement
Purchasing cooperation offers considerable advantages in the area of purchasing. It enables companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to benefit from economies of scale and strengthen their market position. Through cooperation, risks can be reduced and innovations implemented more quickly. Purchasing cooperations also promote competition between suppliers, which leads to better offers and improved services.
Implementation of a purchasing cooperation
Cooperation with other companies can reduce purchasing costs and strengthen the negotiating position. Strategic purchasing cooperation requires clear objectives, contracts and trust between the partners.
Practical example: Joint purchasing of office supplies
Three medium-sized companies from the same region realize that they have similar needs for office supplies. They decide to set up a purchasing cooperation. By pooling their orders, they are able to negotiate a volume discount of 15% with the supplier. In addition, they agree improved payment terms and shorter delivery times. As a result, each company saves several thousand euros a year and benefits from more efficient procurement processes.
Evaluation and strategic findings
✓ Critical success factors
→ Partner selection: Careful selection of cooperation partners with complementary needs and a similar corporate culture
→ Contract design: Legally sound and fair agreements to regulate responsibilities and profit distribution
→ Process harmonization: standardization of ordering processes and IT systems between the cooperation partners
⚠ Challenges
→ Conflicts of interest: balancing different priorities and quality requirements of the partners
→ Coordination effort: Increased need for coordination for joint procurement decisions
→ Dependencies: Risk of interdependence and limited flexibility
Future trends and implications:
"Digital platforms will revolutionize purchasing cooperations and enable new forms of collaboration."
→ Blockchain-based trust systems
→ AI-supported demand forecasts for cooperation partners
→ Digital marketplaces for purchasing groups
→ Cross-industry cooperation through new technologies
Conclusion on the purchasing cooperation
Purchasing cooperations offer companies an effective way to reduce their procurement costs and strengthen their market position. Success depends largely on careful partner selection, clear contractual regulations and standardized processes. Despite challenges such as coordination effort and potential conflicts of interest, the benefits of cost savings, improved delivery conditions and knowledge sharing outweigh the disadvantages. Increasing digitalization will create new opportunities for even more efficient cooperation models.
