Desktops Category Procurement Intelligence Report

End User Software and Hardware market around the world is undergoing rapid transitions that have a massive potential to influence the way companies strategize for Desktops procurement and the cost they have to incur. Buyers are showing an inclination to onboard suppliers whose offerings span beyond Desktops. The practice brings in several advantages such as rationalization of supplier base, economies of scale and reduced category management cost.

Global market is facing a shortage of professionals with requisite skills and training. Minimum wages and stringent regulations are compelling suppliers to increase their employee expenses which are expected to have an inflationary impact on buyer's procurement cost.

The supply market has undergone several structural changes including introduction of several new vendors every year, M&As and vertical integration efforts of suppliers. This has resulted in some issues such as erosion of previously established supplier relationships but has also opened new opportunities to onboard new suppliers that offer a solution with better fitment or a wider range of offerings in .

Desktops procurement best practices are moving towards a level of sophistication which is typically seen in traditional procurement categories. Category managers now have an attractive opportunity to adapt the best practices seen within this category as well as those being leveraged in other non-related categories. This report summarizes the best practices picked from across multiple categories that could work well for category managers involved with Desktops procurement strategy.

For example, Developing a strong understanding of the potential vulnerabilities of service providers can help buyers limit their potential losses and also gives the bargaining power to demand services from more robust measures in the SLA.

Category managers must explore opportunities to integrate planning and management activities using analytics to gain better control over category spend. This will also allow them to consolidate supply base easily as well as segment service providers depending on requirements and spend on each service provider.

Buyers must clearly define clauses pertaining to the ownership of subcontracting services that are not a part of preferred suppliers' portfolios. Subcontractors should be bound by the same terms and conditions as the main contractor to ensure consistency in quality and manage any adverse event such as data breach.

Desktops procurement managers also need to proactively identify and mitigate potential risks that can arise in the supply chain or contracts for Desktops procurement. Some examples include: