About

In 2004 we launched an on-line assessment tool which sought to assess procurement skill and knowledge levels amongst sourcing, supply chain and procurement practitioners. The tool was designed to offer individuals and organisations a quick, cost effective and objective method of assessing existing procurement skill levels, setting development priorities and measuring the impact of subsequent skills training and development interventions. Since that time, we have continuously revised and developed the on-line procurement tool and assessment suite, making significant enhancements and adding language options.

The procurement competence questionnaire has now been completed by over 20,000 procurement professionals from over 1,000 organisations across the world and offers possibly the world’s most comprehensive view of knowledge and skill among procurement professionals.

This is a question frequently asked by individuals and procurement leaders keen to develop themselves and their teams who are tasked with continuously improving the value Procurement delivers to the organisation. 

Whilst many organisations have structured performance appraisal processes to assess individual performance and development needs these often rely on subjective information, absorb a lot of time and results are not easily collated and interpreted. This makes it difficult to know if individuals have the skills they need to perform in the role, whether they are performing to the best of their ability and how best to develop them in order to improve their contribution.

The online procurement knowledge testaddresses this set of challenges by offering a quick, cost effective and objective method for identifying existing knowledge levels and their application across key procurement competencies.

The questionnaire comprises 117 multiple choice questions across 13 procurement competencies and takes around 2 hours to complete on-line. Individuals select one from four possible answers for each multiple-choice question and in addition there is a fifth ‘don’t know’ option.

Individuals have the flexibility to save their assessment whilst it is in progress if they do not have a single period of time which they can dedicate to completing it.

The competencies assessed are:

  1. Governance, Leadership and Functional Design
  2. Supply Base and Category Analysis
  3. Risk Management
  4. Category Strategy and Go-to-Market (tendering) processes
  5. Supplier Appraisal, Evaluation and Audit
  6. Contracting and Legal Aspects
  7. Finance and Purchase Price Cost Analysis
  8. Negotiation and Influencing
  9. Supplier Performance, Contract and Relationship Management
  10. Transactional Procurement and Procure-to-Pay processes
  11. E-Procurement and Technology
  12. Project Management and Change
  13. Sustainability and Corporate and Social Responsibility

For a definition of the competencies please click here

Individuals receive a report highlighting areas of strength and development together with comparative benchmark information from our database. The report is instantly generated in a ‘pdf’ format and is emailed to the individual directly unless distributed through a line manager or other nominated individual within an organisation. If you have chosen to register through ‘LinkedIn’ then the report is sent to your LinkedIn email address.

Each report offers a range of different results and benchmark comparisons including:

  1. A personal score marked out of a maximum of 65 (representing a score out of 5 for each of the 13 competencies)
  2. Your personal score compared to the global database mean average
  3. Your personal score compared to a number of appropriate benchmarks including:
    1. Role Level (your score compared to the mean average of those operating in similar level roles in the organisational hierarchy)
    2. Role orientation (scope and focus of the role)
    3. Level of experience (Number of years’ experience in function)
    4. Geographic region in which the individual is located (e.g. North America)
    5. Employment Sector in which the individual works (e.g. Pharmaceuticals)

The report also explains how your score can be interpreted and based upon the level of knowledge makes suggestions for how any development needs may be closed. For individuals who register to complete the assessment then the results will remain confidential to yourself and emailed only to the email address provided.

Where the assessment has been commissioned by an organisation then results are often aggregated and interpreted as a whole to identify development needs across the whole group or sub-sections of it to develop plans and identify priorities. Individual reports may be issued directly to an individual’s email address but may also be distributed through line managers, HR representatives or other nominated individuals. In certain countries laws are in place which require that the results can only be reported anonymously (without referencing an individual’s name) at the group level and in this regard, we are directed by the organisation or the law to ensure compliance. Some organisations also follow similar procedures although it is usual for a Procurement Director or HR Director to have access to all of the data should this be requested.

For a copy of a group report please contact us.

Please click here to see a sample individual report

The on-line assessment tool addresses these challenges and offers the following benefits:

  • The process is 100% objective as it relies on an assessment of core procurement knowledge and its application in given scenarios
  • Individual and group reports highlight specific knowledge gaps and development needs. The results are compared with our database and a series of comparative benchmarks provided against role, experience, sector and geographic region
  • Typical turnaround times from initial deployment to results are 2-3 weeks. The assessment is therefore quicker and more cost effective than traditional interview based methods
  • It is available in a number of different languages
  • It enables learning and development to be focused where it is most needed

Prior to the tool’s introduction organisations had often relied upon typical performance appraisal processes to identify development needs but these were considered increasingly inadequate as they were slow, subjective, offered little consistency and were poor in their ability to record, collate and interpret the results across the organisation.

The following questions will help you to identify if the on-line tool is suitable for you:

  • Do you know what technical knowledge you or your team have? Are you confident they possess the knowledge and skill to do the job?
  • Are you confident that current assessment methods are objective?
  • Can you collect and interpret information on current skills and development needs quickly and without significant effort from individuals or line managers?
  • Are you able to accurately and objectively identify development priorities both at the individual and group level? Can you make internal comparisons and establish benchmarks?
  • Do you know how your people compare with other procurement professionals outside of your business, in the same or other sectors, or elsewhere in the world?

If you answered ‘no’ to any of the above then the assessment tool is likely to benefit yourself and your team.

It is possible to combine an interview based process with the on-line assessment tool should an organisation wish to do so. This is often beneficial if the organisation is more interested in the application of knowledge and wants to better understand how this has been demonstrated in the work environment by way of examples. It therefore provides a more complete view of the individual’s ability and their performance within a role. It is also helpful if the organisation has specific skills or competencies to be measured which do not form part of the on-line assessment process.

Performing an interview based process often takes a long time and is relatively expensive to undertake. One of the ways this can be addressed is to complete a cross-sectional sample of the team. This provides insights into organisational culture, typical results produced and allows a calibration against the on-line assessment process.

We have completed over 5,000 interview based assessments and have a demonstrable track record of performing structured competence based interviews either in support of the on-line assessment process or in a standalone capacity. If this is of interest to you or your organisation, then please get in touch for further information.

The on-line assessment is available to both individuals and teams. Individual assessments can be purchased on-line. You will need to register first and, once complete, you will be taken to our payment page at www.procurementskills.com. Individuals assessments can be purchased at a price of GBP£49.95 and are also available to purchase in other currencies such as US$, €Euro and CHF. Individuals who complete the assessment will receive a pdf report which provides details of their score together with a range of comparison benchmarks. A copy of the report individuals will receive is available to view by clicking on the 'How are the results reported?' question on this About page. 

Pricing for organisations and teams starts at GBP£100 per individual and is dependent on the size of the team. In addition to the individual reports, organisations and their teams receive additional group and team reporting including including internal group and team comparative benchmark data. In addition, team and group development plans are provided which set out learning and development priorities by role type, team, location and group as required. Organisations also have access to the detailed competence framework which underpins the assessment. The results are also presented to those individuals whom have commissioned the assessment. Should you be interested in undertaking the assessment for your team then please email us at enquiries@sourceXchange.co.uk for a quote.