Insights from Instrument Procurement

Newcomers to procurement usually fail to focus on the key points – the price? Quality? Service? Brand? It’s not sadness from being deceived, but sadness at the fact that the best aspects of the purchase prove to be useless. .

I think for beginners, the key is to carefully select good suppliers; once they become more familiar with the process, they can consider other factors. Good suppliers can help avoid many problems, such as those related to technology, after-sales service, and quality – these are all important aspects that shouldn’t be ignored. It’s not just about price; one shouldn’t simply opt for the lowest cost options

Read professional books, visit sites frequently, especially manufacturing plants, participate in technical exchanges, study technical agreements, and ensure you understand the standards specified in them. When goods arrive, inspect them according to those standards; if there are any disputes, discuss them. It won’t take long before you become an expert in procurement! Over the years, you become an expert. Buying things is not procurement! You need to be able to identify design flaws and determine whether the technical parameters proposed by the workshop are reasonable; communicate more with the workshop technicians and those from the manufacturing plant. In terms of price, it is possible to make a reasonable comparison with three suppliers; it would be best to be able to calculate the costs as well. Previously, a cost calculation method was developed and promoted by Sinopec, but they only understood the basics and not the essence of it, yet this was still sufficient to keep the prices of suppliers in check (especially those who carry out work first and settle the accounts later).

Thank you for sharing; I’ve learned a lot. May I ask about reading those professional books? . I am in charge of instrument procurement».

As the saying goes, one must first get involved in a field before working in it. As a purchaser, it is necessary to learn as much as possible about instruments – one doesn’t need to be an expert on their main performance parameters, but at least a basic understanding is required. It’s important to communicate frequently with the technicians on site; ideally, one should start by working as a technician. Otherwise, when it comes to verifying parameters or resolving discrepancies, you’ll have to ask the supplier to contact the technician. To be honest, if the technician receives some benefits, they might collude with the supplier to deceive you!

Can you still calculate the cost for instruments? That was awesome!