Purchasing and procurement is used to denote the function of and the responsibility for procuring materials, supplies, and services. Recently, the term "supply management" has increasingly come to describe this process as it pertains to a professional capacity. Employees who serve in this function are known as buyers, purchasing agents, or supply managers. Depending on the size of the organization, buyers may further be ranked as senior buyers or junior buyers.

History

Prior to 1900, there were few separate and distinct purchasing departments in U.S. business. Most pre-twentieth-century purchasing departments existed in the railroad industry. The first book specifically addressing institutionalized purchasing within this industry was The Handling of Railway Supplies—Their Purchase and Disposition, written by Marshall M. Kirkman in 1887.

Early in the twentieth century, several books on purchasing were published, while discussion of purchasing practices and concerns were tailored to specific industries...