By Emmanuel de Ryckel

In supply chain management, I’ve often heard people use sourcing and procurement as if they were one and the same. To me, they’re not. In fact, confusing the two is one of the reasons why so many brilliant strategies end up stumbling when it’s time to execute.

Sourcing, as I see it, is the real upstream process. It’s where we take the time to understand markets, identify potential suppliers, and build strategies that align with the company’s long-term goals. It’s a space for analysis and anticipation — defining what we should buy, from whom, and under what framework. It’s also about partnership: finding suppliers who bring innovation, reliability, and sometimes even inspiration.

Procurement, by contrast, is the execution arm. It’s what makes sourcing operational — ensuring that what was imagined upstream can actually work in day-to-day business. Procurement translates strategy into reality: placing orders, enforcing contracts, managing supplier performance, resolving issues, and keeping operations running smoothly.

Where things often go wrong is in the timing. Too frequently, procurement is only brought in once the sourcing decisions have been made — when the “deal” is done and execution is expected to follow. But by then, it’s often too late to flag the practical constraints, systems limitations, or compliance issues that could have been anticipated earlier.

That’s why I strongly believe procurement should be involved from the very start of any sourcing strategy. Their experience in daily operations brings a vital dose of realism. It helps ensure that the grand strategic vision doesn’t get lost in translation once it meets the real world.

In short: sourcing defines the “why” and the “how,” while procurement ensures the “how” actually happens. When these two functions move together — not in sequence, but in sync — the supply chain becomes far more than a cost center. It turns into a genuine driver of performance, agility, and long-term value.