ICT buyer to purchaser
An ICT buyer already meets 43% of what the purchaser role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
61.1/ 100
1 How much of what a purchaser is expected to do is already part of an ICT buyer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the purchaser role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A purchaser role treats 10 of its required skills as things an ICT buyer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- compare contractors' bids
- coordinate purchasing activities
- identify suppliers
- issue purchase orders
- maintain relationship with customers
- maintain relationship with suppliers
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A purchaser role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT buyer background worth leading with.
- already held issue purchase orders management skills
- already held compare contractors' bids communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held track price trends information skills
- already held use e-procurement working with computers
- already held coordinate purchasing activities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held procurement legislation business, administration and law
All 13 carried skills, including the 10 the purchaser role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn communicate price changes required
- still to learn manage purchasing cycle required
- still to learn speak different languages required
- optional, not held assess procurement needs optional
- optional, not held implement procurement of innovation optional
- optional, not held implement sustainable procurement optional
- optional, not held negotiate sales contracts optional
- still to learn embargo regulations required
- still to learn international import export regulations required
- still to learn export control principles required
- optional, not held category specific expertise optional
- optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- still to learn assess supplier risks required
- optional, not held analyse logistic needs optional
- optional, not held perform procurement market analysis optional
- optional, not held report accounts of the professional activity optional
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held analyse logistic changes optional
- still to learn manage tender processes required
- optional, not held conduct performance measurement optional
- optional, not held identify new business opportunities optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations required
- still to learn have computer literacy required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a purchaser role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess supplier risks practise this
- 02 communicate price changes practise this
- 03 embargo regulations study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held compare contractors' bids skill
- already held coordinate purchasing activities skill
- already held identify suppliers skill
- already held issue purchase orders skill
- already held maintain relationship with customers skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held perform procurement processes skill
- already held supply chain management knowledge
- already held track price trends skill
- already held analyse supply chain strategies skill
- already held procurement legislation knowledge
- already held use e-procurement skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse logistic needs optional
- optional, not held assess procurement needs optional
- optional, not held category specific expertise optional
- optional, not held implement procurement of innovation optional
- optional, not held implement sustainable procurement optional
- optional, not held negotiate sales contracts optional
- optional, not held perform procurement market analysis optional
- optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
- optional, not held report accounts of the professional activity optional
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held analyse logistic changes optional
- optional, not held conduct performance measurement optional
- optional, not held identify new business opportunities optional
- optional, not held international business optional
22 held skills the purchaser role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT market knowledge
- not needed by the target role adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- not needed by the target role business ICT systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role business requirements techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out statistical forecasts skill
- not needed by the target role carry out tendering skill
- not needed by the target role contract law knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role emergent technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role hardware components knowledge
- not needed by the target role hardware components suppliers knowledge
- not needed by the target role hardware platforms knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify ICT user needs skill
- not needed by the target role maintain contract administration skill
- not needed by the target role manage logistics skill
- not needed by the target role manufacturer's recommended price knowledge
- not needed by the target role negotiate buying conditions skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role prepare purchasing reportings skill
- not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge
- not needed by the target role software components libraries knowledge
- not needed by the target role software components suppliers knowledge
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn embargo regulations required
- still to learn international import export regulations required
- still to learn export control principles required
- optional, not held category specific expertise optional
- optional, not held procurement lifecycle optional
- optional, not held international business optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT buyer become a purchaser?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ICT buyer already covers 43% of what a purchaser is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 10 of which the purchaser role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT buyer need to become a purchaser?
10 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assess supplier risks.
How hard is the move from ICT buyer to purchaser?
Its learning distance is 61.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.