IT/IS procurement is the process of buying goods and services that is related to information

technology. Examples may include computers, servers and software.

There are two types of processes in the procurement process:

1. Deployment processes: This process is divided into 3 parts,

Requirement’s determination- What is needed in the organization

Acquisition – what needs to be purchased to achieve goals and objectives of organization.

Contract fulfilment – What needs to be agreed upon to make the process a success.

2. Management process: This process is divided into 3 parts, Supplier management, IT Asset
management and Quality management.

Difference between IS procurement, project procurement and goods and services procurement.

- IS procurement is acquiring what is needed in the organization to accomplish internal tasks.

- Project procurement acquiring what is needed to complete a project successfully.

- Goods and services procurement is acquiring a product or service that is provided by a 3rd party
vendor. For example, buying stationary or making use of a 3rd party vendor to clean the offices.
The following will define the concepts of Project Procurement, Services Procurement and the
Procurement of Goods. 

• Project Procurement

It is the way toward acquiring the entirety of the materials and services needed for the venture. 

• Services Procurement

It is the strategic outsourcing of work to an individual or organisation for a specific purpose. 

• Procurement of Goods

It is the act of acquiring products for business purposes. 

Therefore, all types of Procurement mentioned (IS, Project, Services, Goods) are related in the sense
that they all attempt to acquire the resources that the business might need. But IS procurement
differs in the sense that it is only concerned with acquiring resources that are IT related, whereas the
others mentioned will focus on all aspects of the business.  
 
What is IS Procurement?

IS procurement is a set of interdisciplinary activities and procedures for acquiring the IT systems that
are needed within an organization. This procurement process is the one that ensures that the right
and necessary technologies are bought and put in place in alignment with the business
needs/requirements. An IS procurement comprises of staff members from the IS department of an
organisation, purchasing, legal, financial/treasury and end users. This is how an organisations
ensures the successful implementation of IT systems.

How does it differ from project, goods or services procurement?

Project procurement is the obtaining of all the materials and services required for that specific
project. Let’s say that a construction company has a project of building bridges, the project
procurement is what will ensure that the company has all the material and services it will need to
complete the project successfully while sticking within budget.

Goods/service procurement refers to the acquiring of goods/equipment or services in a business or

organisational context. An example would be an organisation needing wifi/internet to be installed in
their offices, they will therefore outsource these services to outside vendors that offers these
services. Or they need new office equipment, they will therefore have to go purchase needed
equipment from outside the organisation and ensuring that all is acquired within budget and is what
the organisation needs.

Therefore, as much as all procurements are processes of acquiring resources that the company
requires, they differ as the IS procurement focuses on the technology of an organisation, while the
project procurement focuses on a project that an organisation has to undertake, and goods/services
focuses on the needs of the organisation as a whole.