In procurement, the spotlight often falls on strategic sourcing and high-value tenders. Yet beneath the surface, a quieter revolution is underway, transforming the very mechanics of tactical buying. E-catalogues and Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) are no longer peripheral tools, they are becoming pivotal instruments in driving agility, compliance, and value for money in day-to-day procurement operations. This change is occurring across the Europe. However, it’s not limited to just the EU. The UK provides an excellent example of how Public Procurement is impacted by the move towards e-catalogues and DPS.
The Tactical Buying Conundrum
Tactical buying, typically defined as the low to medium-value, high-volume purchases required to keep operations running, has long been a thorny area for procurement teams. Often decentralised, reactive, and admin-heavy, it risks bypassing procurement oversight, leading to maverick spend, inconsistent supplier performance, and missed savings opportunities.
Enter e-catalogues and DPS: two digital procurement solutions quietly changing this narrative.
E-Catalogues: Precision, Simplicity, Control
E-catalogues are electronic databases of pre-approved goods and services, integrated within e-procurement platforms. These catalogues streamline the ordering process by offering users real-time access to agreed prices, product specifications, and supplier terms.
Key Benefits:
- Improved Compliance: Buyers are automatically guided toward framework-compliant suppliers.
- Process Efficiency: Reduces manual requisitioning and purchase order creation.
- Spend Visibility: Enables detailed tracking of category-level purchasing patterns.
- Price Consistency: Eliminates price fluctuations and off-contract purchasing.
Public sector frameworks, such as the UK’s Crown Commercial Service (CCS), have increasingly embedded e-catalogues into platforms like the Government eMarketplace (GeM) or Procurement Card solutions, delivering cost avoidance and transparency.
Dynamic Purchasing Systems: Agility Meets Competition
PUnlike a traditional framework agreement, a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) is a fully electronic procurement tool used for commonly available goods and services. It allows new suppliers to join at any time, fostering continuous competition and market access.
Why DPS Matters:
- Flexible Entry: SMEs and local suppliers can join throughout the DPS lifecycle.
- Fast Mini-Competitions: Authorities can run streamlined call-offs, reducing lead times.
- Category Versatility: From ICT support to temporary labour, DPS suits a wide range of spend areas.
- EU Compliance: DPS is recognised under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Reg. 34), ensuring legal robustness in public sector use.
Organisations such as Transport for London and the NHS Shared Business Services have successfully implemented DPS to inject flexibility, speed, and market dynamism into tactical procurement categories.
A New Procurement Operating Model
The convergence of e-catalogues and DPS points to a broader shift—a hybrid operating model where procurement acts less as a gatekeeper and more as an enabler. Tactical buying, once dismissed as routine, is now seen as an opportunity to:
- Consolidate fragmented spend,
- Drive innovation through supplier diversity,
- Embed ESG and social value criteria even in low-value buys.
With the UK government pushing digital procurement reform via the Procurement Act 2023 (expected full implementation in late 2024), tools like DPS and e-catalogues will play an even more central role in transforming buyer-supplier ecosystems.
Challenges Remain
The shift is not without hurdles:
- Catalogue Management: Keeping pricing and product data current demands discipline from both suppliers and buyers.
- Supplier Onboarding: Especially in DPS, ensuring suppliers meet minimum standards and maintain engagement requires proactive contract management.
- User Training: Internal stakeholders must be adequately trained to avoid misuse or underutilisation of digital tools.
However, these challenges are increasingly being addressed through platform enhancements, supplier enablement programmes, and digital procurement training.
The Tactical Turnaround
This digital transformation may not be as glamorous as strategic sourcing or ESG grandstanding, but it’s far more radical than it seems. By embedding structure into spend that was once chaotic, e-catalogues and DPS are redefining procurement from the ground up.
The result? Quicker purchasing, better compliance, reduced risk, and a far more agile procurement function.
Not a revolution in headlines, perhaps. But a quiet one, with seismic impact.
Sources:
UK Government Procurement Act 2023
Crown Commercial Service – E-Catalogue Guidance
Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Regulation 34 (DPS):
