What you should know about #SocialProcurement

If you’re wondering what #SocialProcurement is and how it can support supplier sourcing, you’ve come to the right place. #SocialProcurement is the practice of posting structured sourcing requests on LinkedIn to identify and reach potential suppliers through professional networks.

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What is SocialProcurement SocialProcurement Supplier Discovery and Sourcing on LinkedIn
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#SocialProcurement is a way for procurement professionals to use LinkedIn and other professional networks to discover potential suppliers, share sourcing requirements, and connect with relevant people beyond their existing supplier base.

Instead of relying only on traditional supplier-discovery channels, #SocialProcurement uses professional networks as an additional sourcing channel. A procurement professional can publish a structured sourcing request, make it visible to relevant professionals, and use the resulting network connections to identify potential suppliers.

In this context, SocialProcurement is the name of a sourcing approach focused on professional social networks. It should not be confused with the broader use of the term “social procurement,” which can refer to procurement practices designed to achieve social, environmental or socioeconomic value.

What is #SocialProcurement in practice?

#SocialProcurement describes the use of professional social networks as a practical channel for supplier sourcing and discovery.

The Idea is simple..

Procurement professionals already have access to professional networks containing buyers, suppliers, specialists, industry experts and other relevant contacts. #SocialProcurement turns that network into an additional sourcing channel by making structured sourcing requirements visible to people who may be able to respond directly or connect the buyer with an appropriate supplier.

A #SocialProcurement sourcing request can therefore do more than ask, “Who can supply this?” It can also ask the professional network, “Who knows a supplier who can supply this?”

How does it work

So, what is #SocialProcurement? It is a sourcing approach that uses professional networks to help procurement professionals discover potential suppliers and create relevant supplier connections. works by combining a clear sourcing requirement with the reach of a professional network.

The process starts with a specific sourcing need. The buyer describes what they are looking for and publishes the requirement through LinkedIn. The request can then reach people outside the buyer’s existing supplier database and direct network. Responses may come from potential suppliers, industry professionals, colleagues, or people who know a company that could meet the requirement.

The buyer can then follow up with relevant contacts and continue with the normal supplier qualification, due-diligence, and commercial evaluation process.

#SocialProcurement does not replace procurement processes. It adds another channel for finding potential suppliers.

Why use LinkedIn for supplier sourcing?

LinkedIn is a professional network where procurement professionals, suppliers, specialists, industry experts, and other business contacts already interact. This makes it possible to turn professional connections into an additional supplier-discovery channel.

A sourcing request can reach people who are not already part of the buyer’s supplier database. Even when someone cannot supply the requirement themselves, they may know a company, specialist, or contact who can help.

The value of #SocialProcurement is therefore not simply the number of people who see a post. It is the possibility of creating relevant connections and introductions that would not have appeared through a traditional supplier search.

#SocialProcurement and “Social Procurement” are not the same thing

The term “social procurement” is also used in public procurement to describe purchasing approaches intended to create social, environmental, or socioeconomic value. #SocialProcurement, as used by this initiative, has a specific meaning: using professional social networks such as LinkedIn to support supplier discovery and sourcing.

The two concepts share a similar name but describe different procurement approaches. This page uses #SocialProcurement to refer specifically to social-network-based supplier sourcing.

#SocialProcurement vs. social selling and traditional supplier discovery

Social selling

#SocialProcurement and social selling both use professional networks, but their objectives are different. Social selling generally focuses on sales professionals building relationships with potential customers and developing commercial opportunities.

#SocialProcurement

Focuses on the buyer’s side of the market: using professional networks to identify potential suppliers, communicate sourcing requirements and create connections that may support supplier discovery.

In simple terms, social selling helps sellers find buyers, while #SocialProcurement helps procurement professionals find potential suppliers.

Traditional supplier discovery

Traditional supplier discovery can involve established supplier databases, directories, market research, referrals, industry events, existing supplier relationships and formal sourcing processes.

The difference is primarily how potential suppliers are discovered. Instead of relying exclusively on information already contained within a procurement system or supplier database, a sourcing professional can also ask their professional network to identify relevant companies and contacts.
The approaches can work together.

Traditional approach may rely on:

  • Directories.
  • Expensive RFQ Platforms.
  • Intermediaries.
  • Searching within databases.
  • Buyers search alone.

#SocialProcurement

#SocialProcurement adds another channel to that toolbox: professional networks. A sourcing professional may discover a potential supplier through a LinkedIn post and then apply the same qualification, due-diligence and commercial evaluation processes used for any other supplier.

#SocialProcurement adds:

  • Professional networks.
  • LinkedIn sourcing posts.
  • Direct and fast supplier connections.
  • Search within relevant networks and connections.
  • LinkedIn network can amplify the search request.

The Four steps for #SocialProcurement

STEP 1

Use your LinkedIn

Make use of it

Explore our LinkedIn

Publish your sourcing request. Use the #SocialProcurement hashtag and tag our LinkedIn page. Your ambassador and the community will engage and help it travel.

 

STEP 2

What you source

Before your post

Find your ambassador

or

Open the Builder

Get clear on what you need. Two ways: book a free coaching call with your regional ambassador, or use the #SocialProcurement Builder, our AI assistant that drafts your post and answers your questions. On a coaching call, your ambassador prepares your sourcing request with you using our internal checklist. 

STEP 3

Watch the webinar

You got 2 options

Watch now

or

Join the next live webinar

Learn what #SocialProcurement is, how the LinkedIn algorithm works in your favour, and what a strong sourcing post looks like. Thirty minutes, on demand. 

STEP 4

Get your frame

#IamBuying frame

Generate your frame

Add the #IamBuying frame to your LinkedIn profile picture. It signals to your network that you are a buyer, actively sourcing. It takes two minutes and it is free. 

Still unsure?

Find answers to commonly asked questions about our #SocialProcurement initiative

Not Ready to Try #SocialProcurement?

Stay in the loop, subscribe to our newsletter and we will walk you through it.

If you feel you want to give it a try, start with a sourcing requirement you are currently working on. Turn it into a clear sourcing post, publish it through your professional network and see which relevant companies, professionals or introductions emerge.

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