Business Management

Office furniture procurement and purchasing departments can have similar responsibilities. Generally, procurement departments are more prevalent in large corporations, universities, and governmental agencies.
In addition to purchasing responsibilities, procurement staff can determine standards for the office furniture used in their facilities. This office furniture procurement staff could work with a combination of their own design and planning department, an architectural firm, a design firm, their office furniture dealership, or furniture manufacturers to determine standard furniture products.
Setting standards can be beneficial to your organization. It is a time consuming process, but it will save you a great deal of time later on. Some of the benefits are:
Appearance Of Your Facility: Standardized products, finishes, fabrics, etc. give a much more professional appearance.
Cost Savings: Companies or organizations that purchase a large quantity of furniture can negotiate a special pricing contract with a manufacturer when the majority of your purchases are made by that manufacturer.
Better Service: If you have a purchasing contract, the staff at one dealership will handle your account. You will get to know the staff who handles your account as well as the delivery and installation staff.
Benefits From The Office Furniture Dealership: Certain services that can be additional charges (such as CAD, inventory, measuring, reconfigurations, etc.) will be performed at no charge.
Simply Your Process: This can save your organization a huge amount of time and money. Once standards are determined, they can be put together in a manual or on a web site.
If you responsibilities involve the purchasing of office, there are several things I would take into consideration before signing on the dotted line.
First - All fabrics, wood finishes, laminate finishes, paint finishes, product lines, etc., must be popular and there are no plans to discontinue the finishes you select. This is really important and I suggest that you request (in writing) how this will be handled by the manufacturer if something is discontinued.
Second - The manufacturer's quick ship program would be another consideration. When you place a very large furniture order, quick ship usually doesn't apply. However, certain products, finishes, fabrics, etc., are available on quick ship for smaller add on orders you need to placed later. Even the pull style or edge detail could determine if a certain product is available on quick ship. Again, if quick ship is an important feature for your company, bring it up in your initial meeting and request that this information be included in your contract.
Third - If you are interviewing for an office furniture dealership, don't let that decision entirely up to any other person or company. You must be involved in this selection process. It's nice to meet the principles of a dealership, but it's more important that you speak with the people who will handle your account. Ask someone in the group how long they have worked together. If your company has special needs or critical time restraints, make sure you bring that up during the meeting.
Finally - Ask for several references for anyone you don't already have an ongoing relationship.