Category Strategy

A category strategy looks across every purchase in a group of related products or services — such as IT hardware, packaging or facilities — and decides how the whole category will be managed. It analyses spend, the supply market, internal demand and business goals, then sets objectives and actions for pricing, supplier base, contracts and risk. It is the practical output of category management.

Because it spans multiple contracts and stakeholders, a category strategy usually runs on a multi-year horizon with defined milestones and owners. It aligns procurement with the wider business so that sourcing decisions support cost, innovation and continuity goals rather than being made purchase by purchase.