procurement

[ proh-kyoo r-muh nt, pruh‐ ]
/ proʊˈkyʊər mənt, prə‐ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR procurement ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of procuring, or obtaining or getting by effort, care, or the use of special means: The organ procurement procedure is very complicated.
the act of obtaining equipment, materials, or supplies: The secretary of defense argued in favor of increasing the budget for procurement.

OTHER WORDS FROM procurement

non·pro·cure·ment, noun self-pro·cure·ment, noun

Words nearby procurement

procuration, procurator, procurator fiscal, procuratory, procure, procurement, procurer, procuress, procursive epilepsy, procyon, procyonidae

VOCAB BUILDER

What does procurement mean?

Procurement most commonly refers to the formal, official process of purchasing and obtaining materials, supplies, or equipment, especially in the context of business or government.

Many large companies and government agencies have a procurement department that handles the ordering and acquisition of supplies. Such a department is often simply referred to as procurement, as in You’ll have to ask procurement to order those materials. 

Procurement is the noun form of the verb procure. In general, procurement means the act of getting something, especially through special means or extra effort, as in The procurement of transplant organs is a complex process.

Example: If someone says they work in procurement, it means they spend a lot of time navigating the supply chain to get what their company needs.

Where does procurement come from?

The first records of procurement come from the 1300s. The verb procure is recorded earlier and comes from the Latin prōcūrāre, meaning “to take care of” or “to look after.” This is formed from the Latin verb cūrāre, “to care for.” The English verb curate is based on a related root.

Procurement can simply refer to the act of acquiring something, as in The procurement of this replacement part for the refrigerator was no easy task. But it’s often used to refer to a formal, official process used by companies and other organizations to get the supplies they need. People who work in this field are said to work in procurement, and such a department is often referred to as simply procurement, as in Jim in procurement said that order will take at least two weeks. 

Governments often have special departments and laws for procurement, usually with very strict procedures for how purchases can be made and things can be acquired. These rules are intended to ensure that the process doesn’t become corrupted by bribes, kickbacks, and favoritism.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to procurement?

  • nonprocurement (noun)
  • self-procurement (noun)

What are some synonyms for procurement?

What are some words that share a root or word element with procurement? 

 

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing procurement?

 

How is procurement used in real life?

Procurement can be used generally, but it’s most commonly used in the context of a specific business or government agency.

 

 

Try using procurement!

Which of the following tasks would be a responsibility of someone who works in procurement?

A. purchasing
B. ordering
C. requesting quotes
D. all of the above

Words related to procurement

acquisition, acquirement, attainment, appropriation, procuring

Example sentences from the Web for procurement

British Dictionary definitions for procurement

procurement
/ (prəˈkjʊəmənt) /

noun

the act or an instance of procuring
commerce
  1. the act of buying
  2. (as modifier)procurement cost; procurement budget