Procurement by category
Category-tuned templates and analyses: RFQs, should-cost, scorecards and savings playbooks.
Logistics & Freight
Freight and logistics typically absorbs 5–12% of landed cost and swings widely with fuel, capacity and lane mix.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Packaging
Packaging often runs 3–8% of COGS but has one of the highest specification-driven savings potentials in the plant.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
IT Hardware
Laptops, servers and network gear are commodity-priced but bundled services (support, imaging, disposal) hide most of the margin.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Marketing Services
Agency and marketing services are opaque by default — rate cards, media commissions and pass-throughs create the biggest leakage in indirect spend.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
MRO
MRO is thousands of low-value SKUs where the real cost lives in ordering, stocking and expediting — not the unit price.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Raw Materials
Raw materials often anchor 40–70% of COGS and move with commodity indices most buyers never track line by line.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Chemicals
Industrial chemicals are formula- and safety-driven, and specification lock-in with a single supplier is the biggest source of overpricing.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Metals
Steel, aluminum and copper prices move daily with LME/CRU indices — a fixed metal price is almost always a losing bet for one side.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Plastics & Resins
Resin prices track oil and petrochemical feedstocks, but molded parts add tooling, cycle time and cavitation on top.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Electronic Components
Semiconductors and passives combine long lead times, allocation risk and channel markups that make list price nearly meaningless.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Professional Services
Consulting, legal, audit and engineering hours are the definition of opaque spend — rate cards, seniority mix and change orders drive true cost.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Software & SaaS
SaaS licenses drift 10–20% per year, and shelfware plus overlapping tools quietly compound into a top-5 spend category.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Facilities & Real Estate
Facility contracts (cleaning, security, maintenance, leases) run multi-year and rarely get benchmarked mid-term.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Energy & Utilities
Electricity, gas and water contracts are commodity + capacity + charges — most invoices reprice line items the buyer never renegotiates.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Travel & Expense
T&E is the most fragmented indirect spend — dozens of suppliers, hundreds of policies, and near-zero leverage without a program.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
HR & Staffing
Contingent labor and staffing agency spend hides in the P&L — bill-rate markups, tenure escalation and MSP fees compound fast.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Print & Promo
Printed collateral and promotional items live outside marketing spend controls — long tail, many vendors, minimal governance.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Capital Equipment
Capital equipment purchases combine engineering, installation, spares and multi-year service — the ticket price is usually less than half the total.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Contract Manufacturing
CM/OEM relationships are cost-plus by nature — bill of materials, labor, overhead and margin should each be transparent, but rarely are.
run a clean, apples-to-apples RFQ in days, not weeks
know what a fair price actually looks like before you sit at the negotiation table
measure the suppliers you already work with so contracts, awards and QBRs are driven by data, not stories
identify the top savings levers and prioritize the quick wins first
Featured guides
Practical frameworks you can apply to your category today.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What is SourcingHub?
An AI-first procurement workspace: generate RFIs/RFQs/RFPs, compare supplier quotes side-by-side, run should-cost analyses and build supplier scorecards — all tuned by spend category.
Do I need to sign up to try it?
No. Try the guided demo and the free RFQ Template Generator and Should-Cost Calculator without an account. Signing up unlocks projects, comparisons and history.
How many procurement categories are supported?
SourcingHub covers 19 main categories and 100+ subcategories, from logistics and packaging to IT hardware, professional services, chemicals, metals and capital equipment.
How is my supplier data handled?
Your uploaded quotes and documents are private to your workspace, encrypted in transit and at rest, and never used to train third-party models.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. Every new account gets free monthly credits so you can run comparisons, should-cost analyses and generate deliverables before choosing a paid plan.