Aberdeen Group Publishes Annual Chief Procurement Officer's Agenda Report

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - May 5, 2009) - Despite the tough economic environment, the "state of procurement" within the enterprise is strong, reports "The Chief Procurement Officer's (CPO's) Agenda: Smart Strategies for Tough Times," a new study by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS).

"As top-line revenues stagnate or fall, cost containment gains in significance as a business lever for profitability, so it is not surprising to see that the CPO's Agenda is more closely linked to the CEO's Agenda than at any other time in recent history," states Andrew Bartolini, Vice President and Group Director of Global Supply Management research, Aberdeen Group. "In this business cycle, many of an enterprise's best opportunities and top priorities will play to the strengths and expertise of its procurement department. But today's procurement operations drive value that extend well beyond savings. The Chief Procurement Officers who utilize smart strategies to address short-term enterprise needs while pressing forward on longer-term initiatives position themselves and their organizations to play an increasingly strategic role when the recovery inevitably begins."

Aberdeen examined the priorities, intentions, and performance of Chief Procurement Officers and other procurement leaders from more than 220 enterprises, to find that while the challenging business environment has helped significantly increase the visibility and value of procurement, it has intensified the pressure to deliver cost reductions while raising supply risk to unprecedented levels.

The procurement departments of leading organizations in this study are notable for their superior performance and for their focus on and automation of the strategic sourcing process as well as their ability to accurately track their performance across many key areas. They also are:

--  Twice as likely to automate their spend analysis programs
--  91% more likely to conduct regular reviews of contract compliance
--  65% more likely to have a formal supply risk management program in
    place
    

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Ariba, BMO Spend & Payment Solutions (a division of BMO Financial Group), Oracle, and Zycus.

To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5717.

For additional access to complimentary Global Supply Management Research, please visit http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/-global-supply-management.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.

© 2009 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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Contact Information: Media Contact: Andrew Bartolini Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (617) 854-5310 andrew.bartolini@aberdeen.com