Common Mistakes in Procurement – and How to Avoid Them
Procurement processes in construction projects are often complex, involving many stakeholders, documents, and decisions. But many of the problems arise long before bids even start coming in.
When Procurement Starts Off Wrong
One of the most common mistakes is starting the procurement process without a clear understanding of the actual needs.
Many organizations don’t really know what they are looking for when they launch a procurement process. That leads to unclear requirements and a process that becomes difficult to manage,” says Mikael Ahxner, Head of Procurement at iBinder Group.
When the requirements do not reflect the real needs, the process quickly becomes more complex than necessary. This creates uncertainty, more questions, and ultimately weaker bids.
Too Much Focus on Price
How bids are evaluated is another crucial factor. In many cases, price outweighs quality.
In Sweden, price often carries too much weight, which increases the risk of choosing suppliers that are not the best fit,” says Mikael Ahxner.
That may work in the short term, but it often leads to problems later on when the delivery does not meet expectations or requires more resources than planned.
Lack of Structure Costs Time and Quality
Many procurement processes are still managed through emails, folders, and multiple document versions. This makes it difficult to maintain oversight and often leads to unnecessary duplicate work, misunderstandings, and mistakes.
When information is scattered, the process becomes more time-consuming than it needs to be, while the risk increases that important details fall through the cracks.
Without structure and clear templates, you basically have to reinvent the wheel every time,” says Johan Eriksson, Customer Success Manager at iBinder.
When the procurement process is instead gathered within a shared structure, the conditions change completely. Everyone works in the same environment, with the right information in the right place, making it easier to follow the process, manage questions, and make well-informed decisions.
The result is a more efficient process, fewer errors, and more reliable projects.
Start Simple – but Start
Improving procurement processes rarely requires major changes from the beginning. Often, introducing clearer structure, shared templates, and a more standardized way of working is enough.
This quickly creates better oversight, reduces the risk of errors, and makes the work more predictable.
Mikael Ahxner
Procurement Manager
Johan Eriksson
Customer Success Manager
