procurement

[proh-kyoor-muhnt, pruh‑]

noun

1. the act of procuring, or obtaining or getting by effort, care, or the use of special means.

   The organ procurement procedure is very complicated.

2. the act of obtaining equipment, materials, or supplies.

   The secretary of defense argued in favor of increasing the budget for procurement.

Other Word Forms

• nonprocurement noun
• self-procurement noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of procurement¹

First recorded in 1300–50; procure ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Example Sentences

“In business for yourself, but not by yourself,” the franchise offered all corporate management advice, branding support and procurement security while still promising small-business independence.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

It is looking into suspected criminal offences committed over the procurement of PPE.

Read more on BBC

One of the core ideas is to increasingly focus on joint procurement.

Read more on BBC

Basis invests in companies such as Civic Marketplace, which is a public procurement platform designed to connect government agencies with service contractors.

Read more on BBC

In England and Wales a new procurement law mandates companies to spend 10% of the value of major public contracts on "above and beyond" things like training or community projects.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• acquisition 

When To Use

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.