Visit CAPS Research on the web at: www.capsresearch.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Measuring Cross-Industry Purchasing Performance across 20 Common Metrics

CAPS Research provides benchmarking tools for supply management groups to measure their performance across different key performance indicators.

(TEMPE, Arizona) December 15, 2008 - The Cross-Industry Report of Standard Benchmarks published twice-yearly by CAPS Research contains data on 20 commonly referenced benchmarks. The 2008 benchmarking report includes data provided by 260 different companies representing 16 different industry sectors.

A key metric measured year over year is operating expenses per procurement employee. The cross-industry report shows that operating expenses have continued to increase, and now stand at $115,700 per person. Procurement operating expenses are highest in the Retail industry sector, which average $189,000. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Health Care Services which averages $71,300 per procurement employee.

This is the fourth straight year that increases in procurement operating expenses have been reported, and this is also the fourth year that corresponding decreases in operating expenses as a percent of total spend were reported.

The CAPS Research Cross-Industry Report of Standard Benchmarks contains updated information on 20 different key performance indicators such as total spend per procurement employee, cost avoidance and cost reduction savings, and total diversity spend. Click on the following link to view the Cross Industry Report of Standard Benchmarks which continues to be one of the most viewed reports on the CAPS Research website: http://www.capsresearch.org/publications/pdfs-protected/CI200810Metric.pdf

If you're a first-time visitor to the CAPS Research website you will be prompted to register when you access reports. Otherwise, just enter your previously established login data.

CAPS Research is a nonprofit research organization founded in 1986 to provide leading research to our strategic-minded corporate sponsors and to the public. Our mission is to work in partnership with a global network of executives and academics for the discovery and dissemination of strategic supply management knowledge and best practices. CAPS Research is jointly sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, and the Institute for Supply Management™.

Media Contact:
Clare Donnalley
Marketing Manager
CAPS Research
Voice: 800/888-6276 extension 3007
cdonnalley@capsresearch.org

- # # # -