A buyer is a person who performs or supports purchasing and sourcing activities on behalf of an organization. Responsibilities may include clarifying demand, selecting a buying channel, preparing events, communicating with suppliers, comparing bids, negotiating, creating orders, and tracking delivery. The role’s authority and separation from requesters, approvers, or finance depend on the operating model.
In plain English
A buyer turns approved business demand into a controlled supplier transaction.
Illustrative example
At Northstar Industrial Systems, a buyer converts an approved maintenance request into an RFQ, evaluates responses with operations, and prepares an award recommendation.
- Related terms
- Requester; Approver; Procurement; Supplier
- Lifecycle stages
- Request; Source; Award; Execute
- Stakeholders
- Procurement