Reshoring is Accelerating

Global supply chain shocks have pushed companies to bring manufacturing closer to home. 72% of manufacturers now plan nearshoring or reshoring initiatives in 2025.

What It Means for Procurement

Teams must rebuild supplier networks in new regions, often with unfamiliar regulations, labor costs, and capacity constraints.

Actionable Strategies

• Map your existing supplier risk by region.
• Qualify at least 2 suppliers per category in local or nearshore markets.
• Update RFQs with new cost and lead time benchmarks.

AI‑assisted supplier discovery

Instead of keyword hunting, AI maps capabilities, certifications, regions, and past performance to surface 3–5 relevant vendors per part.

Consistent, structured RFQs

Templates autopopulate specs, quantities, Incoterms, and due dates—reducing back‑and‑forth. Vendors submit structured quotes so comparisons are apples‑to‑apples.

Decision support with data

Weighted scoring and historical performance data shift decisions from subjective to transparent—and repeatable.

Standardize inputs

Use a single RFQ form with required fields: material, tolerance, drawings, quantity, delivery window. Remove guesswork and rework.

Parallelize outreach

Send structured RFQs to multiple qualified suppliers at once—don’t email one by one.

Automate follow‑ups

Set due dates and reminders so quotes don’t stall. Track responses centrally.

Compare like‑for‑like

Side‑by‑side quote views eliminate spreadsheet wrangling and help you choose faster.

ESG is no longer optional

Nearly 85% of manufacturers say ESG criteria influence their supplier selection in 2025. Non-compliance can cost contracts and credibility.

What procurement must track

• Supplier emissions and energy usage
• Ethical labor and diversity metrics
• Material sourcing and circularity

How to make it practical

Use supplier scorecards that combine price, lead time, and ESG metrics into a single view. This reduces friction in decision-making.

1) Manual vendor search that takes weeks

If your supplier list lives in old spreadsheets or email chains, you’re burning time. Centralize your supplier data and filter by capabilities, geography, MOQs, and compliance.

2) One-off RFQs in email threads

Email is great for intros—not for managing RFQs. Use structured RFQs with consistent fields so quotes are comparable.

3) No clear decision criteria

Define a scoring model before you send an RFQ: price (40%), lead time (25%), quality/certs (25%), sustainability (10%). Decide faster and with confidence.

4) Ignoring total cost of ownership

Price is not cost. Include freight, duties, scrap rates, downtime risk, and supplier reliability to understand true cost.

5) Zero feedback loop

After PO, track delivery performance, defects, returns, and communication. Close the loop to make your next RFQ smarter.