Nevi is celebrating! This year marks our 70th anniversary. We’re honouring this milestone with a dedicated jubilee webpage, events and stories that not only show where we come from, but also where we are heading together.

70 years of shaping the future of procurement

Nevi is celebrating! This year marks our 70th anniversary a milestone we’re honouring with this jubilee webpage, special events and stories that not only show where we come from, but also where we are heading together.

Look around you. The chair you’re sitting on, the plant in the room, the pen in your hand. Behind everything you see lies a series of decisions: which raw materials were chosen, which suppliers were involved, what trade‑offs were made and with what purpose.

One thing is certain: without forward‑thinking procurement professionals, our world would look very different. The way organisations buy shapes the direction of sectors and ultimately, of our society.

The origins of procurement

That influence is nothing new. Since the Middle Ages, procurement has played a crucial role in shaping our built environment. Major construction projects relied on well‑organised supply chains, standardised materials and clear divisions of responsibility. Over the centuries, the profession continued to evolve, with standardisation, tendering, ethics and integrity becoming important pillars. Yet for a long time, the task remained simple: the best deal was the lowest price. With the founding of Nevi in 1956, the foundations for professional procurement in the Netherlands were laid along with the realisation that value is about far more than cost alone.

Professionalising the profession

What began modestly within the Dutch Institute for Efficiency changed dramatically in the 1970s. Driven by globalisation and increasing competition, procurement gained momentum.

When Philips’ internal training programme for buyers supported by the Steering Committee for Procurement in Large Companies was transferred to Nevi, professional education in the field accelerated. More and more procurement professionals felt motivated to deepen their expertise and advance the profession together.

In the 1980s, with the introduction of the first procurement models, the number of learning programmes grew rapidly. Nevi evolved into the leading professional association and the most important knowledge platform for procurement professionals across industry, government and healthcare.

Research as a driving force

From the 1990s onwards, Nevi strengthened its academic foundation. Research, new educational programmes and Purchasing Excellence elevated the profession to a higher level.

With the establishment of the Nevi Research Foundation (1988) and later the Research Committee, the field gained a solid scientific basis. The introduction of academic chairs, lecturers, new programmes, conferences and passionate communities further contributed to professionalisation.

The launch of Purchasing Excellence and the Purchasing Managers’ Index (2001) marked milestones that positioned Nevi as an authoritative association with influence in both the private and public sectors.

Connection fuels innovation

Seventy years after its founding, Nevi continues to strengthen and innovate the procurement profession through knowledge development, with an increasing focus on sustainability and strengthening supply chains.

The organisation is evolving from a platform into a network; its strength lies in the community of professionals who seek each other out and lift one another up. That is how it began — and that is what points the way forward.

Over the past decade, procurement has shifted increasingly towards strategic collaboration. Nevi stands alongside procurement professionals, contract managers and supply chain managers to shape that future together.

The future of Nevi:

your beacon of business

In a world that is changing faster than ever, Nevi helps you navigate. Across sectors, and with an eye for people, nature and the planet. As a procurement professional, you are expected to be a specialist in more areas than any one person can realistically master. Where do you find guidance when global orders shift, treaties falter and the climate becomes increasingly unpredictable?

Nevi interprets the world you operate in. Nevi is your beacon in business.

’The origins of procurement’

Who are we?

Network and communities

Knowledge development and an extensive network help procurement professionals to move forward. Get to know our network and our communities, and join us!

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