The more purchasers, the lower the price. The volume discounts for certain items in our industry can be enormous, fundamentally changing the power structure of traditional distributors and suppliers. Aggregated purchasing is fast becoming a standard in our industry, but only if focused on local markets with delivery through existing channels. The fluid commodity nature of these aggregation services change the traditional fixed pricing most of us have been used to. The slowness of changes in pricing is now a thing of the past when put into this context.
Speed is now the king when aggregated purchasing is put into practice.
Do not be surprised if you find yourself following your aggregated purchasing even closer than following your stocks. An interesting scenario is if aggregated purchasing pushes beyond products and becomes a more robust way for all services to be bought and sold. During economic downturns, this could be a defensive position that architectural firms may want to consider. What was seen as an interesting procurement method by some before the auction, tuned into the industry's worst nightmare by the end of it. Many in our industry will be wise to be prepared as the technologies of e-commerce are bringing the world of commoditization to your doorstep, no matter what product you sell or service you provide.