Procurement is on the rise and there is growing demand for a new breed of procurement professionals, according to Debbie Tagg, chief operating officer of Smart Procurement. “Gone are the back-office penny pinchers of old. Procurement professionals today are strategy shapers, value-generators, innovators and relationship builders involved in all aspects of the business, and who have a seat and voice at the executive table. The field of procurement has evolved from a transactional function .