
Legal Aspects in Purchasing and Supply Management
Often, goods and services are bought on the terms and conditions of the vendor. The reason for this
is the cost and time taken to impose a purchaser’s terms and conditions; the inexperience of staff
undertaking purchasing work, especially low value purchasing; and the relative lack of power /
influence which the purchaser might have in many circumstances.
The objective of all terms and conditions is to minimise risk and this is often done by passing the risk
onto the other party. Sellers usually like to pass as much risk as possible on to the buyer.