Thanks for the note. You’re correct, brave is a better word. I’ve made the edit.

The point I was trying to make is that no matter what goal is set for procurement in an operating period, the organization should always be working to optimize the value that it delivers (i.e. does not slow down after it surpasses its objective).

Many CPOs consider the budget as their goal/starting point rather than trying to set the stick at a higher level. Obviously, higher goals require a bigger budget which may need a detailed cost/benefit (e.g. savings) analysis to justify the increased investment.

We can argue how difficult it is to convince the board about increasing procurement’s budget, but the quality of the analysis plays a very important part. Timing on returns is a key factor too to demonstrate a quicker ROI. Does “sophisticated” CPO means brave CPO? Probably yes as it will require a higher risk to be taken.