Which statement about centralized purchasing is true?

• A. Consistency in quality and pricing
• B. Greater local flexibility
• C. More supplier diversity
• D. Higher administrative costs

Answer: (A)

Centralized purchasing creates a single, organization-wide process for buying, with standardized product specs and negotiated contracts set by a central team. This standardization ensures that all locations receive the same items at the same terms, leading to uniform quality and consistent pricing across the board.

Local flexibility is typically reduced because decisions and substitutions are guided by the central purchasing team rather than each location. Supplier diversity tends to be limited as the organization sticks to a focused, approved pool of vendors for volume discounts and contract terms. While centralized purchasing can save administrative work through economies of scale, it does not make higher administrative costs the norm, since the aim is to streamline ordering and standardize processes.