Cognitive Maps and Ahp for Supplier Selection in a Private Higher Education Institution

Abstract

Supplier selection is a key decision in the procurement and purchasing processes. Both the choice of criteria and the evaluation of possible alternatives are critical steps in this decision-making process. One of the great challenges of private higher education institutions (PHEI) in Brazil in recent decades has been the attempt to institutionalize administrative practices applied in the business market. The primary goal of this is to optimize their business processes and achieve reduced risks and operational costs, thereby increasing their productivity and the quality of services. These initiatives aim to maintain self-sustaining and competitive institutions in an aggressive market that is constantly expanding. Therefore, a critical and professionalized look at their business processes has been one of the solutions for the PHEI to achieve their organizational goals. In this context, this paper proposes to formalize the decision-making process for the selection of suppliers through their systematization using cognitive maps to structure and identify the criteria that effectively present value during the partner selection of the decision-maker's procurement and purchasing department. The paper also proposes the subsequent prioritization of these criteria for evaluation and selection of potential suppliers by using the AHP multi-criteria method.