Acquisition

What is Acquisition?

The term acquisition is derived from the Latin acquirere (“to acquire”) and generally means “purchase” or “obtaining.” Depending on the context, acquisition can refer to various forms of procurement or gaining processes: acquiring customers or contracts, purchasing a company, or deliberately obtaining resources such as products or services.

In a narrower business and management context, acquisition often refers to a company’s operational activities aimed at winning contracts or gaining new clients through direct customer contact, submitting proposals, or engaging in networking activities.

Relevance in Project Management

In a project context, acquisition is relevant when new projects, contracts, or resources need to be identified and secured. This includes, for example:

• Contract acquisition: Activities through which a project team or service provider secures a new project contract.
• Project procurement: The acquisition of external services or resources required for the execution of a project.

An “acquisition project” may therefore also refer to a project whose objective is the targeted securing of contracts or strategic resources, for example when preparing for market entry or expanding a company’s service portfolio.

Methods and Forms of Acquisition

Typical acquisition activities include:

• Direct customer outreach (e.g. personal sales meetings, networking, customized proposals).
• Marketing and sales initiatives targeted at specific customer segments.
• Acquisition of companies or resources to achieve strategic objectives.

Benefits and Strategic Relevance

Effective acquisition helps to:

• increase contract and project volume,
• secure strategic resources,
• support growth objectives, and
• strengthen market position.