Acquisition
In a business and project-related context, acquisition refers to the targeted activities aimed at acquiring contracts, clients, companies, or other relevant resources with the goal of expanding and strengthening one's own business or project portfolio.
What is Acquisition?
The term acquisition is derived from the Latin acquirere (“to acquire”) and generally means “procurement.” Depending on the field of application, acquisition encompasses various forms of procurement processes: gaining clients or contracts, purchasing a company, or the targeted acquisition of resources such as products or services.
In a narrower business sense, acquisition often refers to a company’s operational measures to secure a contract or gain new clients through direct client outreach, proposal submission, or networking activities.
Significance 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:
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- Contract Acquisition: Activities through which a project team or service provider obtains a new project contract.
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- Project Procurement: The procurement of external services or resources necessary for project implementation.
An “acquisition project” can therefore also be a project whose goal is the targeted securing of contracts or strategic resources, for example, when preparing for market entry or expanding the service portfolio.
Methods and Forms of Acquisition
Typical acquisition activities include:
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- Direct Client Outreach (e.g., personal sales meetings, networking, client-specific proposals).
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- Marketing and Sales Campaigns targeting specific client groups.
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- Company or Resource Takeover to achieve strategic goals.
Benefits and Strategic Relevance
Effective acquisition contributes to:
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- increasing order and project volume,
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- securing strategic resources,
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- supporting growth objectives,
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- expanding market positions.