In October 2010 Forrester conducted a survey of 113 senior-level sourcing and vendor management (SVM) professionals from global organizations. The survey work was completed to clarify the broad range of issues that SVM professionals face as part of their day-to-day responsibilities and organizational plans. The survey results were consistent with what Forrester hears from our clients: SVM professionals are highly focused on contract and rate negotiations and have key responsibilities for mitigating risk, improving innovation, and managing strategic vendor relationships. At the same time, improving alignment with business and IT counterparts will be a key organizational priority in 2011. SVM professionals can use this data to understand how their priorities compare to other SVM professionals — and improve their strategic planning.