Inventory management problems in procurement can be defined as the challenges faced when determining how much of an item to stock, and how long to keep it in stock. These include issues with space restrictions, expiration dates, cost effectiveness, and the availability of goods. The task of inventory management is made all the more difficult when different suppliers have different pricing standards and product demands, or when a particular product becomes heavily requested at certain times of the year. It takes careful planning and forecasting to ensure that a business always has access to the right items and sufficient quantities to meet customer needs – without having too much inventory sitting around that will go unused.