sourcing

1. 1
   noununcountable

   The process of obtaining something from another place, such as a supplier or external source.

   Ethical sourcing of raw materials has become a priority for many manufacturers.

   The charity improved its sourcing of donated goods by partnering with local shops.

   Similarprocurement, purchasing, acquisition, buying

   Note

   It works both as a mass noun and as a count noun. Ethical sourcing shows the mass use, but the plural is real too: Sean Miller's Strung Together (2013) writes of "specific sourcings of ideas from string theory," stretching the word from goods to borrowed ideas. Here the word names the act of getting something from elsewhere; the supply itself is a separate business meaning.

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle of source.

   The company is sourcing components from several countries to reduce risk.

   By sourcing locally, the restaurant supports nearby growers.

   Note

   The -ing form does double duty. With be it builds the progressive (they are sourcing parts abroad), and as a gerund it fills noun slots (sourcing locally cuts costs). Two verb meanings stand behind it: procuring supplies for a business, and finding the citation a remark comes from. Once it takes a plural, sourcings, it has become the noun for the process.

3. 3
   nounUSuncountable

   The supply of resources that a business process requires in order to operate.

   Management reviewed the plant's sourcing to ensure it could meet rising demand.

   Reliable sourcing is essential for any manufacturing operation.

   Similarsupply, procurement, provisioning

   Note

   Here the word shifts from the act to what it secures. In this US business usage it means the materials, labor or services a process depends on. Reviewing a plant's sourcing means checking what it can draw on, not how it buys. Keep it distinct from the act of obtaining. Outside US business writing, that reading is the one a reader will expect.

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