In today's complex market, businesses must understand the true cost of each item in the supply chain, and supply management must create strategies to drive maximum value. As any supply management professional knows, price and cost are far from the same thing. Price is a more finite, expected amount of money, while cost is much broader in scope and far more valuable to a company's bottom line over time. In many cases, the time and energy expended by labor or extra equipment plus the overall outlay that comes with purchasing an item or service must be considered — this is the realm of cost.