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This research investigates the purchasing function issues that create value for companies and purchasers’ proactive ability to appropriate innovation in the supplier market. The buyer represents a link between the needs of companies and the offers made by suppliers, based on their technical expertise. The goal of this research is to consider the purchasing strategy focused on innovative suppliers and highlight the importance of this interaction. For this purpose, an exploratory qualitative research was required. It was based on twelve semi-structured interviews and six months of active observation, built on two car rental companies. Results show the importance of an innovative culture within purchasing departments and its implementation at the fuzzy front-end purchasing process. As open innovation remains an important paradigm for innovation today, it is crucial to consider the buyer-supplier innovation challenge when the performance of innovative suppliers makes an impact on the companies. JEL Codes: O14, L62, L84, N74