Strategy . Influence . Innovation . Procurement

Value for Money in Government Spending
24 November 2011
Today Lord Sugar hosted a debate in the House of Lords on Government Procurement Policy.
Here’s his opening speech…

As the US Thanksgiving holiday reminds us all that 2011 is rapidly drawing to a close we take a look at five reasons for procurement to say thanks:
1.    Procurement has had a ‘good recession’
Recessionary times has placed procurement in the spotlight.  Whilst there has been company-wide belt tightening - procurements increasing influence over their organizations [...]

The UK government’s search for spending cuts is in the headlines everyday.
One particular news item caught my attention recently when I saw Sir Patrick Stewart (of Star Trek and Shakespeare fame) interviewed on the BBC news.
Sir Patrick and other actors were protesting the arts should be exempt from cuts because they were profitable and [...]

Consistently listed as a top priority for CPO’s and essential to driving the professions future success, procurement talent management is an essential component of any organizations annual health check. So why then do so many organizations risk future success by continuing to fish in the shallow end of the pool?
Shallow end companies continue to fish [...]

“Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on.”
From Stairway to heaven by Led Zeppelin
CPOs everywhere can learn from this line from the classic track in tackling purchasing’s own “chicken or the egg” dilemma:
Without a top level mandate, the CPO’s [...]

Thames Water’s £2.5bn procurement outsourcing deal with Efficio has recieved significant attention and has received praise for its boldness and innovative “integrated” model.
The deal with Efficio outsources Thames Waters strategic and operational spend in a five-year contract to manage £500 million spend a year. Problem is (for me at least) Efficio had previously led an [...]

Procurement is now front & centre of the business world. So when will CEO’s place it at the centre of their business strategy?
If ever there were a set of conditions to emphasize the procurement functions strategic place in business and the modern world, it is the current maelstrom of recession, sovereign debt, gathering inflation, political [...]

So far I personally have been impressed with Cameron, who has not been afraid to focus on the big issues; PS procurement being one of them. However, his recent remarks condemning public sector buyers as the “enemies of enterprise” are akin to blaming the foot soldiers rather than the generals setting [...]

The start of 2011 has seen a debate about procurement’s challenges as the combination of austerity drives and economic recovery converge.
 
Some commentators say the profession risks falling back into obscurity once the recovery really gathers pace.
I share this concern, which was heightened by the recent SM Poll showing that cost reduction remains [...]

While buyers have had to manage rising commodity prices over the past decade, a whole generation of buyers have had no experience of high levels of inflation and significant price increase requests across all spend. For their more experienced colleagues – who were at work in the 1970s and 1980s – [...]