Strategy . Influence . Innovation . Process

Procurement leaders must broaden the procurement agenda beyond cost savings and focusing on growth and added value strategies. Tomorrow’s procurement leaders must link procurement strategies to their own businesses drivers for competitive advantage and focus on outcomes that provide advantage for their own customers. To do this procurement must become an integral part of the [...]

Strategic sourcing, SRM and negotiation are subjects that you will find no shortage of advice on in books, journals and from consultants. The problem is, there appears to be a lack of literature dealing with these subjects in any integrated form. Searching these terms on Google both collectively and individually revealed the following results: 1. [...]

The integration of Inbev and Anheuser Busch once again brings the importance of supply managements business contribution into the spotlight. The merger will integrate two strong companies with little overlap in their markets, which when combined represents 40% of the global beer market. In its search for “efficiencies” Inbev , renowned for its efficiency has [...]

1. Lack of strategic clarity A strong business case, driven by a clear set of objectives owned by the key senior stakeholders, should be an essential pre-condition for any supply management leader. 2. Lack of sustained leadership at senior management level Supply management fails to achieve the sustained attention they need at the highest levels [...]

Introduction: Suppliers have choices about which customer they will give new ideas to first. They also have choices regarding their use of scarce capacity, or even which potential customers they choose to target and work with in the first place. It makes sense therefore to become a “preferred customer” for a key supplier. To become [...]

“We want to collaborate with our internal stakeholders, but at the end of the day we cannot tell them to buy into our sourcing strategy.” How many procurement professionals have spent their careers with this echoing loudly in their minds? Procurement professionals are indoctrinated into the profession with messages such as “You have to take [...]

Integration – the moment of truth for purchasing professionals? It is always a telling time for procurement professionals, when two or more organizations integrate and the books are opened for their respective contracts for goods and services. In our experience those organizations that have invested in best procurement practices and taken a strategic view of [...]

Strategies to break into the boardroom Many companies have already undertaken a procurement transformation program, and have a strong team in place with significant wins on record. That said, procurement is still fighting for higher recognition, and is still viewed at board level largely as a cost centre. Sadly, procurement managers often lack the skills, [...]

The CPO’s chair has become a true corporate hot seat with an average tenure of a CPO of four years or less. The first 100 days (F100D) in this hot seat can set the tone for the months ahead and the F100D of a new role can be stressful; how bad are things? What are [...]

Being seen as an attractive customer is becoming increasingly important, it can bring substantial dividends to buying organizations and should form part of any collaborative SRM strategy. However, collaboration strategies and hard nosed negotiations can be perceived as opposite ends of the supplier relationship spectrum, each with its own supporters promising rich rewards through savings [...]