All procurement professionals will have experienced the consequences of not having senior management support at some point in their career. The consequences can wreck promising careers and destroy confidence when things go wrong and you find yourself “on your own”. It is vital therefore buyers have strong organisational awareness and recognise the presence or absence of support for their function … Read More
Should UK government abandon the OJEU?
Catching up with a well-respected colleague who is trying to sell his services to the public sector, he bemoaned their insistence upon public sector and OJEU experience. Why would you insist on this experience – bring in more of the same – to bring about change? We both agreed this is the last thing you need if you want to … Read More
The five procurement hats:
When I was asked to write about procurement to attract graduates into the profession, I came up with the concept of the 5 hats of success: Hat 1: Entrepreneur Able to spot opportunities and manage risk to support the organisation’s growth plans. Hat 2: Change manager Able to define future state requirements and develop realistic plans on how to achieve … Read More
Procurement 2.0 – and other labels?
Procurement 2.0 – and other labels? Procurement 2.0 – and other labels? With the continued introduction of new procurement labels and attention seeking headlines we argue that procurement leaders must retain focus on building capability: Over on the Procurement Leaders blog Neil Deverill uses the term Procurement 2.0: “Where basic procurement typically exists in siloed organisations with poor internal communication … Read More
Taming the iP Dragon
Taming the iP Dragon Taming the iP Dragon – Increasingly, international manufacturers are motivated to be in China due to the growing domestic demand of the Chinese marketplace. It is easy to see why when you consider that last year, Chinese consumers bought more auto-mobiles than Americans for the first time in history. Tim Lee, General Motors Shanghai-based president of … Read More
Avatar comes to procurement?
Avatar comes to procurement? One topic grabbed my attention recently while I was engaged in a discussion over on the Purchasing Practice LinkedIn group covering the future of procurement: the issue of holding supplier meetings in virtual game/life simulation Second Life. A quick Google search highlighted impressive organisations such as Intel, IBM and Schneider Electric using Second Life for workplace … Read More
Clear direction needed for procurement’s future
SM reported AXA CPO Heinz Schaeffer’s view that procurement would become a centre for “spend intelligence” but was hindered by a lack of suitable talent. While I share this view in part, there are several key points that need to be addressed by CPOs everywhere if procurement is to reach its full potential: What is Procurements End Game? There does … Read More
CSR goes main stream
CSR goes main stream CSR goes main stream – From the number of announcements by leading organisations in recent weeks there can be no doubt that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has established itself on the corporate agenda. SM has reported on HSBC, ExxonMobil, Siemens and Ford, to name a few companies that have recently announced sustainability initiatives. CSR is now … Read More
Procurement must prepare for M&A success
For most supply management professionals the question is not if they will be involved in an acquisition but when. In my own experience it can be a significant opportunity for procurement professionals whatever side of the acquisition they are on. In fact, a sudden and unexpected enlightened response to procurement by senior executives, resulting in the beefing up of supply … Read More
Procurement Talent: Entrepreneurial Disruptors Required
Crowd sourcing, cloud sourcing, open innovation – call it what you want. But it represents both a threat and an opportunity to procurement professionals everywhere. Organisations such as IBM, Volkswagen, Unilever and the Conservative party have all made the news recently with crowd sourcing – essentially outsourcing a task to a large group of people through an open call for … Read More