Network Capable Buyers Needed: Network Capable Buyers Needed: “Is there a cause-and-effect relationship between the level of supply management networking and the performance of the supply chain—and ultimately the business”? 1. Key notable points from the report: Supply management’s ability to prove its strategic relevance and impact on corporate performance depends on its degree of integration. However, other functions … Read More
FSC Rules based risk management in the sourcing process:
FSC Rules based risk management in the sourcing process: FSC Rules based risk management in the sourcing process: The drive to develop leaner supply chains and introduce global sourcing has resulted in extended, more complex and vulnerable supply chains. The same pressures have also seen an increasing trend for many companies to adopt single sourcing to maximize their pricing leverage. … Read More
Relationship Management in the Supply Chain Finance (SCF) Domain:
Relationship Management in the Supply Chain Finance (SCF) Domain: Relationship Management in the Supply Chain Finance (SCF) Domain: Whilst it is critical for all companies to reduce their net working capital requirements to ensure sufficient liquidity in their business, it is also critical that they do so in a joined up way and not in isolated actions that put their … Read More
Contributing to the CEO’s Agenda: Procurement and Growth
Contributing to the CEO’s Agenda: Procurement and Growth Contributing to the CEO’s Agenda: Procurement and Growth. For the last year’s, growth and not cost savings has been on top of most CEO’s agendas. At the same time, they associate procurements contribution to the organization as delivering cost savings. This perception is clearly very damaging to procurements claim to play a … Read More
Negotiation: Managing the “Chumpion” Syndrome
The “chumpion” is a name give by sales people to the person(s) on the inside of the buyers organization that sales people befriend in order to reach out to his or her peers, dependents and superiors, to secure allies that have the ability to influence, move and marginalize procurement. The “chumpion” therefore, is at the heart of managing “back door … Read More
Beyond Cost Savings – Reprise
In an earlier post, I talked about the need for procurement leaders to move beyond cost savings. On my travels, it seems that many procurement leaders are still struggling to get their message across. So, if procurement cannot define its value then why should it be taken seriously by anyone else? To close the gap between procurement and the strategic … Read More
Defining Negotiation Success
Defining Negotiation Success Most companies still focus primarily on financial metrics such as lowest price when defining negotiation success. While financial terms are clearly a key success factor, there are other types of value at stake in negotiations and without a mechanism for giving weight to these other kinds of value, they are likely to be neglected. Best in class … Read More
Is your procurement team ready to lead?
Having the right people in Purchasing is a must to delivering procurements promised strategic contribution. So try to answer the following questions for your organization: Have you developed a Culture where people are deeply aware of and have internalized the Mission, Vision and Core Values needed to execute the Purchasing and Business Strategy? How well prepared and equipped to carry … Read More
The Greatest Challenge is Internal: Stakeholder Relationships
The Greatest Challenge is Internal: Stakeholder Relationship’s Procurement is often perceived as an EXTERNAL facing function. After all procurement negotiates with suppliers and works with them to reduce cost and improve efficiencies doesn’t it? Well this may be true in part, but procurement’s ability to achieve its objectives is strongly impacted by the strength and quality of its INTERNAL relationships … Read More
Beyond Cost Savings
Procurement leaders must broaden the procurement agenda beyond cost savings and focus on growth and added value strategies. Tomorrow’s procurement leaders must link procurement strategies to the businesses drivers for competitive advantage and focus on outcomes that provide advantage for their customers. To do this procurement must become an integral part of the organization’s growth strategy: 1. Create a compelling … Read More