Closing the Strategic Sourcing, SRM and Negotiation Loop Closing the Strategic Sourcing, SRM and Negotiation Loop: Strategic sourcing, SRM, and negotiation are subjects that you will find no shortage of advice about 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 … Read More
Inbev and Anheuser Busch – Integration Savings
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 slated $1.5 billion annually from cost savings … Read More
7 deadly sins of procurement:
CPO’s offten operate in difficult challenging environments. So we produced a list of the sins to avoid: 1. No 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 … Read More
Building the foundation for preferential supplier treatment:
Building the foundation for preferential supplier treatment: Introduction: Building the foundation for preferential supplier treatment: 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 … Read More
Procurements Dilemma – Leader or Support Function
“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 become indoctrinated into the profession with messages such as: “You have to take the internal customer along with … Read More
Finding the post integration savings:
Finding the post integration savings: M&A Integration – the moment of truth for purchasing professionals? Finding the post integration savings: It is always a telling time for procurement professionals when two or more organizations integrate, and the books opened for their respective contracts for goods and services. In our experience, those organizations that have invested in best procurement practices and … Read More
Raising the esteem of procurement
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, experience and sometimes, the motivation … Read More
The new CPO’s First 100 days:
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 the expectations of me? … Read More
11 Steps to Purchasing Organization Attractiveness:
11 Steps to Purchasing Organization Attractiveness: 11 Steps to Purchasing Organization Attractiveness: 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 supporters … Read More
Turning Strategic Procurement Planning into Reality:
Strategic Procurement Planning needs to have senior management commitment and be conducted at the Organizational, Category, and Supplier level, focused on the key business issues and objectives. The basis of good planning usually defines what will be done, who will do it, how it is to be done and when it will be done within the political context of the … Read More