Author Archives: Paladin Associates - Tom Thompson
When following the wireless industry, one is cognizant of the never-ending churn; services, companies, technologies, rate plans. Current examples are: (1) the pending ATTW and T-Mobile merger in 2012 (2) Sprint’s many issues with its investment in 4G Wi-Max provider Clearwire and new agreement with LightSquared (3) industry movement to 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, thereby antiquating current equipment and (4) resellers positioning for the mergers and growth of their larger facilities-based competition. Now more than ever before, effectively … More
A category of spend with the highest probability of achieving savings is Telecommunications. The primary reason is that individuals managing Telecom expenditures are usually technical specialists without experience in strategic sourcing or possessing an intimate knowledge of telecommunications billing practices. Effectively managing wireless expenditures can be the most daunting. Wireless Services have the following characteristics: • Each voice/data line plan has a separate individual 1, 2 or 3 year expiration date • Without proper management tools, unchecked user behavior will quickly erode … More
Telecom is a large, untapped spend category many companies find challenging when assessing cost-saving opportunities. Where to begin? Telecom suppliers have a distinct advantage over vendors in many other industries — management’s reluctance to jeopardize a business’s networking infrastructure design in order to transition to an alternative supplier. As a result: Incumbent suppliers tend to be much less flexible in reacting to marketplace pricing or other business requirements. The Sourcing organization has multiple obstacles to overcome – the incumbent supplier … More
In most situations, I would argue that a skilled sourcing professional can effectively source anything with a little bit of research and by following a prescribed strategic sourcing process. However, the highly complex and regulated Telecom industry is one notable exception. The following case study authored by Tom Thompson, 35 year telecom veteran, demonstrates the value of applying deep commodity expertise to this challenging spend category. A highly skilled resource not only delivers maximum savings, but also leverages technical knowledge … More
