E-Sourcing Forum

Outsourcing 8000 RFQs?

2008-10-06T10:09:00Z

Wow! You have serious procurement needs when you can even consider doing something like this. When I first read about this possibility coming from General Motors, I thought it was a pretty exciting prospect. This concept is not new, and I have personally seen it work exceptionally well. The function of [...]

Sourcing Blogs: Spend Matters

2008-10-03T18:48:06Z

India Meets Wall Street—Where Mid-Level Procurement Jobs are Headed? In an attempt to cut costs, more companies are now starting to outsource midlevel business services to India. This blog discusses the possibility of outsourcing procurement jobs and the various problems that may arise in doing so. Email Forward & Bookmarks [...]

Sourcing Blogs: Sourcing Innovation

2008-10-03T14:41:11Z

Dimensions of Market Intelligence How do you define “market intelligence?” In sourcing, it can be summed up as “the right buy from the right supplier at the right time.” This blog overviews the various components that are needed to achieve market intelligence so that companies can make better purchasing decisions. Email Forward & Bookmarks [...]

Sourcing Blogs: Procurement Insights

2008-10-03T12:48:54Z

The Socially Responsible Procurement Practice: Moving Beyond Social Consciousness (enterprising non-profits Profile) Corporate Social Responsibility can be implemented in a company’s procurement practices, and this blog tells you how it can be achieved. If you’re already executing a CSR program or interested in doing so, you will find lots of useful information and references [...]

Purchasing Procedure Writing

2008-10-02T11:31:54Z

A topic that has been on my mind lately has been the topic of procedure writing. So I thought I’d share with you some of my philosophies on the topic of purchasing procedure writing. Number one, I think it’s important to understand the importance of procedures. Procedures should be put in place [...]

Global economy buckles - spend management…?

2008-10-02T12:37:54Z

Apparently, it is showing major cracks too, although I will only speak for others as Iasta will be clocking in some pretty good numbers in 2008. First, there were the rumors about major problems at Emptoris. A week before this post come online, I knew something was going on, as I got 4 resumes from [...]

Procurement under achievers?

2008-09-30T19:06:47Z

See also: red hair, not related. SCDigest recently did a nice job discussing a study commissioned by KPMG, which found that Procurement management has taken on an increasingly strategic and important role at many companies, but in many respects still has a long way to go to reach maximum performance. The report also mentioned - “Many organizations [...]

Rethinking Distribution and Transportation

2008-09-29T15:06:38Z

I live in Dallas which is a large warehousing and distribution center due to its central location in the US. This area of the country is only a two day drive (or by rail) to anywhere in the US therefore many companies choose it to locate their distribution centers. A recent article in the local [...]

Sourcing Blogs: Spend Matters

2008-09-26T18:42:02Z

Act First Before Your Suppliers Credit Lines Are Taken Away Do not wait around for your suppliers come to you about their financial problems; be proactive before it’s too late. This blog talks about the actions that procurement managers can take to assist their suppliers during tough economic times. Email Forward & Bookmarks [...]

Sourcing Blogs: Supply Chain Matters

2008-09-26T15:47:03Z

Another Supply Chain Challenge for Boeing This blog takes a look at how the employee strike at Boeing has caused havock in their supply chain. With the program already being 15 months behind, the company faces another disruption that is affecting everyone involved with Boeing’s operations and supply chain. Email Forward & Bookmarks [...]

Sourcing Blogs: VMO Blog

2008-09-26T10:40:17Z

One of My Pet Peeves: Informal Dispute Resolution Does your supplier contract template address a dispute resolution provision pertaining to breach of confidentiality? This blog provides specific language that supplier contract templates should emphasis so that procurement managers can prevent potential infringements with an injunction. Email Forward & Bookmarks [...]

Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Telecom Savings

2008-09-24T11:49:03Z

The following article was first published by Paladin Associates, in their newsletter named Checkmate. I recommend signing up for it. The topics are very detailed and informative. I know the principals at Paladin well and think their ideas have great value. I have republished this one with their permission. With apologies to [...]

Always Trying to be Different

2008-09-23T11:10:56Z

Whenever I run sourcing projects, or advise others, I recommend that, as much as possible, it is a good strategy to try and compare suppliers in the same format. In other words, don’t allow suppliers to differentiate themselves from one another because it makes the evaluation and selection process much more difficult. Auctions were a [...]

The Age of the e-Perp

2008-09-22T09:15:54Z

One of the most common misconceptions since “eggs are bad for you” or “England can win the next World Cup” is that, when it comes to selecting an automated purchasing system, an organization must choose between ERP and e-Procurement. A large number of Fortune 500 companies that have implemented best-of-breed e-Procurement systems over the last [...]

Vetting Procurement

2008-09-19T11:50:44Z

I am going to take a break from sourcing topics for a moment to bring attention to a new phenomenon that is sweeping through the business world and general public vocabulary. Two weeks ago, I was on a 30 minute conference call, where variations of the word “vetting” were utilized at least once per [...]