With the new Fantastic Four movie out today, what a perfect way to demonstrate the power of cross-functional teamwork. A team of people, who each have their own special talent, which when used together are able to defeat evil and save the world. Much the same then as in procurement then, bringing skills together to [...]
Big suppliers in the private sector are frustrated with public sector buyers who are not engaging with them to improve sustainable procurement, Jonathon Porritt told a conference yesterday. But public sector buyers are also frustrated because suppliers are not working together to be more sustainable. One buyer at the event talked of her difficulty in [...]
I have been using e-auctions for several years now and I am seeing decreasing savings year on year when I auction the same categories. What can I do to reinvigorate my auction programme?
Guy Strafford, client services director at buyingTeam on the Procurement outsourcing debate: "Instead of thinking how to get rid of tasks, many large procurement functions face rising demand for their services. And often they don’t have enough people to meet this growth. The challenge is to decide where to prioritise resources. This leaves gaps which [...]
It’s always best to buy what your stakeholders want. But you can’t please everyone all of the time, as the famous quotation goes. As the organisers of the 2012 Olympics are finding out, making sure your purchasing decisions match the expectations of your intended customers can be a tricky business. Whether you like the new [...]
We recently reported that the IT systems of some NHS trusts were so outdated they were forced to source spare parts from eBay. This isn’t the first time an organization has found itself turning to the World Wide Web’s global flea market to find what it needs, but have you ever done it? Do you [...]
Screaming, head-on challenges and too much small talk are to be avoided. No, we’re not talking about first date etiquette, but how to negotiate with suppliers. In the latest (7 June) issue of SM we hear highlights from a number of speakers who presented at ISM’s annual conference in Las Vegas. One incredibly popular session [...]
In the next issue of Supply Management, out tomorrow – Featured Articles Life on the front line – Interview with John Collington, head of procurement at the Home Office What fits the bill? – Can invoice consolidation be beneficial to procurement? Winning out west – Steve Bagshaw reports from the 92nd annual ISM conference in [...]
The theme of this year’s CIPS Premier Conference, taking place in London today and tomorrow, is Risk and Reward in a global marketplace, and buyers have been challenged by the chair of the event, professor Mike Lewis of the University of Bath, to take the theme personally. "If you are not willing to take a [...]
If you were bringing in someone to transform your procurement function, you might be tempted to look for someone high-profile, with a track record you could trust. But according to consultancy ADR International, recruiting a so-called procurement "star" might be counterproductive. The firm says that big salaries paid to the industry’s top earners would be [...]
