Jake joined the SM ranks in January 2008, after gathering experience at a number of publications including the Sunday Mirror and Four Four Two. As news editor, he enjoys being at the front line of everything topical in procurement and has a particular interest in Whitehall issues, as well as purchasing transformation projects. If Jake were to set up a new business, a good buyer would be his first recruit.
Last year Paul pointed out how people are using Twitter to vent about their organisation’s procurement department. There were also potential suppliers voicing red fury at the purchasing practices they encountered.
I was interested to see that the latest issue of Marketing Week has a cover feature on procurement.
I was surprised when Greenpeace lauded Unilever’s decision to stop buying palm oil from an Indonesian supplier.
The some-time musical theme of this blog continues today with a plug for a good cause.
You have to admire the cleverness of the Tories to draw some of the biggest names in Whitehall efficiency to its new productivity board.
Yesterday I was invited along to a roundtable with the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) deputy director general John Cridland and other key stakeholders in the group’s public services strategy board, including Interserve CEO Adrian Ringrose.
Ever wondered where all the talented buyers are? Well, SM is here to provide you with a handy line-up some of the hottest properties in the business.
Newsgathering is not always a straightforward task. Trawling through sources for an elusive procurement angle is peppered with false starts and dead ends. It makes it all the more exciting when a story turns up unexpectedly. For example, yesterday’s piece on the Tories’ plans for PFI deals made itself known as I was blithely flicking through my Sunday paper.
“Fourteen of 16 departmental commercial directors believe OGC has done little to address skills gaps within their department.” This was the view cast by the National Audit Office in its most recent review.
Michael O’Leary has got a big gob and he is not afraid to use it.
