Supply Chain Management Review

Robert A. Rudzki

Supplier Partnerships - II
July 25, 2008

There is real value in formalizing your company’s definition of partnerships with suppliers. In fact, this is one of the most powerful exercises you can perform in supplier management.

First, it forces you to think about, and organize, your ideas about this important topic – to select what is really important, and to discard the non value-adding fluff.

Second, it creates a common understanding – internally – regarding what the term means, and how it fits into your overall supplier selection and management process.

Third, it becomes an excellent talking point for discussions with suppliers.

We did this in my corporate career as a CPO – and encourage clients to do the same. Having a succinct, yet robust, definition of supplier partnerships can provide valuable guidance throughout the supplier selection and supplier management process.

And, the definition need not be a chapter in length. Some of the best ones I have seen were less than 100 words long – and could fit on the back of a business card – where it serves as a constant reminder to all concerned.

Posted by Robert A. Rudzki on July 25, 2008 | Comments (0)