Procurement and Strategic Sourcing in the Supply Chain

For the better part of the past year, Ive been setting up a finance accounting shared services centre in India. During this time, I have gained a much deeper understanding of the transactional bedrock underlying supplier relationships.I started my career as a lawyer reflecting on the More

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review on how to make better decisions (subscription required) provided a framework you can use to improve your supply chain decision making process if you don't currently have one. It consists of four simple steps to take you down the decision making path: More

Consider how procurement outsourcers have helped customers improve strategic sourcing, contract negotiations and operational procurement. Yet they need to connect these areas with integrated, sourcing-to-settlement procurement processes by providing customers with standard processes and platforms. More

SpendMatters: Friday Rant: Bankrupt and Foreclosed Households Contribute to Recovery More

Most companies are less than satisfied with their systems in place to measure supplier performance (if they even have a system at all). But creation of an effective supplier scorecard—one that aligns directly with the outcomes sought from doing business with that supplier—is an eminently achievable goal. The key is to focus on a set of core characteristics. More

There has been plenty of discussion over the years about how to reduce inventory. Generally, the perspective is from the office of the material planning manager or supply chain manager, since inventory performance is usually thought of as a production metric. However, there are many aspects of inventory management that are directly influenced by decisions made in the procurement department. More

To achieve the potential of distribution excellence, companies need to think outside of the box. More

This whitepaper will help educate the reader on the benefits of implementing supplier management programs. Real-world examples are used to describe the... More

Only a very small number of companies achieve elite status where their sourcing and procurement organization deliver the best possible performance - measured... More

As dire economic conditions place an unwanted negative backdrop to routine business, spend analysis has risen as a valuable process to the entire enterprise... More