Purchasing Archives - Supply Chain Game Changer™

Are You on the Supply Chain Naughty List or Nice List this Year?

Is Your Supply Chain A Cost Centre or a Value Creator?

Supply Chain is a very difficult business area to work in. It is not for the faint of heart. But the fact that it is such a challenging area, promising both risk and reward, is one of the things that makes it an exciting career path. At any point you can be on the Naughty list or the Nice list.

These are hard jobs. I’ve heard it said many times that just staying afloat in Supply Chain is success because there are so many things that could drown you from one day to the next.

And even though the Supply Chain is absolutely essential for running virtually any business the Supply Chain team doesn’t always get the recognition they deserve for keeping the company afloat.

So we felt that it was time to sit back and reflect on what kind of year you’ve had and think about what you’ve done, what you’ve overcome, and what you’ve accomplished.

What do you think? Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list?

Procurement Bots – Transformer or Destroyer?

The 3 Pillars of Digital Procurement!

The last few years have seen a lot of real (and over) hype associated with the emergence of Software Robots (called Bots/Bot) and Procurement Bots which are disrupting the legacy procurement processes involving human interface.

This research paper introduces the concept and evolution of the Bots, their characteristics with focus on Procurement processes, the Pros and Cons and debates on the transformation of the procurement function (vs destruction of human interface).

In summary – Bots will have a high appeal on the transactional and digital side of procurement processes and will gain exponential growth in the coming years with the advent of cognitive and machine learning tools.

Tail Spend: The Hidden Procurement That’s Hurting Your Bottom Line!

Indirect Procurement – It’s Time to Rise and Shine!

In the fast-changing world of strategic Procurement, certain categories of spend get all the thunder: IT Procurement gets to help drive a company’s innovation. Business Services Procurement gets to restructure a company’s operations and drive competitiveness. Travel Procurement gets to look at pictures of exotic destinations all day (just kidding). But what about tail spend?

And most large companies are well aware – by now – of the cost savings and strategic advantages of being more strategic about the way you buy things in an organization. For the most part. For most of the stuff a company buys.

But there’s another sort of spend that never gets any love, a sleeping giant that’s actually costing companies millions of dollars and opening them up to risk: Tail Spend.

Seasoned Leadership in Action™ – An Interview with Stephany Lapierre, CEO at tealbook!

Seasoned Leadership in Action™ Interview Excerpts: Lessons Learned by Global Leaders

At Supply Chain Game Changer we believe in sharing experiences and expertise from people in every industry and from across the globe. As such we have introduced our “Seasoned Leadership in Action™” Interview series at Supply Chain Game Changer. This interview is with Stephany Lapierre, Founder and CEO at tealbook.

Procurement Transformation Delays – The Role of Personality!

Manage Procurement Spend Like It’s Your Own Business!

We’ve all heard of the need for Procurement to embrace the Digital Procurement transformation for many years.

So why are so many organizations still in the beginning of this process?

Why are industry projections failing to materialize despite ample technological advancements in Procurement?

7 Essential Attributes of Strategic Supplier Partnerships!

Strategic Supplier Relationship Management – Do’s and Don’ts

Get OUR

EBOOKS HERE

Though the phrase partnership is often used, what really constitutes a strategic supplier partnership?

In a previous article about supplier management, I suggested that the more a supplier tells you that they are strategic, the less they really are. Strategic is a term that is often overused. Whether the phrase refers to sourcing, procurement, relationships, or other matters, its use is prevalent.

The notion of partnerships is equally ubiquitous and similarly both mis- and over-used. This article will identify a taxonomy for a strategic partnership between two parties.

The Future of the Chief Procurement Officer … Is Already Here!

Could the CPO Be Replaced by the Chief Value Officer?

Kodiak Rating’s CTO was recently in attendance at a Chief Procurement Officer and Procurement Leaders event held in London, titled DITx — Data Intelligence and Tech Forum.

As written by Procurement Leaders, “DITx is Europe’s ONLY event specifically designed for procurement professionals wanting to capitalize on a whole new set of opportunities that disrupt yet provide new transformative, value adding capabilities” (Procurement Leaders 2017).

7 KPIs Your Procurement Team May Be Ignoring!

Strategic Supplier Relationship Management – Do’s and Don’ts

Procurement bridges the gap between product, internal stakeholders and customers. Elements of that bridge include KPIs.

In order to support the weight of internal and external expectations, Procurement teams must be prepared to perform as a key value adder within an organization.

Meeting expectations at the door isn’t always the easiest task, especially when those expectations can be wide sweeping (example: minimize cost).

Procurement (and Purchasing) Job Interview Questions & Answers

20 Supply Chain Job Interview Questions and Answers!

Procurement, or Purchasing, is an area of Supply Chain that involves and requires very specific skills and expertise. This is particularly apparent if you are conducing a job interview and hiring a Procurement professional, you are looking for a Procurement job, you are looking to outsource anything, or you are dealing with Procurement people in the course of conducting business.

Regardless of your position or situation it is highly valuable to understand the type of interview questions, and answers, appropriate for Procurement and Purchasing professionals.

Check out this list of 25 Procurement and Purchasing and Supply Chain interview questions and answers.

Hey Procurement! It’s Time to SELL!

Could the CPO Be Replaced by the Chief Value Officer?

The Procurement, or Purchasing, function is considered by many to be a necessary but non-strategic part of any organization. But there is a profoundly significant Procurement value chain.

Study after study shows that this is a common view held amongst Executives and peer functions alike.

This is not to say that they believe Procurement doesn’t play a role, but rather that they don’t view Procurement as playing a critical role beyond cutting costs and finding suppliers.

Well here’s some news. Procurement is strategic!

Instead of waiting for others to realize that now is the time for Procurement professionals to make their value and contribution known.

Now is the time for Procurement to SELL!

Procurement Outsourcing – Keep your Integrity!

Why Get a Product Sourcing Agent?

Like so many professionals Procurement people are very proud. They are proud of the job that they do and the contributions that they make. And they are most always proud of their ability to negotiate and get the best deal!

But at some point in their careers, especially in the age of Outsourcing, they are likely to have to deal with potential suppliers who provide Procurement services. Procurement typically negotiates deals for other functions like I/T, HR, Manufacturing and every other area in the company.

Now they are faced with dealing with companies who basically state that they can do a better job at negotiating and Procurement than they do.

In the face of such a perceived, direct challenge to your abilities how do you and your Procurement team deal with this professionally and with integrity?

Seasoned Leadership in Action™ – An Interview with Jill Button, CEO of ProcurePro!

What is Virtual Procurement and Why Should You Care?

At Supply Chain Game Changer we believe in sharing experiences and expertise from people in every industry and from across the globe. As such we have introduced our “Seasoned Leadership in Action” Interview series. This interview is with Jill Button, President and CEO at ProcurePro.

What is Virtual Procurement and Why Should You Care?

Outsourcing Sourcing! 5 Lessons from Around the Globe!

Any of this sound familiar? Then you need Virtual Procurement!

“With recent minimum wage increases, I need to find better ways to control my costs and to stay profitable while still delivering the highest level of service to my customers.”

“We are too small and can’t afford to hire a full-time procurement person. We are busy and just don’t have the time to focus on procurement.”

“We hope for good prices, but we usually just accept what suppliers offer. We are leaving hard earned money on the table.”

“Contracts are stored in someone’s drawer or lost, never to be seen again. Contracts often expire leaving us scrambling.”

“Supplier relationships are too close. They don’t deliver on their promises. Communication is lacking or too casual.”

If any of these statements resonate with you, please keep reading.

The Supply Chain Detective™: The Case of the Unpaid Invoices!

The Supply Chain Detective ™! In Search of Broken Supply Chain Clues!

The CEO called. “I need you to go down to Mexico right away. They aren’t paying their invoices and suppliers are stopping shipments. Our manufacturing lines are going to stop. I need it fixed right away. Get those bills paid now.”

What on earth was going on? Why didn’t the site just pay their bills? This shouldn’t be a big deal. And this was their problem, and responsibility, not mine. But as with any crisis situation it’s all hands on deck to get the problem fixed.

Little did I realize that while on the surface this seemed like a simple problem, and solution (ie. just pay the darn bills), the reality would prove to be much more complicated. This would be a case for a Supply Chain Detective!

Our 2018 Top 10 List (Part 2)!

As 2018 comes to a close we offer a list of the Top 10 most viewed articles that we have published over the last half of the year.

When you look at this list you will see that there is a common theme amongst most of the articles. That theme is one of “Definitions”.

Based upon tremendous viewer interest this year we began our “What Exactly Is … ” article series to describe definitions and commentary on terms which we often see and hear but don’t always truly understand.

For instance, the term “Supply Chain Management” itself has innumerable definitions and our article What Exactly Is Supply Chain Management? 10 Different Definitions! proved to be one of our most popular articles ever.

So here it is, our Top 10 list for the second half of 2018!