Featured Posts
The art of competitive collaboration Everyone is facing the same problems of recession, supplier instability, and greater regulation of business – which is driving more concerns about suppliers. So how do you afford it all? I believe companies...
Research shows sharp rise in Supplier Challenges Research by Nottingham University and Achilles indicates a sharp rise in the number of supplier challenges going to court - a significant concern for buying organisations in the Public Sector. The report...
Procurement’s changing role as a more vital and strategic... The AT Kearney 2011 Assessment of Excellence in Procurement Study, published last week, found that 90 per cent of the 185 global companies surveyed believe the procurement function is performing a more...
Practical advice on managing supplier risk Supply chain risk can come from any source. From the financial failure of a critical supplier to disruptions caused by natural disasters, poor supplier product quality to infrastructure failures. Now is...
How to see the value in supplier relationships The trend to outsourcing and the forging of closer collaborative relationships with suppliers is significantly increasing the dependency organisations have on their supply base. In a growing number of...
April’s Procurement News Digest
Posted on 17-05-2011
T-Mobile and Orange to combine procurement activities. Deutsche Telekom owners of T-Mobile and France Telecom-Orange will be working together to harmonise procurement practices, aiming to save €1.3 billion (£1.1 billion) in the process over the next three years. According to Olaf Swantee, Executive Vice-President of Europe at France Telecom-Orange, “The new joint venture will offer a more efficient sourcing organisation that will lead to more effective partnerships with suppliers. This will...
March’s Procurement News Digest
Posted on 12-04-2011
Long awaited UK anti-bribery law guidance The UK Ministry Of Justice has finally issued guidance for applying the new anti-bribery act, which comes into force on July 1st. Firms have welcomed the Ministry of Justice’s guidance, according to The Guardian, with many saying it has lifted the threat of corporate hospitality falling foul of the new regulations. Ken Clarke, the justice secretary, said the legislation would “reinforce Britain’s reputation as a leader in the global fight...
Common Sense advice on implementation of the Bribery Act
Posted on 05-04-2011
On 30th March 2011, The Ministry of Justice published its long-awaited guidance on the Bribery Act 2010 and confirmed that the Act will come into force on 1 July 2011. Businesses now have three months to review their policies and procedures and to ensure that they meet the standard being set by this new legislation. Although the MoJ has emphasised that compliance is “largely about common sense, not burdensome procedures”, corporates still need to look carefully at the particular risks...
Is your weakest link further down the chain?
Posted on 21-03-2011
Traditional methods of risk management have focussed on prioritising attention on ‘strategic suppliers’; those that supply high volumes, or those on which the firm is commercially or technologically dependent. But these traditional methods may fail to address other critical vulnerabilities to which firms are exposed, including the risks associated with ‘small’ suppliers. This requires a focus on various aspects of supply chain related risk including: reputational risks arising from the social,...
Would you like to see a much simpler and more business friendly approach taken by the European procurement legislation?
Posted on 16-03-2011
The publication of the European Commission’s Green Paper on the modernisation of EU public procurement policy gives a once in a decade opportunity to influence the way in which your procurement is controlled. I would like to urge you to make your voice heard. The Commission is seeking to streamline procurement legislation and bring it up-to-date as part of a general programme to look at all single market issues which affect trade between member states in the run up to 2020 (as part of the...
What is the most efficient way of managing supplier data to make it relevant and cost-effective?
Posted on 07-03-2011
Organisations maintain detail of thousands of suppliers, many of whom are never or rarely used: what is the most efficient way of managing supplier data to make it relevant and cost-effective? The area of supplier information management is often neglected, however it represents a huge missed opportunity. Efficient and effective supplier information management is central to understanding the supply chain risk, consolidating sources of supply, and thereby maximising the return on a supply base which...
We listened. We changed. We’re ready for your input …
Posted on 08-02-2011
With the market position moving in a more positive direction, and management recognition of procurement’s contribution to organisational success, procurement professionals are eager to stay ahead of the curve and advance their understanding and knowledge. With that in mind, we’ve made some subtle adjustments to Procurement Blog to make postings varied, easier to access and comment on. We’ll still post thought leadership pieces from time to time but we’re combining them with shorter, quick-fire...
How do you transform sustainable procurement strategy into standard business processes?
Posted on 28-01-2011
A large number of companies have good ideas and have developed strategies on sustainable procurement; this is clear from benchmarking and workshops held within our own industry and across other industries. The problem for companies is quite often that these well formulated strategies are not, in fact, implemented in the real processes of procurement. Much of the time procurement is still reduced to contracting based on price; this is the specific driver for success and procurement is monitored and...
Procurement in 2011 – pro-active or reactive, holistic or targeted? And what about risk?
Posted on 17-01-2011
Recent Spend Matters research suggests that the period between 2008-2010 witnessed a dramatic increase in the number and types of supplier management solutions available to help companies monitor suppliers, mitigate risk, save time and money. Given the confusing, fragmented, and ever changing landscape, is it any wonder that Spend Matters also identified that the majority of the Global 2000 at this time did not feel ready to tackle supplier management holistically. Rather, many of those organizations...
What are the implications for public procurement of the Spending Review and sustainability requirements?
Posted on 22-12-2010
Procurement across the UK Government and public sector is a significant part of the economy as a whole. Last year the Office of Government Commerce reported that, ‘The Public Sector spends around £220bn each year on procurement in over 44,000 organisations right across the UK in every sector that government operates. Public sector spend often constitutes a large percentage of a given supply market – often between 10% and 15% ’. This scale of public procurement suggests that it can play a major...
