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High Fliers and Low Bidders
If price were the deciding factor in procurement, sales would be simpler and quicker. But it’s more complex than that.
Mortgage Rates Canada - How Credit Scores Affect The Rate You Get?
There is an immense complexity that has enveloped mortgage rates in Canada over the past few years. One of such convolutions is the massive dependence of the Canadian market on credit scores for the procurement of a good rate of mortgage. Literally, the higher the credit score, the lesser will be the rate of interest. In fact, the disparity between a bad and a good credit score can raise the total loan cost by about 3%.

Canon Reaffirms Green Procurement Program for Earth Day
Canon Middle East commemorated Earth Day by reaffirming its commitment to green purchasing. They have reduced their use of resources and minimized their production of waste. Canon is serious about the sustainability of its own operations and they are expanding the green market by encouraging their suppliers to comply with environmental certification systems. To continue reading go to THE GREEN MARKET.

Definition Of Sourcing – Not As Simple As It Sounds
The definition of sourcing can be simple and much more complex. The simple definition is “the processes involved in identifying potential vendors, conducting negotiations with them and then signing purchasing agreements with them to provide goods and/or services that meet your company’s procurement needs”.
Interactive Intelligence in Real-Time: The ADR Academy's New Adaptive Learning Program
“Companies are scrambling to keep the skills of their buyers and supply managers up to the task of responding to wildly fluctuating costs and availability of key supplies. They need high quality training courses that are easily and instantly available,” said ADR North America CEO Bill Michels, C.P.M. “The ADR Academy fills that need with nine key courses that anyone can take if they have Internet access and a credit card.”
Accountability and Outcome is a Shared Responsibility in the RFP Process
It never fails to amaze me that given the amount of research which goes into the production of each PI Window on Business Show, there are always a number of new insights that come to light during the live broadcast. In fact this is one of the reasons why social media is so critical to the procurement profession, as it broadens the lens through which we can view a particular subject.
The Importance of Having A Personal Development Plan
A personal development plan provides a framework that will make individuals identify the areas of their strengths and weaknesses and come up with a guide that will optimize and capitalize on their existing skills and capabilities.
What is personal development plan?
If you desire to have skills and experience to enhance individual performance and self-perception, you are going to need a personal development plan. It serves as a map of your self-development journey, gearing towards achievement of aspirations.
A view for the other side
Following for last week’s piece on Procurement, I promised I would delve further into the view from the other side of the table and how, we, as sales people, view procurement and some of the practices which help or hinder sales and partnership effectiveness. And what our common enemy is. So let’s take a look at the other side of the table. Many a seasoned sales person can tell you story after story about the ‘Gunna Gunna’ customers:Gunna do this, gunna do that be it never goes anywhere.
The Power of the Blog
My entry into social media was through the creation of the Procurement Insights Blog in May 2007. As of today it reaches more than 300,000 syndicated subscribers each month worldwide, and with more than 40 sponsors and growing it is the number one sponsored blog in its sector. Of course, none of this was planned as the reasons for creating the blog in the first place was to consolidate my various deadlines for the increasing number of publications for which I wrote either a column or articles on a regular basis. In short, I was able to create a single location from which the magazines could access the articles for distribution through their publication.
Are you ready for Sustainable Selling?
With the green agenda comes Sustainable Selling. More and more questions are being asked by many about how we can best manage this relationship now and for future generations? I recently attended and spoke at the 6th CIPS Australasia Annual Conference (peak industry body for the Procurement Profession) where Sustainability was well and truly on the agenda.
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
I recently had the pleasure of attending and speaking at the 6th CIPS Australasia Annual Conference for the procurement profession. It was my third invitation to speak at a CIPSA event in my capacity as a professional representing the sales profession. The theme for this conference was ‘Managing Volatility’. A key message I gleaned from the conference was Value Management rather than the narrow band width of Cost Management.
Did an Anti-North American Sentiment and Arrogance Undermine Andersson's Tenure at GM?
On the August 11th PI Window on Business Show I spoke with three time honoree as a Supply and Demand Chain Executive's "Pros To Know," and co-author of the book "Transform Your Supply Chain" Bill Michels, regarding General Motor's precipitous fall in relation to their supply chain strategy.
The JLARC Review: The Phantom Echoes of Public Sector Supplier Discontent? (Part 1)
“. . . Because we are not reviewing whether eVA is successful or not, but rather how it impacts one group of users and potential users, the questions do not focus so much on the elements of success that are addressed in Yes Virginia! But try to get at small business impact” e-mail from Chief Legislative Analyst, Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (April 2009)

5 reasons to automate your Retail
Most often I heard retailer saying following: 1. Why do I need retail management software? 2. What are the reasons to automate my Retail? 3. I am running a successful retail without any IT system. I do not want to debate or argue, but yes I would like to say something on this.
A “Perfect Vision” and Determined Execution: Laying the Foundations for Sustainable Success (Perfect Commerce Profile)
One might say that perfection is in the vision and execution is reflected in the outcome. If that is in fact the standard by which perfection is measured, then the little company from Kansas City has been appropriately named.
New Zealand Public Sector eSourcing: Transparent Procurement encourages Competition & Investment
It is widely accepted that procurement transparency promotes competition, and that competition is a good thing for economic efficiency and growth. On a national level, it is also interesting to note the positive correlation between transparency and Foreign Direct Investment.
Foundations Of Sand: Why Ecademy Has A Decided Advantage As The Social Network Market Leader (Ecademy Profile)
“The social network community is on the verge of a monumental shift in which many of the networks that are in existence today will not be around tomorrow. By evolving beyond their technological origins, the core survivors will avoid the fate of the early lights, who like SixDegrees.com are destined to fade into historic insignifigance in much the same manner that CP/M ceded to the DOS platform in the early days of the personal computer.” From The White Paper “The Unsociable Business of Social Networks” (By Jon Hansen, Release Date January 2009)

The Web 2.0 Association: Reader Response (CPPC-CCMP Profile)
Response to our recent sponsor profile articles is quite active with the posting on services procurement garnering more than 20 comments. As is our normal practice, I am more than pleased to share these comments with you starting with the feedback that was received from a supply chain professional in Panama regarding the August 20th post titled “The Web 2.0 Association: A Dynamic Engagement Between Stakeholders Sharing the Same Interests and Goals.

Levelling the intagible playing field of professional services procurement (Beyond Referrals Profile)
“I stated that the worst thing a purchasing person can do when using an RFP to buy professional services is to exclude a project budget. Immediately, a rebuttal was offered, “But if I give them the budget,” stated the attendee, “they are all just going to come in at that budget.” He was right. But he failed to recognize that as a distinct advantage for both the vendor and the purchaser. When everyone’s price is the same, the buyer can compare expertise and value across a consistent price spectrum and purchase the services of the best expert they can afford.” From the PowerPoint “A Decent Proposal”, Cal Harrison, Beyond Referrals (August 2008)

How can I turn my company's operations into a competitive advantage?
Network Member Question How can I turn my company's operations into a competitive advantage? and What are the best ways to run my supply chains? Ramesh Malani L'Entrepreneur En Residence at Foundation Washington D.C.
Is There a Difference Between Purchasing and Procurement? (A PI Q&A)
Network Member Question As far as I know, sometimes the terms “purchasing” and “procurement” can be used as the same meaning. But in many cases it seems that both have different boundaries or meanings. So what is really the meaning behind the terms? Kurt Binh Owner, SCM Vietnam – Supply Chain and Logistics Consulting Viet Nam

Keywords Research Tips
Keyword research in short is the process of identifying the words those buyers could be looking for. Every keyword that's missed during the keyword research is an opportunity gained by the competitor who has successfully incorporated the missing keyword1. So, it's necessary that our keyword research should always be a good as possible. Today search engine marketing has heavily changed the business process and has become an unavoidable tool for the marketers, and keyword research is an important part of the same.
What are the 3 biggest challenges faced by supply chain/purchasing professionals today? (Survey Result 17)
There are many factors both internally as well as externally that are affecting supply chain/ procurement practices today. From the growing talent vacuum to the continuing lack of collaboration between Finance, IT and Purchasing relative to corporate initiatives. What in your own experiences and opionions are the top 3 issues that procurement professionals face?
What are the 3 biggest challenges faced by supply chain/purchasing professionals today? (Survey Result 16)
There are many factors both internally as well as externally that are affecting supply chain/ procurement practices today. From the growing talent vacuum to the continuing lack of collaboration between Finance, IT and Purchasing relative to corporate initiatives. What in your own experiences and opionions are the top 3 issues that procurement professionals face?
The Importance of Strategic Marketing Consulting in Marketing Vendor Management
Strategic marketing consulting goes beyond the first steps of marketing procurement and uses as the foundation the strategic requirements of the marketing plan. Rather than simply looking at the suppliers engaged from a procurement, or sourcing, perspective the approach is to take a strategic view of the marketing requirements and then aligning the external and internal resources to best deliver these needs.
Virginia Ranked No 1 in U.S. Report - Does Canada Need a Similar Study?
In yet another example of the value of collaboration over compliance the Commonwealth of Virginia was ranked alongside the States of Washington and Utah as a top performer in the PEW Center’s Grading the States 2008 report. According to the PEW organization’s web site the report, which is designed to assess the “quality of management in the 50 states,” focuses on four key areas of government practice.

Do you practice "Business @ The Speed of Thought?"
Member Question: Almost 10 years ago, Bill Gates of Microsoft wrote a book titled "Business @ The Speed of Thought" where he laid out his vision for how organizations should utilize technology to become more responsive, adaptive, agile, etc. Specifically he drew an analogy between an organization's IT infrastructure and living beings Autonomic Nervous System. Now, reading this book over again, I'm struck by a perception that even now most organizations still do not have the level of IT integration that Gates speaks of. So my question(s) to you is this: Does your enterprise / organization have real-time reporting and notification of all important data?
Good financial management
Good financial management is essential to the survival and success of every business.

Making Finance Work for Africa
South Africa’s success in getting the financial sector to extend services to poorer communities could be adapted for other African countries, said Trevor Manuel, Minister of Finance of South Africa. He told participants that this is exactly what has been achieved by South Africa’s Financial Sector Charter. The charter was developed some four years ago by the financial sector, including banks and insurers, after the government urged it to transform its practices and policies
Selling to Procurement
Even during the best of times procurement or purchasing specialists are a reality sales people would rather not deal with. As the economy tightens and companies reexamine their spending, reclassify things in terms of crucial or discretionary, the role of these professionals becomes even more critical and frequent. They make more decisions in a vacuum where value is a distant second to price, Procurement Specialist wield more power than ever before.

Other procurement Related Articles

Technology's Diminishing Role in an Emerging Process-Driven World (Part 1)
Organizations that already have a technology driven program in place or have just recently implemented one still surprise me with their significant interest in the dramatic changes in procurement methodologies and practices. But rather than focusing learning on new and emerging technologies, today's procurement professionals seek insights into the actual processes that drive their enterprises. The impetus behind this change is largely the result of the fallout from the consistently high level of e-procurement initiative failures. Industry studies for the period 2001-2005 indicate 75-85 percent of all programs fail to achieve the promised results.

How does policy either motivate or undermine employee performance?
In an excerpt from a November 20th post in the Procurement Insights Blog titled "How Leadership Repeatedly Under-Mines Their Most Valuable Procurement Asset" (see below), I discussed the impact that current procurement policies and environments have on purchasing professionals within their respective organizations.

What are the 3 biggest challenges faced by supply chain/purchasing professionals today? (Survey Result 1)
There are many factors both internally as well as externally that are affecting supply chain/ procurement practices today. From the growing talent vacuum to the continuing lack of collaboration between Finance, IT and Purchasing relative to corporate initiatives. What in your own experiences and opionions are the top 3 issues that procurement professionals face?
What are the 3 biggest challenges faced by supply chainpurchasing professionals today? (Survey Result 2)
There are many factors both internally as well as externally that are affecting supply chain/ procurement practices today. From the growing talent vacuum to the continuing lack of collaboration between Finance, IT and Purchasing relative to corporate initiatives. What in your own experiences and opionions are the top 3 issues that procurement professionals face?

What are the 3 biggest challenges faced by supply chain/purchasing professionals today? (Survey Result 3)
There are many factors both internally as well as externally that are affecting supply chain/ procurement practices today. From the growing talent vacuum to the continuing lack of collaboration between Finance, IT and Purchasing relative to corporate initiatives. What in your own experiences and opionions are the top 3 issues that procurement professionals face?

What are the 3 biggest challenges faced by supply chain/purchasing professionals today? (Survey Result 4)
There are many factors both internally as well as externally that are affecting supply chain/ procurement practices today. From the growing talent vacuum to the continuing lack of collaboration between Finance, IT and Purchasing relative to corporate initiatives. What in your own experiences and opionions are the top 3 issues that procurement professionals face?

What are the 3 biggest challenges faced by supply chain/purchasing professionals today? (Survey Result 5)
There are many factors both internally as well as externally that are affecting supply chain/ procurement practices today. From the growing talent vacuum to the continuing lack of collaboration between Finance, IT and Purchasing relative to corporate initiatives. What in your own experiences and opionions are the top 3 issues that procurement professionals face?
The Greening of Procurement Revisited (Part 2)
As a follow-up to my post from earlier this week, I am pleased to present Part 2 of the 2 part Greening of Procurement Series: It’s Not Easy Being Green! For those of you who would like to delve even deeper into the factors that are shaping both public and private sector sustainability strategies, including case studies on companies such as Kodak and Ford, you can purchase ($20) my white paper titled The Greening of Procurement: How Social Consciousness is Re-Shaping Procurement Practices (contact the author for ordering details)
How Your Procurement Practices Affect Your Sales and Brand
Ethical selling and procurement (purchasing) is now in the spotlight. Harvey Norman’s recent publicity surrounding their supposed sourcing and use of Australian native old growth forest timbers in their Chinese made furniture has drawn light on retail procurement practices. Procurement is now fairly and squarely in the spotlight and choices surrounding sourcing and distribution activities can have a dramatic effect on a company’s brand, reputation and sales revenue.

Procurement and Purchasing Cards
This article looks at how procurement cards - or P-cards - work to control misuse through setting of parameters on types, amounts, locations and frequencies of purchases. Also addressed are benefits and drawbacks of procurement card programs.

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