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House of Lords tackle the question; Can public procurement be used as a tool to stimulate innovation?

January 25, 2011

As I spend an increasing amount of time crisscrossing the pond I have seen an emerging trend that is perhaps a strong reflection of the globalized nature of our collective world, including within the arena that is public sector procurement. What I am talking about is the commonality of challenges that many governments are now facing […]

25 Social Media Facts Every CEO “Must” Know Article is Interesting . . .

January 22, 2011

I recently read Pam Moore’s article “25 Facts Every CEO Must Know About Social Media in 2011,” and have a great deal of respect regarding her efforts to quantify that which for many in business, is still relatively speaking uncharted waters. In short, this ain’t the media world of our parents (or for me grandparents […]

Guest Panel Discussion regarding Virginia’s Supplier Diversity Advisory Board’s just released report set for the 25th of January

January 20, 2011

As indicated in my post of January 18th, the Interim Report from the Governor’s Supplier Diversity Advisory Board provides both an interesting (and yes timely) review of procurement policy and practice in Virginia. While the document, which is 42 pages in all, does in fact drill down into critical areas including; Certification, Marketing and Outreach, […]

Ask a simple question about government procurement . . .

January 14, 2011

Perhaps the natural radio host in me is the reason why I am interested in everything that goes on around me and thus like to ask a lot of questions. What is it my mother used to say . . . there is no such thing as a dumb question?! Great advice, and I have […]

Is Fragmentation Undermining the Purchasing Profession: IACCM’s Tim Cummins Believes It Is

January 12, 2011

For groups like contract management and procurement, there are no universal standards of practice. Unlike fields such as medicine, engineering and the law, there is no firmly established professional ethic or body of knowledge. And without this, they can never achieve sustainable professional status. Fragmentation clearly works against establishing such standards and ultimately proves inefficient […]

From the American Express Study to The Usual Suspects and the Estimated Cost of Doing Government Business Amtower Delivers Powerful Insights

January 11, 2011

Besides referring to this current period in the above video as “one of the scariest times in recent memory” relative to being on the front lines of government procurement, Mark Amtower delivered a number of very interesting insights during this afternoon’s broadcast as he both explained and quantified the cost of pursuing business with the […]

2005 SR&ED Related Report on eProcurement Software Industry Tells An Interesting Story 5 Years Later

January 6, 2011

The major ERP companies are starting to move “down market,” approaching firms as small as $50 million in revenues. These slimmed down versions are of necessity horizontal products that either require significant customization or that the client changes their business processes to meet the application’s needs. While much of the larger market has been approached […]

IACCM’s Cummins drives home the importance of relationships and why Bradt’s and Amtower’s new books are needed and timely

January 5, 2011

In today’s Commitment Matters post (The Purpose Of Negotiation) Tim Cummins opens with the statement that “Many of us use the term ‘negotiating’ in a generic form, giving little thought to the variations in approach that are demanded by different circumstances.” In this succinct and seemingly simple statement Tim sums up the basis for the monumental […]

UK Government “revenue party over” announcement re large IT/ERP projects long on intent but short on execution

December 17, 2010

Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, speaking at a meeting attended by 31 major government suppliers including BT, Hewlett Packard, IBM and CapGemini, claimed that large-scale bespoke IT systems – many of which have gone significantly over budget in the past – would henceforth be replaced by less expensive and “off the shelf” offerings. So opened […]

Virginia’s Secretary of Administration provides a clear lens through which to view the breadth and diversity of her critical role in the Governor’s Cabinet

December 16, 2010

It is not often that you get the opportunity to talk with a true buck stops here person but, in the case of Virginia’s relatively new Secretary of Administration, not only were we able to talk with Lisa Hicks-Thomas, we were also able to gain interesting insights regarding her thoughts on a range of topics […]