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Procurement decisions don’t fail inside procurement. They fail when real-world conditions hit them. That’s what we assess.
Demands of Collaborative Supply Management Thin the Field by Kelly Barner
Qualified sales people are in short supply. In a July 22nd article in the USA Today (Sales Rep Wanted: Inquire Anyplace), Paul Davidson wrote that “As the economy picks up, employers are facing a shortage of qualified sales associates and managers that’s hampering revenue growth.” According to Manpower’s annual talent shortage survey, ‘sales representative’ will […]
Posted in: Guest Posting
Disconnected policies in public sector spend: Ombudsman Minto’s policy review revisited (Part 2 of 2) by Jon Hansen
August 5, 2013
In Part 1 of today’s post, I talked about the consensus that public sector procurement is a critical tool in driving socioeconomic benefit. Referencing a number of articles by industry experts, it is clear that there is a universal acknowledgement that we have to do more in terms of leveraging public coffers in critical areas […]
Posted in: Commentary
Disconnected policies in public sector spend: A universal problem? (Part 1 of 2) by Jon Hansen
August 2, 2013
I read with great interest the recent Procurement Insights EU Edition post “A Living Wage” (July 30th, 2013) by Dr. Gordon Murray, and the corresponding follow-up commentary “Additional thoughts regarding the “Living Wage” question” (August 2nd, 2013) by Ian Burdon. In the summer of 2006, I chaired the Summit Roundtable that reviewed the critical elements […]
Posted in: Commentary
Dale Neef’s 2001 book still meaningful today as reflected in Jack Keough’s recent My Purchasing Center article (Part 1 of 2) by Jon Hansen
July 30, 2013
“This is particularly important since many buyers do not visit suppliers’ physical stores, but rely on catalogs and websites to research products. Unfortunately, many of supplier’s websites are outdated and lack capabilities to meet customer expectations. from the July 23rd, 2013 My Purchasing Center article “First Amazon, Now Google. Will Other Internet Companies Follow?” by […]
Posted in: Commentary
A Living Wage by Dr. Gordon Murray
July 30, 2013
Editor’s Note: The following is a post by Dr. Gordon Murray from our Procurement Insights European Union Edition Blog, that raises what I believe is a very interesting overall question . . . to what degree should public sector procurement be used as a lever to achieve social and economic policy objectives. Ed Miliband is […]
Posted in: Procurement Insights EU
Does the UK’s new Crown Commercial Service represent the future of public sector procurement? by Jon Hansen
July 24, 2013
A corporate-style overhaul of the way the government buys up to £12bn of goods and services will be announced today as ministers try to use the spur of austerity to change the way Whitehall operates and make savings of around £1bn a year. from the July 23rd, 2013 Financial Times article Business-style agency to run […]
With Serco is it a case of one bad apple spoiling the entire corporate barrel? by Jon Hansen
July 19, 2013
Last week , the Procurement Insights European Union Edition was one of the very first blogs to report on the news that the Minister of Justice Chris Grayling had announced that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) had been called in to investigate G4S and Serco. Grayling indicated that there was evidence that both companies had […]
Posted in: Commentary, Public Sector Procurement
How NOT to Follow a Strategic Sourcing Process by Kelly Barner
July 16, 2013
I recently wrote an article for the ThomasNet Procurement Journal about the dangers of following the strategic sourcing process too closely. As well intentioned as any process is, over time, it is not uncommon for it to stand in for the THOUGHT process. We’ve all made the mistake of forgetting to think outside the lines, […]
Posted in: Guest Posting, Public Sector Procurement
BREAKING NEWS: Evidence of fraud on the part of government suppliers G4S and Serco reported by Minister of Justice by Colin Cram
July 11, 2013
Share prices of G4S and Serco dropped sharply today as Chris Grayling, the Minister of Justice, announced that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been asked to investigate G4S. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23272708 He said that there was evidence that both companies had overcharged the UK government by 10s of £millions for contracts related to tagging criminal offenders. […]
Posted in: Procurement Insights EU
Forrester’s Duncan Jones and His Big Bang Theory Relating to Market Evolution by Jon Hansen
July 10, 2013
“I don’t see any evidence that this product was at all significant in IBM’s decision to acquire Emptoris, let alone be “based on the acquisition” as you seem to be suggesting. Its too early to expect IBM to have coherent plans for what to do with its services procurement product, and while it doesn’t fit […]
Posted in: Commentary
Procurement Insights 
August 7, 2013
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