Bridging the disconnect between finance and purchasing (Part 3): EPS and the Swinging Pendulum of Responsibility

September 14, 2011

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Now comes the fun part.  The changes which are possible – based on what I’ve described so far, are identified in blue in the next figure.  Revenues are shown to increase 3%, purchased goods and services costs (as a % of revenues) are reduced from 60% to 55%, and SG&A expenses as a % of […]

Posted in: Commentary, Finances

Bridging the disconnect between finance and purchasing (Part 2): Leveraging purchasing to improve ROIC

September 13, 2011

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What’s really cool is that software leviathans are awakening to the promise of these treasures and developing increasingly powerful IT solutions that leverage the Internet to multiply the savings potential and add speed.  And the reason extremely few companies are doing well?  Poor executive leadership. from the book Straight to the Bottom Line: An Executive’s […]

Posted in: Commentary, Finances

The Origins and Evolution of a Paradigm Shift in Spend Management Technology – Jon Hansen on the Coupa Cabana

September 12, 2011

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In addition to this week’s series on bridging the disconnect between finance and purchasing – which started today with the post Don’t sweat the small stuff? Why industry experts point to Indirect Material Spend as an important reservoir of untapped savings!, I also have a second series running over on the Coupa Cabana Blog regarding the […]

Posted in: Commentary

Don’t sweat the small stuff? Why industry experts point to Indirect Material Spend as an important reservoir of untapped savings!

September 12, 2011

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With regard to costs, the conventional wisdom is that procurement should focus principally on the “big ticket” areas of spend, such as raw materials and energy.  And, you certainly should devote attention to raw materials and energy – not just to reduce costs, but also to reduce volatility through better risk management. But, if you […]

Posted in: Commentary, Finances

Fiscal realities and Government contracting (Part 4): Supplier cause and effect

September 9, 2011

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It is a funny thing that as a writer when you put the virtual pen to paper you never really know what will or will not strike a note with your readers.  All you can truly hope is that your passion for the subject matter coupled with sound research practices will  prove worthy of consideration […]

Fiscal realities and Government contracting (Part 3): Compliance over Value?

September 8, 2011

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Government contracting must be conducted in a manner that will: stand the test of public scrutiny and reflect fairness in the spending of public funds; respect operational requirements; support long-term industrial and regional development and other appropriate national objectives, including aboriginal economic development; and comply with the government’s obligations under the trade agreements. from the […]

Fiscal realities and Government contracting (Part 2): Understanding the purchasing connection

September 8, 2011

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The drop in real estate values and its impact on property taxes is easy to envision. But that’s just part of the problem. Deeper seated is linkage between housing construction, and the many ways that home sales and building activity affect state and local government revenues. from the November 2010 Governing magazine article “The Housing […]

With postmaster general Patrick R. Donahoe’s somewhat desperate plea to congress to bail out the listing and outdated agency, what impact does the USPS’ precarious financial situation have on supplier relations?

September 5, 2011

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The United States Postal Service is a federal agency, like the other 125 agencies that make up the federal government; so by definition it operates at a deficit. It is partially funded by proceeds from the sale of mail delivery and associated services but it is also funded in the millions through the OMB for […]

Procurement Contests Review 3-Part Series

September 5, 2011

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Just a quick not to my readers . . . For those who may have missed one of the posts in last week’s 3-Part Procurement Contests Review series, I have created a dedicated page that will provide you with easy access to each post as well as provide you with a venue through which you […]

Government procurement contests (Part 3): A question of (IP) ownership

September 1, 2011

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NOTE: The following is an article that was originally published on August 7th, 2008 under the heading Finding the hidden Intellectual Property (IP) value in procurement contracts. While it focused on the unique services of the Future Path organization, its resonance relative to the emergence of procurement contests – especially within the public sector, is […]