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Procurement decisions don’t fail inside procurement. They fail when real-world conditions hit them. That’s what we assess.
There is no excuse for a buyer to be bushwhacked by a supplier . . . is there?
June 26, 2011
What can you do if you pay on advance and receive 20% of the material you purchased? The seller refuses to refund the money or send the pending material without a new bigger order!! Question posted in LinkedIn Efficient Purchasing Group My response to the above question was succinct and perhaps a little harsh but […]
Posted in: Commentary, Supplier Relations
Is a career in the public sector (re government) a good career choice?
June 26, 2011
The dynamics of a changing world especially as it relates to the economy as well as other factors means that a career in the public sector is not what it used to be . . . if it ever was. Here is the question by way of our Procurement Insights Poll . . . is […]
Posted in: Commentary, Public Sector Procurement
Recent announcement by UK Government re open source software refocuses attention on PI 2007 post
June 25, 2011
Government departments were told in a Cabinet Office policy note (PDF) dated 31 January that they “should wherever possible deploy open standards in their procurement specifications”. In its note, it defined open standards at those that are “publicly available at zero or low cost” and that have “intellectual property made irrevocably available on a royalty-free […]
A stroll down the Way Forward memory lane . . . good thing I have the movie rights!
June 24, 2011
Small business people claim they face financial ruin and the daily lives of thousands of civil servants are changing as the way the government conducts business is transformed. In the most recent federal budget, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale targeted $11 billion in savings. Of that total, $7 billion will come from streamlining the procurement process, […]
Posted in: Commentary, Public Sector Procurement
Five thought provoking and controversial white papers available when you subscribe to the PI Supply Chain Resource Library
June 22, 2011
Over the years I have been engaged to do research and then write about specific areas of procurement. This has included my government funded work relative to the utilization of an agent-based model in the development of a web-based, on-demand platform back in 1998, to commodity characteristic analysis and ERP vendor studies. Suffice to say […]
Reverse Auctions in the automotive industry Q&A
June 21, 2011
In the the third and final installment from my 2005 Keynote Address to 200 senior automotive industry executives regarding the utilization of Reverse Auctions, we open the mike to the audience. Once again, this was my first speaking engagement regarding my research between 1998 and 2003 in terms of developing web-based procurement solutions utilizing an […]
Posted in: Automotive Industry, Commentary
Gender issues in buyer-seller relationships: does gender matter in purchasing?
June 21, 2011
Findings of few differences, along with the mixed findings of Dion, Easterling and Javalgi (1997) and Moncrief and colleagues (2000), clearly suggest that gender may not be as significant an issue today as was previously thought. As Moncrief and colleagues point out, much of the research that found differences is now somewhat dated. Our findings […]
Posted in: Commentary
The tax repatriation holiday . . . a boom for high tech firms but a bust for the economy and jobs?
June 20, 2011
Think about this for a moment . . . American-based companies who have become global powerhouses because of the tremendous opportunities afforded them by being based in America, invest up to 90% of their money outside of the country as a means of avoiding taxes. While the Financial Times article indicated that the high tech […]
Posted in: Commentary, Economy
Another reader and industry exec weighs in on the creditability question surrounding analyst firms
June 18, 2011
In Tale of Two Cities fashion re it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, this is definitely the worst of times for analyst firms. Back in the late 90s I had been chastised with great regularity for suggesting that analyst firms such as the Aberdeens and Gartners were perhaps more […]
Posted in: Analyst Firms, Commentary
Procurement Insights 
Are public sector RFPs the equivalent of a pro wrestling match in terms of outcome?
June 27, 2011
1
Has anyone had an experience challenging a requirement in an RFP as not a true requirement? Using Blake’s “must have completed some ridiculous certification course that I have never heard of” example, has anyone had experience challenging that as not necessary? Would the same results from someone who hadn’t completed the certification couse be just […]