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Procurement decisions don’t fail inside procurement. They fail when real-world conditions hit them. That’s what we assess.
When elected officials sneeze, government buyers catch the cold
November 25, 2010
You gotta love the world of public sector procurement as the myriad of competing interests that mark the convergence of short-term elected official rhetoric and long-suffering bureaucratic sensibilities rarely if ever aligns into a cohesive purchasing strategy. Like the sentiment that is reflected in the statement when the United States sneezes, Canada catches a cold […]
Is Strategically Outsourcing Public Sector Procurement a Viable Option? What About Blended Competency?
November 25, 2010
Like the old axiom that advises (perhaps cautions would be a better word) one to eat an elephant a single bite at a time, strategically outsourcing procurement – particularly in the public sector where there is no end in terms of anecdotal references to egregiously high costs and diminished taxpayer value – can seem like […]
Posted in: Commentary
Jury Orders SAP to Pay Oracle $1.3 Billion: A Discovery Channel Special?
November 24, 2010
This past Sunday on Discovery Channel the first in a series of shows on dinosaurs aired much to the delight of my daughter who, like any child her age, has an active interest (and imagination) regarding these mammoth beasts. In the opening segment, the show focused on the day that the cataclysmic chain reaction of a […]
A Siskel and Ebert-Type Review of the New SAP Services Radio Show on Blog Talk Radio
November 22, 2010
SAP experts, Mike Myers (@M_Myers) & Tom DiAntonio, provide insight into top concerns from new SAP customers including support during a software project or implementation, connection between technology partners and SAP, and support from Day 1 with SAP. Join the conversation at http://www.sdn.sap.com keyword: software support and maintenance and follow us on twitter: @SAPServices Well, […]
Posted in: Commentary
Busch and Hansen’s Shared Views on Ariba Dummies Book is Bad News for the Much Maligned Vendor
November 19, 2010
It is safe to say that both Jason Busch and I have not always seen eye-to-eye. In fact one might even suggest that our “spirited” exchanges have been more reflective of cantankerous old men (not that either of us is old), trading barbs across an unbridgeable gulf of opposing views. It is not a matter […]
Posted in: Commentary
Analyst’s pessimistic prediction regarding SAP prompts the question . . . Are ERP Vendors down for the count?!
November 18, 2010
“On that note, it’s time to take a battering ram to European business software giant SAP, it seems. “SAP will continue to battle it out on the sales front, but the reality is that business intelligence (from the Business Objects acquisition) is the feeding tube keeping the old man alive,” it snipes. “As customers contemplate […]
As 23rd Annual Virginia Forum 2010 comes to a close, three Commonwealth buyers offer their view on the conference
November 18, 2010
Once again, and as a testimony to the power of social media, we were able to quickly traverse the virtual airwaves to connect with three Commonwealth of Virginia buyers who were kind enough to provide their unique perspectives on this year’s Forum and the emerging trends in the world of public sector procurement. This is […]
Centralized Buying and Staff Reductions at The Heart of Whitehall Plan
November 16, 2010
What stands out the most to me based on a preliminary review of the Cabinet Office’s “plans to slash administration costs, including procurement operations, by £100 million in 2013-14,” is that the approach from a purchasing standpoint is at once a courageous acknowledgment of the need to make hard and even unpopular decisions, tempered by […]
Has the ERP-world finally come down to this . . . An Ariba For Dummies?!
November 16, 2010
“How’s your business’s commerce health? Need some improving? Businesses must tap flexible solutions that enable them to access the resources they need as they need them to collaborate more efficiently and effectively with their trading partners. This little book helps you assess your business commerce health and then introduces a new approach to making things […]
Posted in: Commentary
Procurement Insights 
Schelling, Game Theory and Vietnam: The perils of a punitive negotiation strategy
November 26, 2010
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“This dark side of Tom Schelling is also the dark side of social science – the brash assumption that neat theories not only reflect the real world, but can change it as well, and in ways that can be precisely measured. And it’s a legacy that can be detected all too clearly in the U.S.’s […]