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Procurement decisions don’t fail inside procurement. They fail when real-world conditions hit them. That’s what we assess.
Intel, UNC’s Coal Supply and Abbott’s Bottles: When the Shoe is on the Other Foot
It was interesting in that as I was reading the story about Intel in which it is alleged that the company “Used bribery and coercion to maintain its dominance in the microprocessor market,” I could not help but think that this was not the first time that the proverbial shoe was on the other foot […]
Posted in: News & Updates, Procurement Trends
Behind Yesterday’s Press Release Regarding Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Decision to Expand Their Utilization of Emptoris’ Sourcing Solution
November 5, 2009
A beverage company buys large quantities of aluminum, which it uses to manufacture cans to package its products. They would like to periodically take advantage of spot markets for recycled aluminum. They can use numerous approaches to buy recycled aluminum from the spot market including bid automation software, auction services, and industry exchanges, but their […]
Posted in: News & Updates, Procurement Trends
Exemption from the Competitive Process: Calculating the Costs of Convenience
November 5, 2009
5.3.9.1 Exemptions from the Competitive Process In certain unique circumstances, organizations will not have the ability to go through a competitive process for their procurement activity. This section covers non-competitive purchasing when an organization goes directly to one supplier to meet the requirements of the procurement. There are two main types of direct awards. Single […]
One Year Later: Is The Obama Presidency a Bust?
November 4, 2009
Once again, my good friend Dr. John Tantillo of Fox New’s The Strategy Room has written a piece for Fox News that inspires discussion and serious contemplation relative to whether the Obama Presidency is in fact a bust. Titled “Will Obama Ever Become President,” he asks the all important question “when will candidate Obama show […]
Posted in: News & Updates
Against Happiness: Are We Trying Too Hard to Be Happy?
November 3, 2009
Winston Churchill is someone for whom I had and have a great deal of admiration. From the determined “Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense,” to “Success is not final, failure […]
NASPO 2009 Survey – A Review of Preference Policies Requires Less Focus on Policy and More Focus on Preferences
November 2, 2009
The use and breadth of preference policies seems to be increasing. Twenty-seven states provide a legal preference for in-state bidders, one more than reported that preference in 2007. Thirty-one states (compared to twenty-seven in 2007) reported that they have a reciprocal preference law. These states also reported the following vendor based price preferences: women-owned businesses […]
Posted in: Procurement Trends, Public Sector Procurement
Revealing The Secrets of “The Hidden Game”
October 31, 2009
You place your bets, spin the wheel, and take your chances. What if this was true, but with one important twist? The wheel was rigged in such a way it was skewed towards the benefit of a few insiders – the Players. And then they were able to conceal this game in such a way […]
Posted in: News & Updates, PI Window on Business (Show)
Just Released Gartner Research Papers Offer Promising Insights (If Only They Could Get Away from the Dogma of Antiquated Thinking in All Areas)
October 28, 2009
I just received a copy of the October 21st, 2009 Gartner Research Papers titled “Critical Capabilities for ERP-Based E-Procurement Solutions,” and “Q&A: The Top 21 Questions for Evaluating and Implementing E-Procurement.” The first paper which “rates 12 e-procurement solutions from six ERP vendors and two SAP resellers against four major uses cases,” will in conjunction […]
Procurement Insights 
November 6, 2009
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