PROCUREMENT OPTIMIZATION BLOG

Last month, Kari Ostgaard presented a comprehensive list of 15 Procurement Metrics that Save Money in her blog post. While each of the metrics listed represent real and measurable value, tracking all 15 may seem like a daunting challenge. As…

Do you know these metrics off the top of your head? Or how to pull them from your system into a regular report? If not, this is your first step on the path to smarter spend management. Far too often…

Running a business is like weeding a garden – you have to be vigilant about complexity “sprouting up” in your organization. Many times “weeding” is left undone, and our organizations become overly complicated and slow. With the pressure on business,…

It happens all too often on new projects. You’ve nailed down the project requirements, established a budget, and set a date for completion. Next, you identify the project team, assign roles, and conduct the kick-off meeting, and you’re off to…

Consider the “Carrot vs. the Stick” Approach to Compliance A spend analysis, when properly performed, can lead to insightful findings and sustained savings, and often can act as a catalyst to driving business decisions. A vast majority of organizations have…

There are few categories in Corporate America that are harder for a procurement organization to influence and source than Professional Services. There are several reasons for this, not the least of which is that many of the negotiator/decision makers for…

Somehow, we went from being 15 minutes early to being 25 minutes late in the blink of an eye. Why? What happened here that caused such a drastic shift from a plane full of happy satisfied customers to a plane…

Supplier Enablement is a critical success factor for returning solid value on a Procure-to-Pay (P2P) investment. Along with Change Management initiatives to drive user adoption and compliance, Supplier Enablement is a key strategic ‘make or break’ activity by bringing most…

How many times have you received an email or meeting request that caused you to wonder, “Why did I receive this, what is expected from me, and why should I care?” Unfortunately, this kind of poor communication happens on a…

Technology is available to enable every facet of the procurement process today. As a result, all of the organization’s energy often gets spent on technology deployment as the goal, and the go-live date as the objective. However, technology is only…