PurchaseRealm: April 2006 Archives

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Apr27	Re-Bid Or Just Renew Contracts? Matthew W. Grant April 27, 2006 Know More: Contracts, Vendor Management, procurement, purchasing, sourcing 2.0, sourcing I found an interesting post that I want to share. Dave Hudgeon, a vendor management consultant in Australia, writes a blog called appropriately enough, Vendor Management. He recently worked up a simulation to show the possible savings differences between putting a commodity out to bid and simply renewing existing contracts. he commented that he's noticed, "under-resourced procurement departments are often so overwhelmed with day-to-day vendor management issues that they roll-over contracts rather than go to market." I call that the "too busy putting out fires to have time to build a fire station" problem. (That deserves its own post a later time!) Visit his website, specifically this post, to see the model in action and discover the savings difference. (You'll be impressed.) Dave also offers to send the spreadsheet to anyone who asks him by e-mail. Posted at 5:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr27	Purchasing Challenges - Part 3 Matthew W. Grant April 27, 2006 After talking about a topic usually swept under the Purchasing rug (bad Buyers), we're going to switch gears here and talk about another major challenge of our jobs - resistance to change. Human nature is to seek stasis, a place... Continue Reading Posted at 4:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Purchasing Challenges - Part 2 Matthew W. Grant April 27, 2006 In Part 1 of the series on Purchasing challenges, I introduced the taboo subject of bad Buyers. In Part 2, we'll talk about what some Buyers do to earn that name. 1) Poor Customer Service Skills - Working with end users... Continue Reading Posted at 4:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Purchasing Challenges - Part 1 Matthew W. Grant April 27, 2006 There are many articles about the good things that Purchasing professionals accomplish. I have written some myself and done so gladly. I like to highlight individuals and companies that work hard and deserve the recognition. What about the other side? What... Continue Reading Posted at 4:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Comparing Purchasing Salaries Matthew W. Grant April 27, 2006 Buyers always look forward to Purchasing Magazine's annual salary report. Today, I found another source that has salary information for the Purchasing field. Money Magazine and Salary.com teamed up for a look at the Best Jobs in America. I always... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr26	Implementing RFID at Wal-Mart Matthew W. Grant April 26, 2006 I just found these articles about Wal-Mart's introduction of RFID (radio frequency identification) labeling technology to a group of 300 of its suppliers. Zebra Technologies worked with a large number of the original 300 suppliers as the RFID technology was... Continue Reading Posted at 5:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	There Go The Savings Reports Matthew W. Grant April 26, 2006 Fans of this column know that I'm not really a huge fan of savings reports in general for many reasons. See Why Savings Reports Are (Somewhat) Bogus for details. Here's a good example. Try creating, justifying, and tracking a savings report with any... Continue Reading Posted at 4:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Waiting for Your Ship to Come In Matthew W. Grant April 26, 2006 I'd like to see some comments from Buyers who deal with purchasing items shipped directly to them via overseas freight. I haven't had a lot of experience in this area, but I did work with a company that was receiving freight... Continue Reading Posted at 3:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr25	What Was That Unexpected Sound? Matthew W. Grant April 25, 2006 I'm sitting at my desk in my home office working on my PurchaseRealm blog entries when suddenly I hear a loud noise outside. It sounds like some kind breaking or scraping on the street. (In my mind, I'm picturing Tom Cruise... Continue Reading Posted at 11:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Managing Travel Services - Part 2 Matthew W. Grant April 25, 2006 In Managing Travel Services - Part 1, I gave an overview of Procurement getting involved in this commodity. Here in Part 2, I'll get into more specifics. What will Buyers be looking for in a travel services RFP and what will... Continue Reading Posted at 10:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Managing Travel Services - Part 1 Matthew W. Grant April 25, 2006 As I mentioned in a previous post, being the Buyer in charge of travel services is a tough job. It is also an area that is seen as low hanging fruit in Strategic Sourcing initiatives because there is so much opportunity to... Continue Reading Posted at 10:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Paying for the Travel Perks Matthew W. Grant April 25, 2006 My readers know I like to read fellow KMM authors and give the Purchasing Perspective on some of their blog entries. Today I want to welcome Greg Meintjies of Corporate Treat. His new blog covers the ins and outs of being... Continue Reading Posted at 10:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Top 7 Reasons Buyers Become Salespeople Matthew W. Grant April 25, 2006 1) The pay is better. (OK, I'm sure this is debatable. Personally, I can think of salespeople who are former Buyers, but not any Buyers who are former salespeople. I think that counts for something here.) 2) Many salespeople (at least partially) work from... Continue Reading Posted at 12:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr21	Working with IT - Part 2 Matthew W. Grant April 21, 2006 In Working with It - Part 1, I talked about the various ways that IT and Purchasing interact. Part 2 shares hints to help the relationship stay smooth. IT employees have great demands made on their time. Buyers should ask... Continue Reading Posted at 11:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Working with IT - Part 1 Matthew W. Grant April 21, 2006 Buyers don't toil away in isolation. In addition to their friends in Accounting, Legal, and Receiving, Buyers may also work closely with the IT Department. This occurs in several ways. ... Continue Reading Posted at 10:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Top 7 Reasons To Work In Purchasing Matthew W. Grant April 21, 2006 Save this list for next time you are having a bad day. It will help you remember why you got into this profession (both serious reasons and some just for fun) in the first place and what makes you want... Continue Reading Posted at 10:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What To Say About Disappointing Vendors Matthew W. Grant April 21, 2006 We've previously looked at the issue of vendor references from the point of view of the Buyer making the call to gain information. Today, we're going to examine the issue from the point of view of the Buyer who is... Continue Reading Posted at 9:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Would The Best MRO Buyers Please Stand Up? Matthew W. Grant April 21, 2006 Attention MRO (maintenance repair, operations) Buyers: You have just over a week left to become involved with Purchasing Magazine's Purchasing MRO Champions story for their August issue. Per their website, Purchasing Magazine is looking for "stories of MRO purchasers who... Continue Reading Posted at 3:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr10	Buy Your Way Around Your Interests Matthew W. Grant April 10, 2006 I recent wrote a post called Buy Your Way Around The World in which I talked about travel opportunities in the Purchasing profession. The title of this post, Buy Your Way Around Your Interests, is in a similar vein of exploring... Continue Reading Posted at 5:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	To Meet Or Not To Meet Matthew W. Grant April 10, 2006 To meet or not to meet? That is the question faced by Buyers when a salesperson approaches by phone or worse (unannounced, in person - in the lobby). Sales training teaches salespeople that they absolutely must get a face-to-face meeting with prospects. ... Continue Reading Posted at 5:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Vendors: Partners or Adversaries Matthew W. Grant April 10, 2006 I had a boss who used to say that "in the old days" Purchasing Departments really "beat up" on vendors by being demanding and inflexible. He came from the manufacturing sector so perhaps there was a slightly different attitude in that sector as... Continue Reading Posted at 4:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 6	Honoring Purchasing Professionals Matthew W. Grant April 6, 2006 Continuing a trend I've started here on PurchaseRealm, I want to recognize some more Procurement professionals who have earned industry honors. Supply & Demand Chain Executive featured several outstanding Sourcing experts in their sixth annual Pros to Know issue. Their... Continue Reading Posted at 10:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 5	Buy Your Way Around The World Matthew W. Grant April 5, 2006 When most people get their first jobs in Purchasing as Buying Assistants, they never imagine that Purchasing could end up helping them see the world. Indeed, sometimes it does just that. Purchasing Departments these days often include the word "global"... Continue Reading Posted at 11:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 4	Top 7 Ways to Communicate with End Users Matthew W. Grant April 4, 2006 1) E-mail blasts - quick reminders or links to web pages, incoming e-mail for questions/issues 2) Newsletters - can be paper based or electronic 3) Web pages - make a web page as a permanent resource for policies and procedures,... Continue Reading Posted at 11:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Pony Express To Savings Matthew W. Grant April 4, 2006 Have you ever wondered what happens Purchasing-wise behind the scenes in an organization as large and unique as the Unites States Postal Service? Inside Supply Management takes you inside the USPS Purchasing Department in the article First Class Results. Today... Continue Reading Posted at 10:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Supply Chain Manager of the Year Matthew W. Grant April 4, 2006 I just wrote a post encouraging readers to nominate themselves or deserving co-workers for the title of Purchasing Magazine's Supply Chain Manager of the Year. Since the PurchaseRealm blog had not been founded when Purchasing Magazine named the winner for 2005 last... Continue Reading Posted at 10:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Purchasing Best Practices Matthew W. Grant April 4, 2006 "Best Practices" and "World Class" are terms we hear in many different industries. These terms are usually used in abundance during a departmental or company-wide reorganization. Everyone may be striving to be world class in their respective areas, but who... Continue Reading Posted at 9:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Blanket Purchase Orders Matthew W. Grant April 4, 2006 What are blanket PO's? Are they the type of Purchase Orders that textile factories and bedding manufacturer's create? Well, they may use the term "blanket PO" in those specific industries for their products, but there is more general meaning. Buyers use it... Continue Reading Posted at 9:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

« March 2006 | Main | May 2006 »

Apr27	Re-Bid Or Just Renew Contracts? Matthew W. Grant April 27, 2006 Know More: Contracts, Vendor Management, procurement, purchasing, sourcing 2.0, sourcing I found an interesting post that I want to share. Dave Hudgeon, a vendor management consultant in Australia, writes a blog called appropriately enough, Vendor Management. He recently worked up a simulation to show the possible savings differences between putting a commodity out to bid and simply renewing existing contracts. he commented that he's noticed, "under-resourced procurement departments are often so overwhelmed with day-to-day vendor management issues that they roll-over contracts rather than go to market." I call that the "too busy putting out fires to have time to build a fire station" problem. (That deserves its own post a later time!) Visit his website, specifically this post, to see the model in action and discover the savings difference. (You'll be impressed.) Dave also offers to send the spreadsheet to anyone who asks him by e-mail. Posted at 5:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr27	Purchasing Challenges - Part 3 Matthew W. Grant April 27, 2006 After talking about a topic usually swept under the Purchasing rug (bad Buyers), we're going to switch gears here and talk about another major challenge of our jobs - resistance to change. Human nature is to seek stasis, a place... Continue Reading Posted at 4:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Purchasing Challenges - Part 2 Matthew W. Grant April 27, 2006 In Part 1 of the series on Purchasing challenges, I introduced the taboo subject of bad Buyers. In Part 2, we'll talk about what some Buyers do to earn that name. 1) Poor Customer Service Skills - Working with end users... Continue Reading Posted at 4:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Purchasing Challenges - Part 1 Matthew W. Grant April 27, 2006 There are many articles about the good things that Purchasing professionals accomplish. I have written some myself and done so gladly. I like to highlight individuals and companies that work hard and deserve the recognition. What about the other side? What... Continue Reading Posted at 4:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Comparing Purchasing Salaries Matthew W. Grant April 27, 2006 Buyers always look forward to Purchasing Magazine's annual salary report. Today, I found another source that has salary information for the Purchasing field. Money Magazine and Salary.com teamed up for a look at the Best Jobs in America. I always... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr26	Implementing RFID at Wal-Mart Matthew W. Grant April 26, 2006 I just found these articles about Wal-Mart's introduction of RFID (radio frequency identification) labeling technology to a group of 300 of its suppliers. Zebra Technologies worked with a large number of the original 300 suppliers as the RFID technology was... Continue Reading Posted at 5:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	There Go The Savings Reports Matthew W. Grant April 26, 2006 Fans of this column know that I'm not really a huge fan of savings reports in general for many reasons. See Why Savings Reports Are (Somewhat) Bogus for details. Here's a good example. Try creating, justifying, and tracking a savings report with any... Continue Reading Posted at 4:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Waiting for Your Ship to Come In Matthew W. Grant April 26, 2006 I'd like to see some comments from Buyers who deal with purchasing items shipped directly to them via overseas freight. I haven't had a lot of experience in this area, but I did work with a company that was receiving freight... Continue Reading Posted at 3:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr25	What Was That Unexpected Sound? Matthew W. Grant April 25, 2006 I'm sitting at my desk in my home office working on my PurchaseRealm blog entries when suddenly I hear a loud noise outside. It sounds like some kind breaking or scraping on the street. (In my mind, I'm picturing Tom Cruise... Continue Reading Posted at 11:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Managing Travel Services - Part 2 Matthew W. Grant April 25, 2006 In Managing Travel Services - Part 1, I gave an overview of Procurement getting involved in this commodity. Here in Part 2, I'll get into more specifics. What will Buyers be looking for in a travel services RFP and what will... Continue Reading Posted at 10:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Managing Travel Services - Part 1 Matthew W. Grant April 25, 2006 As I mentioned in a previous post, being the Buyer in charge of travel services is a tough job. It is also an area that is seen as low hanging fruit in Strategic Sourcing initiatives because there is so much opportunity to... Continue Reading Posted at 10:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Paying for the Travel Perks Matthew W. Grant April 25, 2006 My readers know I like to read fellow KMM authors and give the Purchasing Perspective on some of their blog entries. Today I want to welcome Greg Meintjies of Corporate Treat. His new blog covers the ins and outs of being... Continue Reading Posted at 10:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Top 7 Reasons Buyers Become Salespeople Matthew W. Grant April 25, 2006 1) The pay is better. (OK, I'm sure this is debatable. Personally, I can think of salespeople who are former Buyers, but not any Buyers who are former salespeople. I think that counts for something here.) 2) Many salespeople (at least partially) work from... Continue Reading Posted at 12:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr21	Working with IT - Part 2 Matthew W. Grant April 21, 2006 In Working with It - Part 1, I talked about the various ways that IT and Purchasing interact. Part 2 shares hints to help the relationship stay smooth. IT employees have great demands made on their time. Buyers should ask... Continue Reading Posted at 11:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Working with IT - Part 1 Matthew W. Grant April 21, 2006 Buyers don't toil away in isolation. In addition to their friends in Accounting, Legal, and Receiving, Buyers may also work closely with the IT Department. This occurs in several ways. ... Continue Reading Posted at 10:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Top 7 Reasons To Work In Purchasing Matthew W. Grant April 21, 2006 Save this list for next time you are having a bad day. It will help you remember why you got into this profession (both serious reasons and some just for fun) in the first place and what makes you want... Continue Reading Posted at 10:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What To Say About Disappointing Vendors Matthew W. Grant April 21, 2006 We've previously looked at the issue of vendor references from the point of view of the Buyer making the call to gain information. Today, we're going to examine the issue from the point of view of the Buyer who is... Continue Reading Posted at 9:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Would The Best MRO Buyers Please Stand Up? Matthew W. Grant April 21, 2006 Attention MRO (maintenance repair, operations) Buyers: You have just over a week left to become involved with Purchasing Magazine's Purchasing MRO Champions story for their August issue. Per their website, Purchasing Magazine is looking for "stories of MRO purchasers who... Continue Reading Posted at 3:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr10	Buy Your Way Around Your Interests Matthew W. Grant April 10, 2006 I recent wrote a post called Buy Your Way Around The World in which I talked about travel opportunities in the Purchasing profession. The title of this post, Buy Your Way Around Your Interests, is in a similar vein of exploring... Continue Reading Posted at 5:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	To Meet Or Not To Meet Matthew W. Grant April 10, 2006 To meet or not to meet? That is the question faced by Buyers when a salesperson approaches by phone or worse (unannounced, in person - in the lobby). Sales training teaches salespeople that they absolutely must get a face-to-face meeting with prospects. ... Continue Reading Posted at 5:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Vendors: Partners or Adversaries Matthew W. Grant April 10, 2006 I had a boss who used to say that "in the old days" Purchasing Departments really "beat up" on vendors by being demanding and inflexible. He came from the manufacturing sector so perhaps there was a slightly different attitude in that sector as... Continue Reading Posted at 4:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 6	Honoring Purchasing Professionals Matthew W. Grant April 6, 2006 Continuing a trend I've started here on PurchaseRealm, I want to recognize some more Procurement professionals who have earned industry honors. Supply & Demand Chain Executive featured several outstanding Sourcing experts in their sixth annual Pros to Know issue. Their... Continue Reading Posted at 10:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 5	Buy Your Way Around The World Matthew W. Grant April 5, 2006 When most people get their first jobs in Purchasing as Buying Assistants, they never imagine that Purchasing could end up helping them see the world. Indeed, sometimes it does just that. Purchasing Departments these days often include the word "global"... Continue Reading Posted at 11:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Apr 4	Top 7 Ways to Communicate with End Users Matthew W. Grant April 4, 2006 1) E-mail blasts - quick reminders or links to web pages, incoming e-mail for questions/issues 2) Newsletters - can be paper based or electronic 3) Web pages - make a web page as a permanent resource for policies and procedures,... Continue Reading Posted at 11:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Pony Express To Savings Matthew W. Grant April 4, 2006 Have you ever wondered what happens Purchasing-wise behind the scenes in an organization as large and unique as the Unites States Postal Service? Inside Supply Management takes you inside the USPS Purchasing Department in the article First Class Results. Today... Continue Reading Posted at 10:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Supply Chain Manager of the Year Matthew W. Grant April 4, 2006 I just wrote a post encouraging readers to nominate themselves or deserving co-workers for the title of Purchasing Magazine's Supply Chain Manager of the Year. Since the PurchaseRealm blog had not been founded when Purchasing Magazine named the winner for 2005 last... Continue Reading Posted at 10:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Purchasing Best Practices Matthew W. Grant April 4, 2006 "Best Practices" and "World Class" are terms we hear in many different industries. These terms are usually used in abundance during a departmental or company-wide reorganization. Everyone may be striving to be world class in their respective areas, but who... Continue Reading Posted at 9:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Blanket Purchase Orders Matthew W. Grant April 4, 2006 What are blanket PO's? Are they the type of Purchase Orders that textile factories and bedding manufacturer's create? Well, they may use the term "blanket PO" in those specific industries for their products, but there is more general meaning. Buyers use it... Continue Reading Posted at 9:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

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