By Mira Ristovich, Founder of MRC, a consulting firm that assists with various end-to-end projects, and Senior Associate at Bespoke Group Africa, an organisation dedicated to the strategic procurement outsourcing of projects. Two decades after I began my work in procurement (I was involved in business performance management and measurement prior to joining the procurement […]
Is not spending, a saving? Read More »
We watch The Apprentice and see the ‘lambs to the slaughter’ negotiating. Not helped by their bravado and arrogance: ‘I’m a shark in business’. Cue the next clip of the poor apprentice being taken limb from limb by a shopkeeper who won’t give him 5p off a bottle of champagne. Negotiating looks hard and can
5 negotiation tactics that will get you a better deal Read More »
Stakeholders can and will influence the outcome of a project, especially if they are likely to be directly affected by it. If you thus fail to meet the expectations of key influencers, projects will be delayed, will only be partially workable or, at worst, doomed. Elaine Porteous unpacks the process of winning stakeholder support in
Stakeholders are your customers: ignore them at your peril Read More »
As we move towards a new decade, is the emphasis in the procurement world changing? Are we going to see a new age where the ‘Art of Procurement’ comes to the fore? Peter Smith, Chief Officer of Procurement Excellence and European Director, Public Spend Forum, deliberates the topic.
Is procurement more art than science? Read More »
The Millennial Generation represents one of the greatest potential influences and challenges to managing talent in the next year or two. Hackett’s 2016 Procurement Key Issues study revealed that talent management remains one of the top-three critical or major areas of focus for virtually all procurement organisations. The two perennial favourites, category management and strategic
Planning procurement’s response to the Millennial Generation Read More »
Cost reduction and risk management continue to top the list of business priorities for procurement leaders in 2019. For travel expenditure, the focus on cost often leads to stringent travel policies. However, policies that are too strict often have more cons than pros. A better approach, FCM Travel Solutions has found, is to look at
4 common pitfalls when planning a travel budget Read More »
How and when did procurement and supply become your passion and career choice? I have not always considered procurement as a career path. I was initially inspired by scientific and technical jobs: I dreamed about becoming a chemist or a jet pilot. But my professional life developed differently. I started a commercial apprenticeship at a
Interview with Novartis CPO Wolfgang Rauch Read More »
Editors note: We thought it might be useful to procurement professionals to get some INSIDE INFORMATION FROM THE OTHER SIDE. This article is written by a consultancy specialising in advising sales people to deal with procurement. Enjoy!: “It has been said over the past couple of years that procurement departments are becoming increasingly powerful. They
Sales perspective: 5 tips on how to deal with procurement Read More »
Smart Procurement World is bringing its regional conference to the Free State. Partnering with the Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) has enabled Smart Procurement World to take its procurement and supply chain indaba into its fourth South African province. Since beginning in Gauteng in 2009, Smart Procurement
Free State welcomes Smart Procurement World Read More »
The seasonally-adjusted Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) declined to 46.2 index points in February 2019, down from 49.9 in January. “Despite the decline, the average recorded during the first two months of Quarter 1 of 2019 is slightly above the average seen in Quarter 4 of 2018”, noted the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) in its
February 2019 PMI down Read More »
