Why does procurement struggle with its visibility or status in the organisation? Elaine Porteous asks in this month’s SmartProcurement. “There may be many reasons,” she says. The procurement function may have: • not aligned itself with the organisation’s strategy and goals; • not identified its most important stakeholders; • not taken relationship building seriously; […]
5 ‘hows’ to improve the perception of procurement Read More »
Dramatic changes expected in the South African telephony market over the next few years mean buyers of telephony and IT services (fixed line and mobile) should avoid long-term agreements with their current service provider(s), keep on top of market offerings and understand the changing need of the businesses they serve, says Purchasing Index’s (PI)
Buying Telecommunications? Avoid long-term agreements Read More »
Although e-tolling will affect the logistics industry in a number of ways, the spotlight is almost inevitably on the increased operational costs this will produce. For logistics companies, however, the reality is that e-tolling could prove beneficial, says Cobus Rossouw, President of SAPICS. Less than 10% of urban traffic is for freight movement, and
E-tolling: logistics industry needs less emotion, more transformation Read More »
Economic uncertainty and slow growth in many sectors of the South African economy has focused senior management’s attention on improving efficiencies in their businesses. Measuring risk is integral to managing how efficiently organisations expend their money: ‘risk’ covers the management of internal processes around expenditure and the behaviour of management and staff, Alan Low of
5 Procurement risks that need to be made visible Read More »
In today’s business world companies are cognisant of the cost of procurement. Traditional procurement processes tend to exacerbate the cost of purchasing company supplies. One government department realised, after doing an assessment of its procurement costs that it was incurring an expense R730 to obtain a padlock worth R9,80. Modern organisations are moving towards the
Demystifying corporate procurement cards Read More »
In a world of immediacy, it is imperative for the procurement and compliance functions to work closely with suppliers to ensure that conduct throughout the supply chain does not overstep ethical boundaries. Abrie de Swardt, IMPERIAL Logistics Marketing Director tackles this tough topic for SmartProcurement. “The combination of supply chain globalisation and consumer activism presents
Ethics ignorance is not bliss Read More »
While the fuel price may have dropped by 11c last night, a future of higher fuel prices means organisations must proactively control their fleet finances. Fuel has always been a significant factor in an overall fleet bill, but the fuel price hikes since late 2008 mean that fuel costs around 25% more than the 20-year
Managing escalating fuel costs Read More »
We’re into September, which leaves you only four months to meet your savings targets for the year. Where can you deliver savings in the remnants of 2011? There are still cards in your hand, in this month’s SmartProcurement. “There are four levers to pull in relation to cost savings,” says Larry Beard of Tate &
Quick wins to boost this year’s savings Read More »
Organisations may have targeted certain industries, markets or regions as a customer base, but have they thought of the roles within the organisations they are targeting? One area a lot of companies overlook is the dynamics of the purchasing process within their target market, Douglas MacGregor of SuppDex tells SmartProcurement. To save costs and smooth
Know your key procurement customers and their roles Read More »
This month SmartProcurement publishes the second article in a series considering China’s warehousing options, as presented in a report by C.H. Robinson Worldwide. This month considers the challenges of warehousing in the world’s second largest economy. Challenges to consider While the benefits of a warehouse solution in China make it a viable opportunity for many
Warehousing in China? Challenges to consider Read More »
