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Will an SMME Ministry spell the end of late payments?

Leave a Comment / Enterprise Development, Top Stories / Editor

There could be hope on the horizon for entrepreneurs with the recent introduction of the Small Business Development Ministry – IF the Ministry addresses recurring challenges that entrepreneurs face in the business landscape, says Eleanor Scott, Executive Mentor at enterprise development organisation The Hope Factory. Of significance to entrepreneurs is the issueof late payment, […]

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Is your small supplier an entrepreneur or an opportunist?

Leave a Comment / Enterprise Development, Procurement Strategy, Risk Management, Supplier Management, Supplier Partnerships, Supplier Selection, Supply Chain Management SCM, Top Stories / Editor

While “entrepreneurship” is often assumed to be directly related to “passion”, this is not necessarily the case. With an increasing number of individuals choosing to step into the entrepreneurial space as a means of financial survival, buyers need to have clarity about the driving force behind their SME suppliers. If it’s all just about

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The right business structure will unlock BEE supply prospects

Leave a Comment / BEE, Preferential Procurement, Top Stories / Editor

An understanding of what drives the procurement decision can be the advantage that wins that next tender or that next customer. Traditionally the main drivers of any procurement decision are price, quality and service, but with the importance placed on BEE compliance, the fourth driver of procurement decisions is a supplier’s BEE status. The

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Remove supplier payment delays – shift from Letters of Credit to open account trading

Leave a Comment / Supplier Management, Supplier Partnerships, Supply Chain Management SCM, Technology, Top Stories / Editor

A Letter of Credit (LC) is extensively used as a payment method around the world: LCs account for almost 20 to 30% of global payment volumes and account for 48% of the export trade mix and 47% of import trade mix. However, between 2011 and 2012 there was a drop in commercial LCs from

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5 ways to maximise procurement value through networking

Leave a Comment / Tools & Tips, Top Stories / Editor

Advocacy of the procurement and supply chain function should be actively pursued by all in the profession. Conference like Smart Procurement World 2014 are where you and your peers come together to hear how and why this is vital for the growth of acknowledgement, skills and capacity for all in these roles as well

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PMI improves but local factory sector continues under pressure

Leave a Comment / Commentary, PMI, Top Stories / Editor

While South Africa’s PMI recovered slightly in June, edging up to 46.6 index points from 44.3 in May, the poor PMI readings for May and June suggest that actual factory output remained under pressure in Q2”, says Abdul Davids, Head of Research at Kagiso Asset Management, that compiles the index. The slight recovery was

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5 ‘hows’ to improve the perception of procurement

Leave a Comment / Commentary, Procurement Strategy, Tools & Tips, Top Stories / Editor

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;

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Buying Telecommunications? Avoid long-term agreements

Leave a Comment / Benchmarking, Commentary, Information technology, Spend Analysis, Tools & Tips, Top Stories / Editor

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)

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Zambia managing medical supply chain with ‘cutting-edge technology’

Leave a Comment / Commentary, Demand Management, Procurement Strategy, Risk Management, Supply Chain Management SCM, Top Stories / Editor

IBM is working with the Zambian government to set up a new medical supply chain pilot project to better manage inventory and delivery of medicines, reports Supply Management. The collaboration with the Zambian Ministry of Health will make 200 life-saving drugs more widely available. According to IBM, the public health sector in Zambia registers

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