December 22, 2017

Here's a look at where Source One's cost reduction experts have been featured this week!


Recent Blogs:

Put an (Enormous) Bow on It: The Dual-Sourcing Strategies Behind Holiday Commercials
Jen Ulrich, Sourcing Innovation, 12/20/2017
Holiday commercials portray a wildly simplified version of the Procurement process.  Discussing car commercials - the ones with the huge, red bows - Ulrich examines the dual-sourcing strategy that advertisements typically obscure.  It's unlikely, she suggests, that the families we see are just getting rid of their old car.  She relates the process of familiarizing oneself with a new vehicle to the process of easing into a new supplier relationship. A dual-source (or dual-car) plan minimizes risks by providing for a smooth transition and safe-guarding against the unexpected.

IT Managed Services: Managing Risk and Maintaining Leverage
Torey Guingrich, Outsource Magazine, 12/15/2017
Limited resources and expertise often lead companies to outsource all or part of their IT operations to a Managed Services Provider. IT Procurement expert Torey Guingrich shares tips for ensuring these relationships remain optimal and do not grow beyond their original scope.  Guingrich stresses the importance of setting expectations from the outset.  Establishing consistent communication and developing plans for a potential transition away from the provider are also crucial to a successful relationship.

New Podcasts:

Sourcing Small Parcel Deliveries for the Holiday Season 
You don't have to be a Procurement professional to know that holiday shopping and shipping is usually anything but merry.  Sourcing small parcel delivery services is complicated year-round, and the holiday season only adds more headaches.  Consultant Leigh Merz joins the Source One podcast to discuss her methods for conducting benchmark assessments in this crucial spend category.  It might be too late to apply her tips this year, but they should prove equally helpful as we move into the New Year.

Optimizing Facilities Management Spend - Part 1 (Data Collection) 
Whatever your category, a procurement initiative won't succeed without an accurate baseline.  And a Procurement team can't achieve an accurate baseline without thorough data collection.  This process is always crucial, but it prove more challenging in certain categories than in others. Procurement experts Jen Ulrich and Nick Harasymczuk join the Source One podcast to discuss the data collection process for the Facilities Management category.  With its myriad subcategories and diverse supply bases, this category presents distinct challenges for Procurement groups.  Nick and Jen offer best practices to help companies go to market with confidence.

Bridging the Gap Between IT and Procurement 
Procurement is still considered off-limits to many other departments within an organization.  Historically, IT in particular has proven a difficult department for Procurement to collaborate with.  Strategic Sourcing expert Torey Guingrich joins the Source One Podcast to discuss strategies for eliminating the barriers between the two categories.  The key, she suggests, is for Procurement to prove its value and refute any misconceptions IT might have.  Once perceived as a cost-cutting adversary, Procurement can now function as a strategic decision support unit.

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