Correcting Supplier Relationships That Lack Flexibility, and Weak Post-Award Process Governance

How often have you experienced a business relationship failure due to the supplier not making money, the buyer feeling they were being “nickel & dimed” on every change order, the supplier not providing the benefits you expected or your customer not receiving the benefits they expected? The fundamental cause of most contract failures or disappointing…

How does one ensure strategic and cultural fit with their suppliers?

Understanding that all sourcing requirements provided to suppliers must be as definitive as possible; the supply management professional should not disregard the importance of the eventual supplier selection being a strong strategic fit and cultural fit with your company by providing a supportive contribution to enhance your company’s strategy. This means that your selected supplier…

Role of a Category Management function of the future as it is related to contract lifecycle management

The category manager should lead all contract negotiations and provide input to all bid responses and support bid proposal development. If your company utilizes a contract management lifecycle system to manage your supplier contracts, then the category manager should be responsible for maintaining all contract document repositories. As needed, the category will provide guidance on…