A common misapprehension made by many corporate executives, HR and Recruitment professionals is the failure to appreciate the fundamental difference between Procurement and Purchasing, as the terms are often used interchangeably. Procurement whether in the private or state sector, is the long term strategic based planning and development function responsible for securing goods and services … Read more

Defined, Supplier Relations Management is the ongoing process of the systematic creation and capture of post contract value from supplier relationships. Many executives are now beginning to understand the true importance of ongoing Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) within the perspective of a successful value chain. SRM is a key management and control component within Procurement … Read more

Procurement Intelligence (PI) ensures up -to-date relevant information is available to aid Procurement decision making regards sourcing strategies, evaluating procurement performance, forecasting, and quality and improving bottom line financial performance amongst other key considerations. Procurement Intelligence must certainly not be a one -off exercise but a continuous strategic orientated information gathering process focused on influential … Read more

Internal customers Relations are a relatively new concept. The Supply Chain and Procurement/Purchasing in particular primarily exist to support internal stakeholders who in essence are their customers. A standard mistake made time and again within professional supply chain from rank and file to management,  is the underestimation of importance of those “internal customers” too which … Read more

Many junior buyers or people new to the field of purchasing have little or no conception of what purchasing involves as a job beyond basic functional buying. The intent of this article is to provide clarity on some very basic facets of the functional or tactical buyer’s area of responsibility. Understanding the basics of Supplier … Read more

  Numerous compelling reasons exist that makes the concept of employing a non- permanent procurement professional advantageous such as: Increased Flexibility Access to skills, expertise and resources beyond the current internal ability of the department, for only as long as required. Guaranteed Neutrality, with client organisations best interests at heart Ability to cost effectively develop … Read more

Negotiation is a fact of life. We all negotiate every day in our private, business and public lives. Most if not all Procurement personnel will negotiate at some point of their professional lives. The purpose of this article is to provide a practical “negotiation 101” tips guideline as how to quickly and efficiently develop a … Read more

Paramount to any operational environment is workplace safety. Comprehensive workplace safety is made possible only through documented procedural guidelines and implemented practices, which is effectively enabled by total staff involvement, irrespective of seniority, at all times. The most obvious but also often the most overlooked or ignored workplace safety elements are: SAFETY CODES & GUIDELINES-Ensure … Read more

Many business executives are unsure as to what the exact nature, difference and tactical benefits are to using professional Asset Disposal Management specialists over the obvious brokers, auctioneers and wholesalers.   Q: What does an Asset Disposal Manager do? A: An asset disposal manager (ADM) works on a project by project basis to assist the … Read more