PROCUREMENT OPTIMIZATION BLOG

All global projects have unique challenges, and here at The Shelby Group, we’ve had the “opportunity” to encounter many of them! When supporting our clients’ global deployments, we can easily pinpoint the ‘what to watch out for’ areas like taxes,…

The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) has confirmed that the Annual Contract Value of outsourcing relationships in global industry eclipsed $1 Trillion in 2014. Beyond the fact that this is an incredible milestone and validation of the strategy of…

In 2012, Blackstone–one of the world’s largest alternative asset management companies–set out to streamline its procurement processes with the implementation of the Coupa Procure to Pay (P2P) platform. While the challenges Blackstone faced are somewhat unique, the approach the company…

Most organizations have a commodity code structure in place to support their purchasing. However, very few have an effective strategy that fully leverages the benefits of commodity codes within their sourcing and procurement platforms. A deeper understanding of the use…

Integration is known as the layer that facilitates data flow between applications. Sounds simple, right? Not quite. Many cloud based project go live dates have been pushed back due to errors within an integration build. Often times, systems go live…

The following poem was written by Martin Blake, Competition Lead Manager at the Ministry of Justice in London, and originally appeared in Supply Management. 12 December 2013 | Martin Blake ’Twas the night before Christmas And all through the house…

Last month, Kari Ostgaard presented a comprehensive list of 15 Procurement Metrics that Save Money in her blog post. While each of the metrics listed represent real and measurable value, tracking all 15 may seem like a daunting challenge. As…

Do you know these metrics off the top of your head? Or how to pull them from your system into a regular report? If not, this is your first step on the path to smarter spend management. Far too often…

Running a business is like weeding a garden – you have to be vigilant about complexity “sprouting up” in your organization. Many times “weeding” is left undone, and our organizations become overly complicated and slow. With the pressure on business,…

It happens all too often on new projects. You’ve nailed down the project requirements, established a budget, and set a date for completion. Next, you identify the project team, assign roles, and conduct the kick-off meeting, and you’re off to…