Downloads: Procurement Research

Spend Matters - Free Research Download

It’s hard to talk about the evolution of procurement technology without using at least a few buzzwords. So before we delve into the heart of our argument in this paper, let’s dispense with some industry jargon (which we’ve put in scare quotes below), as we share a quick history of the sector and how the market began to favor suites over point solutions.

When procurement applications first hit the scene, in the early 1990s, they were what we might term “module-based,” “best-of-breed solutions” that addressed “point-based problems” that, when properly deployed, could often generate a significant return to procurement. In many ways, they brought the then-called purchasing function out of the spreadsheet-laden dark ages and into modern times. But these tools, like all promises that appear too good to be true, had their downsides.

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Spend Matters - Free Research Download
What makes the best in consumer buying technology attractive and effective? This paper examines how procurement can ensure that corporate buying systems apply the best thinking from the consumer world, and why this will bring benefits for everyone.

What typifies a good user experience with procurement technology today? And why is it a myth that if technology is powerful, it must be difficult to use? Jason Busch discusses this and much more in this paper focused on why procurement should be focused on UI/UX.

This paper won’t dive into the mechanics of spend analytics related to identifying potential savings from strategic sourcing (e.g., reduced pricing via competitive bidding to aggregate spending to preferred suppliers). Instead, we will focus on how firms can expand their spend analytics to identify and fix non-compliance scenarios that cost real money and introduce real business risk.

Spend analysis is changing - and it's changing fast. In this paper, Peter Smith interviews Stefan Foryszewski from Tungsten Analytics, discussing some of the bleeding-edge approaches companies are taking in this area.

By framing categories holistically and flexibly you can find new ways to model and manage supply markets to extract more value out of the supply chain. Supply markets are constantly changing and innovating, and so must your approach in managing supply. Off-the-shelf market intelligence reports and category strategies developed years ago will not likely give you a big boost. As such, you must look at category management as a living, breathing thing. It is both an art and a science. This ebook can only give you a broader palette of colors and some methods and tools to consider.

This is a case study of how AGCO worked with riskmethods on their supply chain risk management solution. Supply chain risk management is still in its infancy. If we're honest, the solutions on the marketplace today are only scratching the surface of what is possible. Any company that has grown beyond a trivial size realistically has to be proactive about risk, not reactively fighting the fires when emergencies strike. AGCO's foray into the space was forward-looking and extremely successful. Read on to discover how SCRM can help your organization!

Looking to choose an eProcurement system? The decision used to be easy. Today, it's not. This paper walks you through the three market segmentations (Coupa, Ivalua, and BuyerQuest). Do you gravitate toward one of these types of providers? Then we have a match for you. Download this paper for eProcurement shortlists and recommendations!

En Spend Matters buscamos empoderar a las áreas de compras con contenidos de valor, en esta ocasión realizamos un estudio sobre el uso que las empresas mexicanas le dan a las tecnologías de información para habilitar o fortalecer su función de compras, en especifico las relacionadas con: Compras electrónicas, análisis del gasto, contratación de servicios, catálogos electrónicos, contratos, proveedores, abasto estratégico, gastos de viaje y facturación electrónica; esperamos que este estudio sea de valor para ti y nos des tu retroalimentación.

Business users should be brought in early as part of a spend analysis requirements definition and solution evaluation, but we do find that many procurement organizations hold off until they have built out a reasonably solid-to-spend cube at the line-item level (by supplier, category and cost center) before they really start turning over the keys of the spend analysis tool to the end users for their own inquiries. That's all well and good, but the biggest source of failure in spend analytics is the same source of failure with any type of systems: non-adoption. You want people to use systems? Then you have to hand over the car keys.

Spend Matters Premium Content - Ask the Expert Video Replay
Jason Busch hosts this session dedicated to discussing the next generation and services procurement and VMS technology coming down the pipeline. What should we expect from these technologies in the future? Tune in to find out.

This might sound like a bold statement, but sometimes (maybe even most of the time) it just doesn't make sense to go to RFP! Sourcing practitioners might scoff at this, but this paper is worth a download just to read how author Thomas Kase challenges the notion that an RFP is the best path to a successful solution provider selection outcome.