Viewing Category Intelligence (Direct)

Articles page 2

Direct procurement seeks an upgrade over spreadsheets, risky manual processes
October 28, 2019 | JP Morris
Over the last year or so, Spend Matters has written several articles and research briefs about direct procurement and the technology that’s needed to support it, so a closer look and some recent insights from manufacturers seems valuable to see why this technology needs wider adoption and to understand its benefits. The overall view indicates…
Customer reviews for Allocation are in the new SolutionMap Customer Insights report
October 23, 2019 | Spend Matters Team
This week’s SolutionMap Customer Insights report focuses on customer reviews for Allocation, a specialist in technology for direct materials sourcing and supplier management for manufacturers and producers who have complex processes. The applicable SolutionMap categories for this report are Sourcing and Supplier Relationship Management & Risk. SolutionMap Insider members can read about Allocation in our…
Procurence Vendor Introduction (Part 2: Strengths/Weaknesses, SWOT, Selection Checklist and Market Overview) - [PRO Content]
October 16, 2019 | Michael Lamoureux and Nick Heinzmann
In Part 1 of this two-part Spend Matters PRO series, we introduced you to Procurence — a relatively new entrant to the global direct material supplier management space, based out of Warsaw, Poland. It’s a recent entrant to our SolutionMap ranking of vendors, where its scores make it a customer leader in the SRM category.…
Procurence Vendor Introduction (Part 1: Background and SRM Solution Overview) - [PRO Content]
October 15, 2019 | Michael Lamoureux and Nick Heinzmann
Supplier management is one of the most misunderstood terms in the procurement solution space, especially since the exact scope of processes supported by such systems varies by analyst, vendor and customer interpretation. In order to clarify, or at least differentiate, many vendors have begun slicing and dicing the SXM solution space to offer the likes…
Freelancer Management Systems: How Companies Can Find and Retain Independent Contractors via Direct Sourcing
June 20, 2019 | Elaine Morris Roberts, Spend Matters Brand Studio
As technology changes the work landscape, as companies seek more specifically skilled workers and as those workers push for non-traditional work arrangements, companies need to find effective ways to meet those changes. Direct sourcing is emerging as a viable, practical option to fill on-demand and other staffing needs. When used alongside traditional hiring methods, including…
Commodities Roundup: Steel Prices, Sustainable Mining and U.S.-China Tariffs
May 17, 2019 | Fouad Egbaria
For the buyers and category managers out there, especially those of you deep in the weeds of buying and managing commodities, here’s a quick rundown of news and thoughts from particular commodity markets. We scour the landscape for what matters — from price movements to policy decisions. This week: Domestic steel price weakness, sustainable mining,…
SourceDay: Vendor Analysis, Analysis and SWOT - [PRO Content]
April 17, 2019 | Nick Heinzmann and Pierre Mitchell
The broader procurement technology market has always had a tenuous relationship with the direct procurement technology solutions. Old timers may remember SupplyWorks from the early 2000s, but it folded — and the SupplyWorks brand name now belongs to a janitorial/sanitation service provider (we won’t go down the easy joke paths on this one). More recently,…
Direct Spend to See an Increase in Outsourcing: Report
April 2, 2019 | Kyra Senese
A new report from Texas-based research firm Everest Group analyzes the factors contributing to suboptimal direct spend management. The report — “Is It Time to Outsource Direct Spend Categories?” — aims to provide a process for enterprises to begin changing their approach to direct spend management.
Is Direct Materials Procurement a Separate Technology Market in North America? (Part 1: Introducing a Decision Framework)
February 26, 2019 | Jason Busch
Germany, Austria and some adjacent markets have something North America doesn’t — a distinct technology market for direct materials procurement. In Europe, Pool4Tool (now Jaggaer Direct), Allocation Network, SynerTrade, SupplyOn and a range of other solution providers succeeded in creating a distinctive European direct materials procurement solutions market that exists outside the generic source-to-pay realm.…
Direct Material Sourcing and Supplier Management Platforms (Part 2) - [Plus + Content]
October 12, 2018 | Jason Busch
In the first installment of this series, I introduced six distinct platform areas that manufacturers are making investments in as part of core efforts to drive more successful savings, efficiency, compliance, collaboration and supplier engagement programs. The first, design/engineering and sourcing enablement solutions, represents a new class of direct materials e-sourcing toolsets that attempt to…
Direct Material Sourcing and Supplier Management Platforms (Part 1) - [Plus + Content]
October 5, 2018 | Jason Busch
In enabling basic strategic sourcing capability for indirect, services and basic direct materials spend, there are now a lot — and we mean it — of solid choices in the market. And it’s a space that’s getting more crowded everyday. Yet in comparison to the broader sourcing marketplace, the direct materials market is, unfortunately, given short shrift.…
Commodities Roundup: Shale Gas Expansion Slows, Europe Drops Solar Panel Duties
September 14, 2018 | Fouad Egbaria
For the buyers and category managers out there, especially those of you deep in the weeds of buying and managing commodities, here’s a quick rundown of news and thoughts from particular commodity markets. From price movements to policy decisions, our MetalMiner editors scour the landscape for what mattered this week.

How AI is transforming the ways companies source enterprise services : Russell Ruggiero said : Thank you for the informative article. Would like to touch upon three key areas. First Open Go...

As coronavirus outbreak forces firms to cancel events, these tips can help you negotiate with the venues : Audrey Maria said : Yup! It is our duty to spread helpful knowledge regarding safety measure during COVID pandemic. As ...

Spend Matters opens the ‘TAP’ at SIG’s Procurement Technology Summit : Susan Walsh said : This was a great session, Jason and Pierre were very much talking my language when it comes to tech ...

Ivalua NOW 2020 (dispatch 2): La licorne française va directement pour la route moins fréquentée : Michael Lamoureux said : Peter: Greetings from the NS lockdown. Isn't this the only answer? https://www.youtube.com/wa...

Ivalua NOW 2020 (dispatch 2): La licorne française va directement pour la route moins fréquentée : Peter Smith said : Michael, You OK mate? Greetings from the UK lockdown, Peter PS I thought the Ivalua event worked ...