Procurement maturity is increasingly becoming holistic and integrated – as is procurement technology. No longer can we think of maturity models for various areas of the function (or the use/adoption of solutions) in silos. Step change improvement comes from thinking of the whole – not the parts or even the sum of the parts. In short, we must think about end-to-end process and integration – including the overlap between buying, transactional connectivity, supplier management, supplier portal/connectivity, payment and more.
Should Mid-Market Organisations Invest in eProcurement Systems? – The Key Questions Answered
This Q & A style paper looks at why the time is right for mid-sized firms to consider investing in purchase to pay technology, and answers the questions typically asked by CFOs and CPOs.
What Do Procurement People Do All Day? (And What Should They Do?)
Organizations as well as individuals should absolutely think about what they do all day, and then compare it to the allocation of what they should be doing all day. Being disciplined about what holds value for you (and your stakeholder) and then measuring and managing (including building capabilities to achieve those measures) to that is a foundational competency that is often overlooked!
Ask the Expert Replay: Helping Finance Help Procurement to Help the Business (Part 2)
Spend Matters Premium Content - Ask the Expert Video Replay
Spend Matters Chief Research Officer Pierre Mitchell leads this second Ask the Expert session through his findings from a joint survey between Spend Matters and the Institute for Supply Management on how well procurement and finance collaborate.
Ask the Expert Replay: Helping Finance Help Procurement to Help the Business (Part 1)
Spend Matters Premium Content - Ask the Expert Video Replay
Chief Research Officer Pierre Mitchell begins to analyze the results of a snap poll Spend Matters and the Institute for Supply Management conducted on the alignment (or lack thereof) of Finance and Procurement within a company. This is Part 1 of a 2-part Ask the Expert series on this study.
Three Occasions When Procurement Should Spend More
Spend Matters - Free Research Download
In this paper, Peter Smith of Spend Matters UK/Europe looks at why cost reduction isn’t always the right strategy. He also introduces the concept of value categories - spend areas where spending more can add to overall shareholder value. Finally, Peter solves an age-old procurement problem (with maths)!
Procurement Centers of Excellence (CoE) – What’s In Them and How to Set Them Up
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There is no one perfect way to organize your procurement CoE. As you may have guessed, it all depends on your existing organization structure and operating model. You'll quickly find that it's not really about the size of the toolbox, but rather making sure you have the right tools for the job (and the master craftspeople to use them). That said, there is some standardization that can be followed, and Pierre Mitchell walks you through that and many other Center of Excellence how-tos in this research.
Centralise or Devolve Procurement – Why Not Both?
Spend Matters - Free Research Download
The debates over centralised and de-centralised procurement, and the linked issue of how much purchasing authority can and should be delegated to end users and budget holders, have been going on for years. In fact, every organisation needs to look at its specific needs, and indeed the right approach may differ across different spend categories. And technology is now helping procurement to square the circle – giving stakeholders real authority, whilst retaining the most important aspects of central control that help procurement drive value and performance. In this Spend Matters briefing paper, you can read about what procurement really needs to control, and how one example of enabling technology is helping procurement functions get this balance right.
Ask the Expert: The HR Side of Sourcing and Procurement
Spend Matters Premium Content - Ask the Expert Video Replay
Whether you're doing the hiring (or firing), Spend Matters Netherland's Gert van der Heijden walks you through some helpful tips and tactics to recruit and maintain the best possible sourcing and procurement team. From competencies, categories, and kraljic to continuous improvement and output vs. input, this session will help you navigate the HR world specific to sourcing and procurement.
A Seat at the Top Table
Spend Matters - Free Research Download
This paper discusses how procurement professionals can position themselves best to work at the highest levels of organisations, and how they can show they’re ready for the top jobs!
Choosing the Right Tools – How Procurement Can Better Align with Both Trade and Brand Marketing’s Needs
Spend Matters Research - Free Research Download
In this short paper we look at the particular needs of Marketing, and how procurement can help by providing the right tools that will be relevant and useful to those colleagues.