Author: Liz Busch Planning for a procurement should consider the entire procurement lifecycle, including contract management and close-out. However, it’s difficult to anticipate everything that may occur after the contract is signed – how does one plan for the unpredictable? The answer is to develop a contract management plan that includes strategies for: Establishing a […]
Author: Larry Berglund The anchoring effect in decisions can be a self-limiting influence. Our awareness of past practices has a large affect on our future decisions. Our options moving forward are based on what we know and any deviations invite a sense of risk. What we did last month to run a competitive process or […]
Author: Larry Berglund Major global events have been impacting supply chains for years: the shift from a fossil fuel energy supply to renewables; the digitalization of information; the electrification of transportation; the need for decarbonization to reduce emissions; eliminating plastics and waste; the pandemic; the circular economy; global warming; and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) […]
Author: Liz Busch Do you feel that your organization may not be strategically procuring the goods, services and construction it needs? You’re not alone! Some organizations manage procurement reactively, where each acquisition is a stand-alone procurement once a need is identified which can ultimately result in multiple separate procurements for similar commodities. Overall, this approach […]
Author: Liz Busch Public sector entities rely on the expertise and hard work of their contractors to successfully deliver on their mandates. Therefore, the relationships between the public sector and vendors are vital to the smooth operation of any government organization. But how can government employees ensure these positive vendor relationships while still maintaining control […]
Author: Larry Berglund Negotiation competencies are a must in procurement. Whether in the private or public sector, you are always negotiating. Some of the challenges to expect include: The Day you meet Goliath It’s inevitable that you will be involved in doing a deal with an oligopolistic market leader. Characterized as one of a few […]
Author: Liz Busch Trade agreement obligations for government procurement projects are not easy to understand, which makes it difficult to determine compliancy. This becomes more complex when more than one trade agreement applies, as the procurement must comply with all. This article will address two trade agreements – the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and […]
Author: Larry Berglund Talent Hiring and retaining staff with supply chain competencies is a growing issue for procurement in Canada. Not only have many people left the field, but those who remain are being s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d to the limit. The expectations of organizations to deliver value for money is approaching unrealistic levels. Material and labour shortages […]
Author: Liz Busch How well you manage the scope of your contracts can significantly enhance your chance of success, or spell disaster. Poorly written and managed scopes-of-work can result in few quality submissions to your solicitation, difficulties finalizing the contract with your frontrunner, disputes on whether the deliverables were met, vendor complaints, and even litigation. […]
Author: Larry Berglund Of all our interpersonal skills we can improve, negotiation is one of the best to focus on for supply chain professionals in the public sector. Procurement in the public sector can be characterized as being reliant on public tendering. While public tendering is a commonly used tool for attaining prices, there is […]