Spend analysis was the topic du juor at the Ariba Spend Management Day in Atlanta earlier this month. Faced with a sagging economy and highly volatile supply markets, presenters at the event pointed to improved visibility into spending as key to a number of strategies — from queuing up new sourcing opportunities to enforcing contract [...]

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In speaking regularly with companies interested in improving their spend and supplier visibility, it is not surprising that there has been a marked up tick recently, given the ever-deteriorating economy, in the interest in supplier credit rating information. While credit ratings are useful providing meaningful directional information about which suppliers may be susceptible to [...]

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Cost savings may be job number one today. But the current economic crisis portends an equally disturbing storm brewing on the horizon: heightened supply risk.
Earlier this week, SpendMatters Jason Busch sounded the alarms, noting that the number of outright supplier restructurings (Chapter 11s) and shutdowns (Chapter 7s) are both up considerably. “We’re going to see [...]

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One of the best regular features in Purchasing.com is their monthly Black Belt Negotiators column. Great advice on playing hardball while improving relationships. July’s edition dealt with improving supplier performance management (SPM) and focused on how a security products manufacturer has begun keeping score on their suppliers’ price, delivery, cost, quality and service.
The most interesting [...]

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