{"id":11095,"date":"2021-04-05T01:24:24","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T05:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/?page_id=11095"},"modified":"2021-10-05T10:59:16","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T14:59:16","slug":"procurement-luck","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/news\/purchasing-articles\/procurement-luck\/","title":{"rendered":"Procurement Luck"},"content":{"rendered":"

How To \u201cGet Lucky\u201d In Procurement<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>

PurchTips edition #371<\/p>\n<\/div>

How Can You Make Procurement Skill Feel Like Luck?<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div>

At this time of year when St. Patrick\u2019s Day is celebrated, a lot of talk includes the word \u201cluck\u201d or \u201clucky,\u201d as in \u201cLuck O\u2019 The Irish.\u201d In procurement, an internal customer may feel lucky if s\/he places an order, receives the correct product\/service, on-time, backed by strong service and warranty, with favorable payment terms, and for the lowest price available.\u00a0 Seasoned procurement professionals know that it takes skill \u2013 not luck \u2013 for that to happen consistently.\u00a0 But, internal customers can get that lucky feeling if you apply these four principles to products\/services ordered by decentralized staff:<\/p>\n

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  1. Enter Into Enterprise-Wide Contracts With Great Suppliers.<\/strong>\u00a0The degree of ability to have internal customers\u2019 requirements met is mostly dependent upon the quality of the suppliers with whom orders are placed. Your sourcing projects should identify the suppliers that fit your organization\u2019s needs best. With those suppliers, you should establish enterprise-wide contracts with obligations to meet your internal customers\u2019 clearly articulated needs.<\/li>\n
  2. Establish \u201cStandard\u201d Products\/Services.<\/strong>\u00a0A supplier\u2019s ability to provide lowest cost and maximum product\/service availability is highly dependent upon minimal unnecessary variations. It may be unprofitable \u2013 even impossible \u2013 for a supplier to have 40 variations of an item available for next-day delivery. But if you have an enterprise-wide standard of just one or two variations, you improve your buying power and your supplier\u2019s ability to manage availability.<\/li>\n
  3. Set Up Foolproof Procurement Processes & Policies.<\/strong>\u00a0Internal customers need to easily know what to buy, from whom to buy it, and how to buy it properly. That\u2019s not as easy as it sounds, especially if the procurement process isn\u2019t well-defined and\/or if there is no mandate to use a certain process. Using today\u2019s procure-to-pay technology, and having a corporate mandate to use it, can guide internal customers to do things the \u201cright\u201d way with minimal friction.<\/li>\n
  4. Support Your Processes With Top-Notch Communication.<\/strong>\u00a0The world\u2019s best procurement process has no value if internal customers don\u2019t know that they are supposed to follow it. Make sure that you communicate so well that \u201cI didn\u2019t know I was supposed to do that\u201d is never an internal customer\u2019s reason for an unlucky procurement experience.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
    Want A More Rewarding Procurement Career?<\/h5><\/div>
    <\/span><\/div>

    Are you tired of not getting enough opportunities, respect, and money out of your procurement career? Nothing will change unless you take action towards becoming a world-class procurement professional. Work your way up NLPA\u2019s CPO Suite Programs, an enhanced version of our SPSM certifications and bring the most modern procurement practices into your organization and achieve your career potential.<\/p>\n

    Download our NLPA Course Catalog<\/strong> for a comprehensive list of the CPO Certification Programs and their corresponding modules per level.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    Download<\/span><\/a><\/div>