This is an example of an assignment undertaken within the last two years. I am a versatile consultant with capabilities in procurement, negotiation and proposal management.
This is case study #7 and involves supporting an organisation design and manage a process to improve outcomes from their supply base.

Situation

The organisation had a supply base with three roughly equal groups; suppliers they used to use (but no longer do), suppliers they don't want to use (but have to until they find an alternative) and suppliers that they want to carry on using. The client wanted to support so that the supply base only consisted of the last group.

Task

The task was to provide a structured and systematic process to replace the practice of simply discarding under-performing contractors and picking another one. The process also needed to concentrate spend so that mutual value could be released for both parties. The supplier would get assured ongoing business and the client would get (hopefully) improved commercial terms and performance.

Actions

I facilitated the key stakeholders to identify 'what makes an ideal supplier?' Obviously, no supplier is perfect, but what are the criteria for a supplier to be engaged in the longer term? We identified five 'discriminators' that could be used to select suppliers and then identified the information that would need to be needed to classify the suppliers. I resourced the client team with the tools to acquire the information so that they could shortlist longer-term 'partners' prior to negotiating improved terms with them.

Result

The process is still in train, but the results to date include; a practical template for identifying suppliers, a script for communicating with existing, potential and exiting suppliers, a list of potential new suppliers to be evaluated and a negotiation plan to explore releasing benefits with longer term partners.