News

Purchasing and Supply Chain Management – Eighth Edition

Monday, February 6th, 2012

 We have just received  our advanced copy of “The Book”  The publication of Purchasing & Supply Chain Management, Eighth Edition marks the 28th anniversary since the first edition was published and seven years since the Seventh Edition made it to the bookshops. It  has undergone an extensive overhaul with each Chapter being reviewed and all new case studies. […]

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Open Book Accounting

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Some of our most difficult negotiations are dealing with open book accounting. The concept is now widely known, but ensuring that suppliers will be receptive to making open book accounting a contractual reality is quite another matter. The supplier’s pricing decisions have, historically, been steeped in mystery and there remains a culture whereby the detail […]

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contract and vendor management

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Contract management requires the application of a wide range of knowledge and skills in very specific circumstances. A structured process is absolutely necessary to facilitate establishing facts, forming relationships and reporting salient information to stakeholders. Our recent research into facets of contract management led us to researching a dispute between South West Water Services Ltd […]

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A Time to Reconsider Price Indexation

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

The economic climate dictates that, it is time for procurement departments to re-examine their approach to the use of price indexation formulae. Our informal research shows that in the UK there is an extensive use of the Retail Price Index (RPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI). These are produced by the Office for National Statistics. […]

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appealing contract award

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

This update is aimed at those in the public sector who summarily dismiss the private sector organisations who have been unsuccessful with their tenders. It is also designed to help private sector organisations who are very unhappy at the manner in which they are brushed off by some public sector buyers.  In the Court of […]

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battle of the forms

Monday, October 24th, 2011

We receive many queries from clients who are asking us ‘Whose contract conditions apply?’ The starting point is often the Excello case. We suspect that the whole of the procurement profession has studied this case, very diligently. The circumstances of each situation needs to be clearly understood before reaching a conclusion. We monitor legal cases […]

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Supplier’s financial position

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Supplier’s financial position We are always advising clients to monitor a supplier’s financial position. Knowing the position at the time we obtain annual reports is no longer enough, given the incidence of financial failures. We advocate that it is a strategic role for procurement to undertake monitoring supplier’s finances. It is pertinent to read the […]

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