Monthly Archives: August 2012

Why is contracts placed on a time and materials (T&M)  basis? There is no profit incentive for a contractor to effectively manage  either the time expended or the amount of materials used.  Overwhelming risk is with the buying  organisation. The risk can be somewhat mitigated if stringent measures are  taken throughout the procurement process to […]

Intellectual property risks might not be on the top of your agenda but the following case details may provide some interesting reading. HIS HONOUR JUDGE BIRSS QC presided over the case of Samsung Electronics (UK) Ltd and Apple Inc relating to community registered design infringement by Samsung for their Galaxy product in the UK. The […]

  Here comes the sun In 1989, 6 million people in Quebec were without power for 9 hours. In 1960 widespread radio disruptions occurred. In 1859 The Aurora Borealis was seen as far south as the Caribbean and telegraph operators received shocks through induced currents. These events were attributed to solar storms. The storm is […]

How to potentially destroy a company in 45 minutes Technology is an enabler. It can enhance your business processes, improving efficiency and profitability. But only if it works! Hot on the heels of the RBS software glitch, is the recent case of erratic movements in stock prices on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) which […]

Organising the factory visit It is good practice to visit a factory where work will be carried out to the specification in the contract. The purpose of the visit should be to confirm what the potential supplier has said in the quotation or tender. Who should go on the visit? There is no right answer […]

  We are one of the world’s longest established consultants with particular strengths in Procurement Risk Management. The ‘How does procurement contribute to the Corporate Risk Register’ survey is a good and useful piece of work, and the research phase is launched here. With procurement risk high on the agenda (groan – not another desperate attempt […]

The most extreme example of not knowing who is on a site occurred  at a client organisation. Two men arrived at a reception. They were dressed in white coats and told the receptionist they had come to take away the computers for repair. Unbelievably they were given unchallenged access! They took away the computers – […]