Image via Wikipedia“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax."
------ Abraham Lincoln
Here's an interesting perspective that was recently shared by our friend Michael Lamoureux, aka "The Doctor," who runs Sourcing Innovation (http://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/). This is a very good website that anyone involved in e-procurement and/or reverse auctions should bookmark and check on a regular basis.
Lamoureux posted an brief article entitled "Unscrupulous Supplier Reverse Auction Tactics." You can read it in its entirety - and it won't take more than a very well spent minute - below:
http://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/2010/08/19/unscrupulous-supplier-reverse-auction-tactics.aspx?ref=rss
As can be seen, he pulled this "nugget" from what was actually a sidebar in a much-larger report released by ChainLink Research piece on Contract Management: Negotiating, Creating, and Monitoring Compliance (available at http://www.clresearch.com/research/detail.cfm?guid=BD7600C3-3048-79ED-9990-45FDA8E773D8). Lamoureux's advice is clear - and proper preparation can save both the purchaser and all competing suppliers from a whole host of problems in making reverse auction procurements work better - both in the buying process and down the line as the goods and services bought through them come through the door! His article also makes the case for using an experienced third-party auction service provider, as trying to do things "in-house" may well lead to poorly structured events with rules that suppliers can take advantage of - both in the auction event itself AND down the line in delivery of goods and services that don't live-up to the specifications desired by the buyer.
So, when it comes to reverse auctions, do your work upfront (or use a third-party expert to make sure things are done right!). And remember the famous British military adage of "the 7 P's, which holds that "Prior Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance." And pass this article on to all in your company - and even to your supplier-base - to enhance the effectiveness of your own reverse auction efforts!
From the Reverse Auction Research Center: http://reverseauctionresearch.blogspot.com/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++
No comments:
Post a Comment