Formal procurement learning to be recognised
Economies in southern Africa will need skilled professionals to continue their growth. Andrew Hillman, Director of Commerce Edge Academy, tells SmartProcurement how purchasers can sustain their career development in the region.
Posted by Editor at 6:30 AM
Africa gearing up for supply chain productivity and operational improvements
The Institute of Operations Management (IOM) in the United Kingdom has added IOM Africa to its growing regional network, under the presidency of SmartProcurement editorial board member Douglas Boateng.
Posted by Editor at 6:10 AM
Professionalising SCM in Government
Government is ushering in a new benchmark for recognising the qualifications of Procurement and Supply Chain practitioners in the public sector in South Africa.
Posted by Editor at 9:55 AM
CIPS awards - rewarding the development of a strategic imperative
Procurement and Supply Chain Management are the strategic imperatives that will empower South Africa’s economy to remain and become more globally competitive going forward.
Posted by Editor at 9:00 AM
SAPICS shows 500% growth since 2004
The number of students participating in the SAPICS professional development programme has grown by some 500% since its inception in 2004.
Posted by Editor at 7:20 AM
MTN embarks on far reaching procurement education drive
Leading cellular network provider MTN, has embarked on a 3-year programme to elevate the status of its procurement organisation across the group by ensuring that all its company procurement practitioners achieve an internationally recognised procurement qualification from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS). The programme will be delivered by leading procurement education and training organisation Commerce Edge Academy (CEA), a registered CIPS international study centre.
Posted by Editor at 5:55 AM
CIPS Southern Africa becomes representative body for Procurement and Supply Management
It is a reality. A successful four-year affiliation between IPSA and CIPS has finally paid-off. The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Southern Africa (CIPS SA) is now the official representative body for the Procurement profession in South Africa.
Posted by Editor at 5:30 AM
The Role of Strategic Procurement in Supplier Development
It is imperative that supplier development forms an integral part of a buying organisation’s strategic procurement role to ensure a continuous supply of cost effective products and services, Thapelo Petje, Independent Supply Chain Consultant, tells SmartProcurement.
Posted by Editor at 9:10 AM
Nominations for Supply Chain Edu cation Excellence Awards 2010
SAPICS will once again co-host the Supply Chain Edu cation Excellence Awards, which takes place March 11 at Melrose Arch, and will include a lavish dinner to honour our nominees and winners.
Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM
Procurement professionals update breakfast series 2009 concludes
Commerce Edge, SmartProcurement and Purchasing Index teamed up to present the last leg in this year's “Procurement Professionals Update Breakfast Series” at the Astro-tech Conference Facility in Parktown, Johannesburg. Over 60 delegates registered to hear Bernie van Niekerk, CEO of the Commerce Edge Group, summarise the highly informative and relevant report published by the Centre for Advanced Purchasing Studies (CAPS), the American P & SM Research Centre, in conjunction with AT Kearney, the professional procurement consulting firm.
Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM
Professional development and procurement training road show comes to Gauteng
Tomorrow’s supply management professionals will be charged with developing and executing value creation strategies that find new value in the supply base, deliver value as quickly as possible within the cost parameters defined by the demand market and maximise the return to the company.
Posted by Editor at 9:50 AM
Public Sector SCM Summit played host to 10 HDI students
In a bid to promote experiential learning, and open up our conferences to interns / learners and trainees SmartProcurement’s Public Sector Supply Chain Management Summit and Workshop played host to members of the Logistics Graduates of South Africa, based at the Vaal Technikon (LGSA).
Posted by Editor at 9:30 AM
Possible Government tenders workshops in the rest of SA
The SmartProcurement ‘Tenders in Government’ Technical Workshop met with such a positive response that this niche P & SM online media organisation is planning to take the one-day programme country-wide, for the benefit of SCM practitioners on the procure and supply side.
Posted by Editor at 9:10 AM
Procurement Competency Development initiative acknowledged by IPSA
eThekwini Municipality’s initiative to uplift procurement competency has been recognized at the Institute of Purchasing and Supply South Africa’s (IPSA’s) 2009 awards, Sandile Ngcobo, Deputy Head: Supply Chain Operations at eThekwini Municipality, told SmartProcurement.
Posted by Editor at 9:50 AM
Supply Chain training: CEA launches TEBLOS
Commerce Edge Academy (CEA) has launched its online student support technology, TEBLOS, which has enabled the registered international study centre for the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) to begin tutoring students studying CIPS Level 4: Foundation Diploma in Purchasing & Supply, Andrew C. Hillman, Director of Commerce Edge Academy, tells SmartProcurement.
Posted by Editor at 9:30 AM
Feedback: Consulting service influential at SAPICS Conference
Supply chain process specialists, Volition Consulting Services, received marked interest at the Association for Operations Management of Southern Africa’s (SAPICS’) 2009 conference, Greg Buckley, Executive Volition Consulting Services, told SmartProcurement.
Posted by Editor at 9:10 AM
Results: 3rd Annual Supply Chain Educator Excellence Awards
“Get them toi-toing for continuous learning...”
South Africa’s trade unions and civil servants should be striking for greater involvement in continuous learning. This will help South Africa overcome its skill chasm far better than demands for State-crippling wage increases, said Ken Titmuss, SAPICS past president and vice chairperson.
Posted by Editor at 1:40 PM
The year of the CPO! Report back on the IPSA / CIPS annual conference
Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) have missed an opportunity to steer the global economy’s rescue boat, alluded Institute of Purchasing and Supply South Africa’s (IPSA’s) President, Karen van Vuuren, at the institute’s Annual Pan African Conference held at Emperor’s Palace in partnership with the Chartered institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS).
CIPS Director of International Development Chris Gallagher, CIPS President Dr Bola Afolabi, IPSA President Karen van Vuuren
Posted by Editor at 3:31 PM
KZN: Continuous Professional Development remains high on Agenda
Despite the economic downturn, the bumper attendance at Commerce Edge and SmartProcurement’s KwaZulu Natal Roadshow has affirmed that continuous professional development remains high on South African supply chain professionals’ priorities.CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Presenters, Alan Low of Purchasing Index and Bernie van Niekerk of Commerce Edge (3rd and 2nd from right), with delegates at the Road Show venue in Durban. Photograph courtesy of Hanck van Laar.
Posted by Editor at 2:27 PM
CIPS & IPSA to develop a full service procurement institute in Southern Africa
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The Institute of Purchasing and Supply South Africa (IPSA) and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) intend to meld the two organisations’ interests and activities in Southern Africa.
Posted by Editor at 2:07 PM
Public Sector Supply Chains helping to keeping economy afloat
The IPSA/ CIPS Pan African Conference, held at Emperors Palace on 26th and 27th May, attests to the significant role that public sector supply chains are playing in ensuring the resilience of the South African economy against the worst effects of the present global downturn. In particular, the State supply chain management machine is managing many massive contracts that are keeping several sectors of the economy afloat and their balance sheets in the black.
Posted by Editor at 12:02 PM
Procurement professionals in demand during recession
In recessionary times, the procurement professional becomes a more valuable commodity as it is those specialist purchasing and supply management skills that can make a positive difference to the bottom line, Elaine Porteous of Tech-Pro Personnel told SmartProcurement in an interview.
Posted by StaffWriter at 3:42 PM
Beat the Recession - Continue Your Education
During a recession, the cost of adult education may seem impossible to afford, nevertheless, the cost may not be as high as perceived.“Continuing education increases an employee’s value to a company and for those seeking new jobs provides increased skills to make finding a new job easier”, Andrew Hillman, Director of the Commerce Edge Academy, told SmartProcurement.
Posted by StaffWriter at 3:12 PM
Speaker Profiles: IPSA / CIPS Annual Pan African Conference 2009
The Institute of Purchasing and Supply SA (IPSA) and CIPS are proud to announce key speakers for the 2009 Annual Pan African Conference. The esteemed lineup includes:
Andrea Gregory- Andrea Gregory is a highly motivated and results-orientated leader with a varied career in a broad range of industries such as research, construction, information technology, television, etc.
- For the past 13 years, Gregory has specialised in Strategic Sourcing and Procurement with major New Zealand organisations such as Heinz Wattie, EDS, and Television New Zealand.
Posted by StaffWriter at 9:56 AM
Interim Contracts are Ideal for Both the Employer and the Procurement Specialist
In a recent issue of Supply Management , Pat Law writes that "contractors tend to do well in a downturn, as organisations switch to more flexible forms of employment". While this is written in the context of the UK and EU, it applies just as much to our own environment and the special circumstances in South Africa.
Posted by Editor at 11:30 AM
How important is price when selecting recruitment agencies?
Lindiwe Nakedi, the co-owner of and a Career Consultant at The People Shop, recently told SmartProcurement that many people often believe that recruitment is a commodity which hinges predominantly on price: “Recruitment organisations, or at least the good ones, differentiate themselves on quality and value added services which they provide and thus argue that there are more important issues to take into account than price only”, Nakedi said.
Posted by Editor at 8:30 AM
Welcome to the Future: Unlocking Organisational Effectiveness and Productivity - Functional Intelligence™
“One of my all-time favourite quotes comes from what has to be one of our finest sources of brilliance and inspiration - Albert Einstein: ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.’ No wonder that so many strategies fail to be realised!”, Frank Susini, an Independent Consultant, told SmartProcurement.
Posted by StaffWriter at 10:18 AM
How Good are Your Interviewing Skills: Do You Listen or Just Talk?
“Procurement professionals spend quality time preparing for their sourcing activities and negotiations with suppliers, but they are generally poorly prepared for interviewing job candidates”, Elaine Porteous, Managing Director of CA Procurement, told SmartProcurement. With job-hunting season fast approaching, you may find yourself recruiting to fill key vacancies, so here are a few tips...
Posted by Editor at 6:21 AM
The Institutes of Southern Africa Procurement Academy: A Joint Venture Partnership between IPSA & CIPS
In today’s highly competitive business world it is increasingly important to both organisations and Public Enterprises that all their internal departments continually raise their game. This is becoming especially true for those in Procurement and Supply Chain Management, where a real difference can be made between delivering a winning strategy and losing customers and profit.
Posted by Editor at 8:15 AM
IPSA Western Cape Breakfast: "Procurement is the Profit Machine!"
SmartProcurement recently attended the Institute of Purchasing and Supply South Africa's (IPSA) breakfast meeting on the 13th of August 2008 as held at the Hotel School in Granger Bay, Cape Town. Kraai van Kraayenburg, IPSA's Business and Training Development Manager, started the proceedings by welcoming guests to the event.
Posted by Editor at 7:00 AM
In USA CPO Women Earn More Than Men
With Women's Day (9 August) around the corner, SmartProcurement is highlighting the success of women who are international industry leaders in the field of Procurement. Elaine Porteous, Managing Director of specialised procurement recruiter CA Procurement, told SmartProcurement that: "In a recent study done by the Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies (CAPS), it was found that women are increasingly gaining greater responsibility in procurement companies of all sizes. An example of this is that women hold 12% of the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) titles internationally, and that in the USA they earn significantly more than male CPOs ($418,000 vs. $366,000)".
Posted by Editor at 11:56 AM
How Well Networked Are You?
Is e-networking a new opportunity in procurement? The fastest growing social networking site, Facebook (www.facebook.com), has more than 64 million active users and about 250,000 new registrations each day. It even has a user group called 'Supply Chain Management Professionals' with more than 700 members! Posted by Editor at 11:07 AM
IPSA ANNUAL PAN AFRICAN CONFERENCE, 20 - 21 MAY 2008
African Conference on 20-21 May 2008 at Emperors Palace in Gauteng South Africa... The theme of the conference (held In association with the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)) will be Procurement in the Global Marketplace - Opportunities & Challenges...Posted by StaffWriter at 9:40 AM
IPSA partnerships increases Member Benefits: New Pricing
"Since 2004 IPSA (The Institute of Purchasing and Supply SA) has been actively engaged in seeking out partnerships with related associations to increase benefits for our members, both in terms of deepening our core competencies of Purchasing and Supply Management, as well broadening our reach into the related areas of overall Supply Chain Management", IPSA's Kraai van Kraayenburg told SmartProcurement.
Posted by StaffWriter at 10:56 AM