Technology

They say a picture tells a thousand words. How about a procurement meme?

Okay, millennials. Strap yourselves in, because Hugo Britt, Content Manager at Procurious, is going to attempt to meme. Is meme even a verb? Perhaps not, but that isn't going to stop him.

For older readers who don't really know (or care) what memes are, don't worry - Britt's got you covered. Whether it's Bad Luck Brian, Kermit Sipping Tea, or King Leonidas screaming "SPARTA", Britt will attempt to add a bit of context around the meme before applying a Procurement gripe to each.

Join Britt at Smart Procurement World Gauteng in September, where he'll present procurement's "guide to blockchain technology and how it will change our world". He'll look at early applications of blockchain in supply chain, specifically automotive, freight and logistics.

Thinking of investing in some of the latest procurement technology? If you have not consulted market trends, got a third opinion and done all of your research, you might want to pull on the reins, advises Dan Quinn, Senior Vice President of cloud-based spend management provider Jaggaer (Middle East and North America).

Just as digital supply chains bring rewards, they also bring dangers. Supply chain managers are always on the lookout for corruption, but in the digital age the clues are harder to spot, warns Dr Abdul Majid Mahomed, Head of Professional Body CIPS, SA.

By Bertrand Maltaverne, a Solutions Consultant who helps organisations digitally transform their procurement practices.

To be honest, I haven't totally figured out all of the details of the inner workings of the blockchain technology. And I do not think I will ever try to as some of it is very technical. I also do not believe that Procurement professionals should do it either. However, it is important to understand the implications of the blockchain technology. Because of the way the blockchain works, it has unique characteristics that represent a breakthrough with tremendous value for Procurement.

The ambition of creating a developmental state to transform the Apartheid economy has been hamstrung by an inability to implement transformation policies; it is a situation exacerbated by a lack of skills, competencies and capacity; and the patronage of corrupt procurement practices.

Prof. Marcus Ambe, from the University of South Africa's School of Public and Operations Management, in collaboration with Sibongile Shongwe, Director of MtileniMazi Enterprises, unpacks a procurement blueprint to accelerate inclusive growth and socio-economic development, in this month's SmartProcurement.

In what Gartner has called the Postmodern ERP era, eProcurement technology and technology in general has become more accessible from both an availability and ease-of-use standpoint than it has been historically. However, does increased technological accessibility ensures success if cultural misalignment exists within an organisation?

Jon Hansen, Editor and lead writer for the Procurement Insights Blog, unpacks the digital revolution and corresponding cultural influences from procurement's point of view.

How can your procurement team embrace the age of digitalisation and develop an effective roadmap that ultimately puts you in the driver's seat?The digital enablement field is wide open, with no single right answer on how to proceed.

However, there are ways that can help organisations to plot a way forward. CPOs must define a roadmap for change and align it with enterprise-level digital transformation initiatives, says Giles Breault, Supply Chain, Sourcing and Procurement Executive at The Beyond Group AG.

Even though the Procurement function is becoming critical to business success, it all too often remains seen as driving cost savings rather than being worthy of a seat at the Board table in determining and helping to drive broad corporate value.

However, working on the Board of Greensill Capital, a global supply chain finance specialist company, Bill Crothers, a former UK Government Chief Commercial/Procurement Officer, has seen how Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) can make a dramatically positive contribution to the balance sheet, work with their Treasury, Finance, and IT colleagues, and be much more Board relevant.

In this month's SmartProcurement, Crothers writes about how CPOs can build stronger relationships with senior executives and make a dramatic impact on their businesses.

Corporates, suppliers and travel management companies (TMCs) need to work together to help improve transparency and reduce the impact of fragmentation on costs and efficiencies.

What is fragmentation? It's when staff try to book travel within their travel policy but are forced to access different sites to source that travel other than the company's preferred procurement channels and processes.

Trump labels it protectionism. The UK calls it Brexit. Other countries talk about local economic and manufacturing support. But whatever you call it, how do we continue to source effectively when traditional procurement is being disrupted along with almost every other industry or profession?

By grasping procurement’s burning platforms and taking them as opportunities, said Duncan Brock, CIPS Director, at this morning’s launch of the Smart Procurement World Gauteng Conference.

Greg Tennyson is the CPO of VSP Global, where he leads transformative change. He is the former VP and CPO (source-to-settle and expense-to-settle) at Salesforce and Oracle.

Greg sat down with ScoutRFP. In part 2 of the conversation, Greg unpacks three ways companies can work to change sourcing behaviours – and gain street cred in the process.

Smart Procurement World topic highlight: How cross-functional collaboration in the strategic sourcing process can deliver savings beyond expectation, even in a very mature category. Presented by Mike Machell-Cox, Director Indirect Procurement, Sappi Europe.

Decisions and consequences go hand-in-hand. This is why having adequate, relevant information at your fingertips is a critical aspect of any decision-making process - more so when these decisions affect the operation of business and company reputation.

In procurement, the optimal goal is to manage risks and costs within a company, making it an imperative department of business. Businesses spend a significant amount of time vetting potential suppliers before embarking on a partnership, and pertinent data provides them with the right tools to make informed decisions with information that is easily interpreted by management.

However, the vetting system should not end when an agreement is reached between a business and its supplier. Intensive research and vetting on future and current suppliers should be a continual safety requirement to ensure all procurement legislation is adhered to, says Rudi Kruger, General Manager of Risk Solutions at LexisNexis Data Services, in this month’s SmartProcurement.