Build it and they will come

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E-Sourcing Forum

Build it and they will come by David Bush November 2, 2006	Go Back

The topic of e-Sourcing adoption could not be more important and it will always be a constant theme of ESF. That being said, if your team builds an e-Sourcing checklist/process that people can follow, the transition will be that much smoother. Modify to yourself but here is an example:

1. Analyze the category and assess the viability (RFx? Auction? Sealed Bid? Combo?) Do we have a solid supply base? Are market conditions favorable? What is the contract status?
2. Gather precise specifications. The less open ended things are the easier it is later to figure it all out.
3. Develop the right strategy for bid submission. If you give suppliers diverse ways to give pricing, you may have more options for award later.
4. Issue the information and give the suppliers expected time lines.
5. Arrange for self training or provide custom training.
6. Monitor the event and be prepared for common responses or issues.
7. Stick to a reasonable amount of time to analyze and select a winner.
8. Back fill any necessary information that will help with reconstructing the event or track data over time.

This is very high level, of course. Each one of these is generic and could easily have charts and check boxes or contingencies/dependencies. One nice trick is to build a couple project management templates – one for over $X and one for under $X. Depending on which side of the threshold, the administrator would choose the proper amount of check listing necessary. This can also be very specific to the e-Sourcing tool or might combine your e-Sourcing tasks with your 7-step processes that you paid so much for 5 years ago.