If in any study or survey we ask buyers in general terms about the importance of suppliers in their work, we all know that we will locate them in the maximum level of priority. This is because theory daily tell us how relevant is in our day a day, keeping ”win to win” relationships with those who are going to provide us goods and services which are going to allow us attend our clients on the best way possible.
“In many lectures, conferences, seminaries and sectoral events, it is emphasized in how important is for purchsing teams foster good practices with those who are our group of suppliers”
Besides, for many time now, globalization and digital economy has allowed to open ourselves to alternative suppliers instead of the ones we traditionally treat with, either for the existence of innovative communication channels (or the streamlining of the existing ones) or because of the capacity of them to get close to geographically far located markets to their production centre.
On the other hand, we launch suppliers homologation processes more automated through more powerful eSourcing tools, which enable us enhance the amount of information that we evaluate in it, trying to guarantee that those who are going to collaborate with us complies in the right way requirements included in our worked purchasing policies, some of them by the way, designed by extraneous that in many occasions never passed from theory to practice.
“We launch suppliers homologation processes more automated through more powerful eSourcing tools, which enable us enhance the amount of information that we evaluate in it”
We dedicate many hours of our effort to ask our ”partners” to fill questionnaires where they must fill in a synthetic way, even monosyllabic, their technical skills, their supply chain, their certificates of quality, their standardization, etc.., definitively a complete radiography of the company.
After being sure that they will be reliable suppliers also form the point of view of social responsibility, besides we foster them to participate in our purchasing processes, answering to a very well prepared offers where they must try to condensate the best of their proposals, trying to be at the same time the most economically competitive as possible.
This worked tenders enable us to compare in an homogenous way different visions of a same product or service thus we try to bring our company the supplier or the suppliers that, at a first stage, are going to work in the best way with tightest economic cost.
All this seems to us very well thought-out and executed, but however and for disgrace many years from now in our daily relation with our clients and suppliers, we have realized that the lack of timing in the purchasing departments, is turning to make the contact with their suppliers is being limited to execute as good soldiers the worked process described in paragraphs above.
“We have realized that the lack of timing in the purchasing departments, is turning to make the contact with their suppliers is being limited”
The implementation besides the excellent sourcing technology results that many of the tenders are produced electronic way reducing even more if it is possible the contact with the invited group of suppliers.
We firmly believe in the provided value from suppliers. They have many times the answer to our problems but we do not have time enough to listen to them in our intense and ruled day a day. We openly talk about creating a “win to win” relation but at the moment of the truth we translate this statement in ”with me the best price, comply with my technical requirements and you will have the right to opt to the contract award”.
“Suppliers have many times the answer to our problems but we do not have time enough to listen to them in our intense and ruled day a day”
Lets reflect about how many journeys we spent in the supplier’s houses per year, knowing their means, their ides, their teams, asking them how we can improve the good or service that we sell to our clients. By our experience we all know that those who leave the comfort of their offices to conduct this activity have a nice surprise.
For many years we have implemented a relation program with the suppliers that has allowed us introduced considering improvements to our clients that at the end suppose important economical savings in their income statement. We meet with no less than 500 suppliers of all the sectors per year which suppose an essential source of information that in fact we don’t want and neither can’t obviate.
“We have implemented a relation program with the suppliers that has allowed us introduced considering improvements to our clients”
This relation with them cannot be circumscribed just at the beginning of the activity, also must be kept during it too, since will enable us to perform a correct performance management, knowing all the points of improvement in both sides to maintain the quality of the service fixed in the starting. Besides as if we do an internal analysis of our teams, it is important to know from the supplier’s point of view which actions should we improve for them to make more positive the set of the relationship. We think that at least twice a year we have to share with our partners the rates from which we analyze their service, their quality, etc.., so that, knowing them, they can be able to correct that they do not come out very well and maintain the positive indicators.
“The purchasing procedures and policies should not obviate the human factor but focus on increase and improve the personal relations between client and supplier”
Thus the purchasing procedures and policies should not obviate the human factor but focus on increase and improve the personal relations between client and supplier as one of the keys to build up an excellent cast of suppliers who help us to offer better products and services to our clients who by the way, we are suppliers too.
