See the value of transparent sourcing

As procurement professionals know all too well, questions around supplier selection and management are impossible to avoid. Why this contract? Why that price? Why this product? Cue the inevitable paper chase and scramble to provide justification, which can prove tricky and time-consuming, not to mention diverting attention from other pressing tasks.

Best-practice procurement involves total transparency, presenting the fine detail of each decision-making process and collating all necessary information so it’s at hand, to be supplied without delay when required by auditors or management.

In their report last week entitled ‘Managing government suppliers’, the UK National Audit Office reminded us just how easily transparency can be compromised. In reviewing the Commercial Relationships Team’s handling and storage of data, the NAO identified various weaknesses:

‘The team does not use a central system for storing documentation for decision-making … The team has multiple engagements with suppliers and departments, leading to commercial decisions, judgements about performance, or agreed actions. There is a risk that, under current arrangements, there is no record of engagement with suppliers, including the basis for decisions such as blocks applied during the controls process, or that important information may be lost.’

This could well sound familiar, because similar criticisms can be raised when it comes to sourcing operations across the board, both large and small. Whether your company is public or private, a start-up employing just a handful of staff or an established firm turning over large amounts of money, transparency is not simply an added bonus but an essential aspect of the procurement process.

SourceDogg’s e-sourcing solution streamlines sourcing, incorporating an array of features to ensure fair and proper practice, discourage maverick spend, encourage compliance, and guarantee 100% transparency.

Users can export comprehensive information relating to each sourcing event at the touch of a button, and integrate these exports within an existing ERP environment. In addition, our scoring system means that procurement decisions are transparent, objective and justifiable, while our optional approval feature provides full managerial oversight.

Read more about how SourceDogg can provide you with full view of your sourcing here.

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