Increase your flexibility

Should buyers be moving toward output-based contracting?

What buyers want

What's important to you at work and how do purchasing jobs shape up?

US card audit finds 'abuse and waste'

Lingerie, iPods and internet dating are among items charged to purchasing cards by US government officials.

News, 24 April 2008

20% of buyers have been offered bribes by suppliers

A fifth of buyers claim a supplier has offered them a "sweetener" to secure business.

News, 24 April 2008

Call for more supplier audits

Buyers have been warned to audit vendors regularly to improve safety in the supply chain.

News 24 April 2008

Road sign spend hazard

A public procurement project to upgrade electronic road signs overran and cost £10 million more than expected.

News, 24 April 2008

Car firms boost joint buying

Auto giants Renault and Nissan have accelerated their joint purchasing operation, giving it responsibility for 90 per cent of spend across the two firms.

News, 24 April 2008

New post for PwC procurement head

PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) head of procurement is to take up a new role in the company.

News, 24 April 2008

Competition Commission plans: the big four reply

Supermarkets Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Asda have responded to the Competition Commission's (CC) proposed Groceries Supply Code of Practice.

News, 24 April 2008

Record number of entries for awards

This year's CIPS Supply Management Awards have attracted a record number of submissions.

News, 24 April 2008

112 firms accused of bid rigging

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has accused 112 construction companies of rigging tenders.

News, 24 April 2008

Build a greener future

The construction industry's green procurement group has called for greater transparency in the supply chain to improve sustainability.

News, 24 April 2008

Buyers not outsourcing problems

Buyers would rather outsource spend categories they are satisfied with, than those where procurement's influence or control is limited.

News, 24 April 2008

Big rise in senior buyers' pay

Senior procurement managers have seen their salaries balloon over the past 12 months.

News, 24 April 2008

Search for stars

With the rush for skilled staff in China now knocking at procurement's door, Gerry Mattios explores how you can recruit and retain the brightest and best local buyers

Features, 24 April 2008

Market on the move

Two Chinese buyers give their take on the state of the supply market, procurement and the economy's impact on each

Features, 24 April 2008

How to upgrade your people

If you want to recruit and retain the best purchasers in China, investing in the development of your staff is crucial. Rebecca Ellinor sees how IBM does it

Features, 24 April 2008

A source of inspiration

It's not only new, small operations that have something to learn about China sourcing, as Rebecca Ellinor discovers

Features, 24 April 2008

The upside of a downturn

All the signs point to an economic downturn. But, as Richard Brass discovers, this can present an opportunity for buyers

Features, 21 April 2008

Healing the NHS

In the NHS there is a shortage of procurement expertise within the primary sector commissioning bodies. Yet the Department of Health requires Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to embrace "world-class commissioning".

Soapbox, 24 April 2008

Sustainability: not just a checklist

Supply Management's China special issue (10 April) highlights both the interest in and challenges of sustainability and corporate responsibility. The topic has become multi-faceted and now covers corporate governance, ethical trading, human rights, environmental impact and regulation, to name a few.

First person, 24 April 2008

The key to peak performance

What are the best key performance indicators (KPIs) for a purchasing and logistics executive? Senior supply executive, Lae, Papua New Guinea

Adviser, 24 April 2008

Global Account Management - a complete action kit of tools and techniques

Peter Cheverton Kogan Page, £22.50

Reviews, 24 April 2008

IT Procurement Handbook for SMEs

David Nickson BCS, £29.99

Reviews, 24 April 2008

Providing flexibility

Paul Cinnamond looks at how buyers in the IT sector can best manage risk and ensure contracts can keep up with changing technology by moving toward output-based arrangements

Law update, 24 April 2008

Merana James v London Borough of Greenwich

Court report, 24 April 20008

The official cost of living

Government efficiency targets have had many victims and numerous champions.

Home truths, 24 April 2008

Your true calling

Are you trying to be something you're not? Jakki Ballard examines how identifying your true values can help you determine what you really want from your career

Knowedge zone, 24 April 2008