COMMERCE EDGE
Training in Midrand

SmartProcurement has a fifteen-year history as an online communications and media channel, which focuses on the niche segment of Procurement and Supply Management (P&SM) for over 2 500 departments and 19 000 personnel active in the national supply chains of medium to large organisations in the private and public sectors. Our readers generally make or influence the Procurement and Purchasing decisions within their organisations. We cater to an audience of procurement practitioners with designations such as BEE Supplier Officers, Commodity and Contract Managers, Purchasing and Procurement Managers, P&SM Strategists and Sourcing Analysts and Specialists, active in all sectors of commerce and industry in all tiers of government, including parastatals and State owned-enterprises. This question usually caused some debate, because Procurement Functions of the time were predominantly tasked with the administration of purchasing, rather than strategic Procurement. Almost ten years on a great many organisations have taken the leap to reposition where Procurement is headed. Never before has the responsibility of Procurement leaders been higher, and the opportunities more prevalent to escalate Procurement to main board level, to receive recognition. However, just as the battle to win strategic recognition from organisations is being won, a lack of available and talented leaders is cited as a major reason for Procurement and Supply Managers not reporting directly to EXCO level. There are gaps in the skill sets of some organisations as the expertise is simply just not available. Many organisations are seeking ways to fit more staff into less office space, while maintaining a conducive and more productive work environment. And how are organisations, locally and internationally, adapting to incorporate these changes into their strategic plans for 2013? Case Study: Sourcing success through restructuring the procurement function. Concurrently, the facility manager’s primary client, one of the South Africa's major telecommunications service providers, contractually raised the facility manager’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Facilities services are to a great extent outsourced to specialist companies who do the work or subcontract it to other companies, while the client organisation manages the facilities management (FM) arrangements. In today’s competitive global workplace organisations are challenged with providing their staff with working environments that offer practicality, stimulation and comfort in order to attract and retain the best possible talent in the marketplace. One of the fundamental drivers of providing staff these aspects sits within the organisation’s Facilities Management (FM) space. Facilities Management Services: a holistic approach enables cost containment and better management. This commodity group has even been defined as 'a mainstream tool for improving performance and increasing productivity over the entire period of an alliance '. Developing a world-class procurement strategy Date to be confirmed.