Procurement Services Associates

Does it matter what’s driving price volatility in soft commodities?

For those complaining about price volatility, soft commodities are not a place to be right now. These situations put stress on buying strategies and they don’t show any sign of easing up. Still, for some it’s not just uncertainty driving these erratic prices.

Looking through the soft commodity futures, and particularly the changes over the last month, three figures caught my eye. Cocoa futures have risen 6.46%, Sugar (no.11) has risen 14.68% and coffee has rocketed 22.3% in the last month.

Understandably, it wasn’t that long ago we were talking about soft commodities hitting the heights – but there is an interesting sideline to this, as I was reading in the FT recently.

The ballooning price would seem to have no small matter to do with the influence of certain traders, particularly in the London market, amassing strong positions through buying up large chunks of the market, then manipulating the futures prices.

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No Comments by admin on July 25, 2010
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Outsourcing market could be primed for the next big thing

If there’s one thing that the service providers I’ve spoken to recently would be likely to agree on, it’s that 2010 has not been easy – not by a stretch. Uncertainty continues to hold back the wild growth that many predicted. But the possibility that customers are beginning to grow restless with traditional outsourcing models is even more intriguing.

“While there is significant interest in conventional outsourcing, a growing number of buyers are also exploring options like virtual IT infrastructure and software as a service”, noted managing director of Equaterra’s global research, Stan Lepeak. Equaterra’s Q2 research showed quite convincingly that the economy is gradually becoming less of a driver for traditional outsourcing deals and customers are investigating the alternatives.

Meanwhile, TPI’s quarterly index painted a similar picture of a slow and uneven recovery for outsourcing. However, buried within that is the figure that suggests that 78% of the company’s clients have had internal discussions about cloud computing. Equaterra, meanwhile, found that 53% of service providers reported software as a service deals already under way.

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No Comments by admin on July 25, 2010
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Vance Checketts to head Aberdeen Procurement & Supply Management Practice

Vance Checketts to head Aberdeen Procurement & Supply Management Practice

Vance will be announced shortly as Aberdeen’s new leader for its Procurement and Supply Management. He strengthens an already strong team there. Spendmatters broke the news here.

Vance Checketts

Vance and I worked together for years at Oracle. During the .com boom days Vance was ‘CEO’ of Oracle’s Exchange.Oracle.Com business. He spent many years as leader of Oracle’s Procurement product management organization. More recently, Vance was top gun in a global overlay sales group – a key expert who not only interacted directly with prospects but also advised regional sales forces on trends in the Procurement market.

To date, one of the most impressive things I can say about Vance is that everyone we both know likes, admires, and respects him.

It will be great to see how the new and very much energized team at Aberdeen can do in the Procurement analyst market. Given the inexplicable lack of investment from other research firms, perhaps Aberdeen will take a chokehold on research and become the clear #1.

No Comments by admin on July 14, 2010
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Hypotheses on Moving Wal-Mart’s CEO to a New Role: Running Global Sourcing and Online Retailing

In late June, Wal-Mart announced it was moving Eduardo Castro-Wright, formerly the retail giant’s President and CEO of US operations, to a new role running global sourcing and its online retail business. Procurement Leaders succinctly captures the news headline in a dispatch noting, “The move, which sees Bill Simon taking over as president and CEO of Walmart US, illustrates the company’s commitment to online retailing and a resurgent attempt at dethroning Amazon.com as the world’s number one online retailer. It also underlies the importance of global sourcing to Walmart’s activities.”

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Furthermore, in a press release noting the appointment, Walmart President and CEO Mike Duke suggest that, “As we continue to become a truly global company and address the business challenges of a rapidly changing world, it is clear that Global.com and Global Sourcing are critical to our future growth and success … Appointing him to this role demonstrates our commitment and the importance we assign to these areas and to building the next generation Walmart.” In addition, the move will “also allow Eduardo to relocate to California to be with his family during his wife’s illness.”

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No Comments by admin on July 14, 2010
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Sourcing Optimization: A Basic Primer From an Expert

Sourcing Optimization: A Basic Primer From an Expert 

 procurement staffing
Spend Matters would like to welcome back Dr. Jason Brown, a former CTO at CombineNet, who will further share information on how companies can best apply optimization to their overall sourcing practices.   Money Savings

In previous posts, I brought up the fact that if analysts are running analytics without using optimization, their results may come up with AN answer that satisfies all of their business criteria, but not necessarily the BEST answer. Depending on the category of the criterion, this could impact anywhere from 1-20% of the total spend.

Additionally, if using pre-bundles, there is a tremendous amount of hedging of the supplier’s upward bids in case they are awarded a bundle in which they have no direct supply — meaning they would need to purchase some of the items at a higher price and then re-sell them. This pre-bundling also does not allow the suppliers to package items together in a way that enables efficiency within their operations. If the suppliers are able bundle the items a way that makes the most operational sense for them, then they can produce them at a lower cost, and thus pass those savings on to the buyers. In effect, the suppliers make more money and the buyers save more money.

Unfortunately, unbundling and bidding on the individual items makes for many, many more individual items that are out to bid. The optimization engines need to be scalable in order to handle tens of thousands of items instead of just a few.

– Dr. Jason Brown

No Comments by admin on July 14, 2010
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Allow Change to Work for You

At the root of all growth, we find change. Allow it to work for you not against.

Transformation is a universal constant that affects our lives from the moment we are born until we leave earthly existence behind. At the root of all growth, we find change. Occasionally, change and the circumstances leading up to it are a source of extraordinary joy, but more often than not they provoke feelings of discomfort, fear, or pain. Though many changes are unavoidable, we should not believe that we are subject to the whims of an unpredictable universe. It is our response to those circumstances that will dictate the nature of our experiences. At the heart of every transformation, no matter how chaotic, there is substance. When we no longer resist change and instead regard it as an opportunity to grow, we find that we are far from helpless in the face of it.

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No Comments by admin on June 21, 2010
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Job Tasks for: “Procurement Clerk”

Job Tasks for: “Procurement Clerk”

procurement people

Prepare purchase orders and send copies to suppliers and to departments originating requests.

Determine if inventory quantities are sufficient for needs, ordering more materials when necessary.

Respond to customer and supplier inquiries about order status, changes, or cancellations.

Perform buying duties when necessary.

Contact suppliers in order to schedule or expedite deliveries and to resolve shortages, missed or late deliveries, and other problems.

Review requisition orders in order to verify accuracy, terminology, and specifications.

Prepare, maintain, and review purchasing files, reports and price lists.

Compare prices, specifications, and delivery dates in order to determine the best bid among potential suppliers.

Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders.
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No Comments by admin on June 14, 2010
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Adding work to an existing “already sourced” portfolio

When adding work to an existing “already sourced” portfolio, there are several considerations one should consider each time. While it is often an easy decision to choose a quick solution or the incumbent service provider, something important typically gets overlooked in these scenarios.

1.  Understand how big it is. Before you bid something out, do your homework and understand what level of effort is required to do the work you are bidding out. If you were to do the project, how many people and what skill would be required, and how long would it take? Is it a simple project with few interfaces, or does the project have tentacles throughout the organization? Is the knowledge required to complete the project localized, size, leadership and technical expertise components of the project before you award the or is it spread throughout the globe?

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No Comments by admin on June 14, 2010
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Staffing services for clients seeking employees

Staffing services for clients seeking employees!

Are you looking for comprehensive staffing services where impetus is always on careful screening of the appropriately qualified candidates? If yes, then you are at the right place. PSA has been matching the right industrial workers to the right clients.

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Procurement Service Associates specializes in harmonizing top talented professional candidates with companies for temporary staffing services in India, temp to Hire, temp contract, contract staffing projects and direct hire placement positions.

We are the leading IT Non-IT staffing service company in United States that service short term, long term or project based manpower staffing requirements.

Our hands-on experience in the various fields and an exclusive partnership with the companies, provide us with the access to the best and brightest talent in the marketplace, and staffing services unique in the industry

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No Comments by admin on June 6, 2010
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Fellowship with a Purpose-Starting a Group-Thoughts

If you are feeling the need for community, why not start a group in your area with people of similar interests.

Human beings, by their very nature, love to gather. Yet as much as we crave community, the rigors of real life frequently interfere with our efforts to come together with likeminded individuals. For this reason, fellowship is crucial to humanity’s wellbeing now more than ever. Most towns and cities play host to a variety of small groups that allow people to congregate purposefully, but that does not mean we should not consider founding our own. When people with similar interests, ideals, or aspirations come together as a group, a community is built that provides a new dimensionality to our earthly experiences.

The formation of a group is like an invitation welcoming all those desiring companionship and camaraderie into a circle of support. You may feel driven to found a group for women, healers, knitters, readers, writers, or political activists. Rules need only be a part of your communal experience if you find that level of organization appealing, and it matters little whether your group is large, goal-oriented, or structured. When you have a firm vision of the group you wish to bring into being, hang posters, reach out to acquaintances, and get in touch with similar groups to attract
participants. Groups of likeminded individuals are to some extent inherently exclusionary, being that they serve as a supportive environment in which people who have something in common can gather. Yet such groups can also transcend the boundaries that might otherwise keep people apart, The group you create will likely attract people from many different ethnic, cultural,and spiritual backgrounds, and if you make these individuals feel equally welcome, your group will grow and thrive as a result.

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No Comments by admin on May 28, 2010
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