Last fall in our post on how the Trade Extensions Event Was Different, we noted two important things. The first was that the Trade Extensions event was different because, unlike many vendor events, not a single presentation was about their platform — it was all about the customer and the various types of value available to the customer (including a focussed vision, sustainability, and an understanding of how what comes next can generate value). The second was that their message was different. Unlike most vendors which focus on their key capability, their most powerful modules, etc, Trade Extensions only had one thing to say. It’s not optimization. It’s just sourcing.

And SI echoed this point in a series last fall because that’s the truth. It’s just sourcing. And sourcing is not just an RFX, e-Auction, or optimization-backed negotiation. It’s a process. A process that starts with the identification of a need and only ends after the last unit required by the organization has arrived safe and sound and is put to proper use or the last hour of service has been successfully completed.

This process covers the entire product or service lifecycle from the initial planning phase through the traditional sourcing phase (which includes the RFX, e-Auction, Optimization, Negotiation, Contract drafting and award) and the traditional execution phase (which includes performance, relationship, risk, task, and change management) to the analysis phase (which includes a formal review and opportunity assessment before the next opportunity is selected).

This process goes beyond what a typical platform will support, and what a typical vendor will tell you. Especially when the vendor’s platform will not support each and every step that you need to be aware of. But Trade Extensions will tell you (because only educated people can make proper use of a true optimization-backed Sourcing Platform), and to make sure they got it right, they commissioned the doctor to write an e-book that exemplifies the full end-to-end strategic sourcing lifecycle that makes it clear for one and all what it is, what it requires, and what you should keep in mind when looking for a platform to support one or more parts of the cycle. And that e-book has now been made available to anyone who wants it for FREE over on their site. Simply fill out a brief 5-box form and The Strategic Sourcing Lifecycle: A Brief Introduction, a 118 page e-book, can be yours today.

In addition to a detailed definition of each of the four phases (planning, sourcing, execution, and analysis), the e-book also takes you through the evolution of strategic sourcing, Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), the next level of sourcing, complex tenders, and the evolution of strategic sourcing platforms as well as providing you with a detailed sourcing glossary that will define the most common terms and abbreviations. This is essentially a print-book in e-book form as it even includes a full index!

Whereas the most an average vendor will give you is a long white-paper disguised as an e-book, just like the Spend Visibility Guide (still FREE) was the first true e-Book on Spend Visibility and Spend Analysis, this is the first true e-book on the full strategic sourcing lifecycle. Download the The Strategic Sourcing Lifecycle: A Brief Introduction today. It will be worth your time.