Category Archives: Supplier Information Management

Forget SIM. The Real Answer is SIR.

Earlier this year, Spend Matters ran a post by Jason Busch on Why Collect Supplier Information that highlighted some of the information needs addressed in a recent piece by Mr. Busch and Mr. Gustin on “Supplier Enablement for Invoice Discounting and Supply Chain Finance: Background, Tips, and Secrets for Success” that not only highlighted some of the needs for detailed supplier information but also outlined many other reasons why organizations need supplier information.

The traditional answer to this is Supplier Information Management (SIM), implemented by way of a supplier portal where suppliers provide, maintain, and verify their information to the buyer on an as-needed basis. While this sounded like a good solution, especially since the amount of information some buyers need to collect on a single supplier can be staggering, which makes the task almost impossible for a large organization with thousands of suppliers, all it does is shift the burden to the supplier. The rationale provided was that the supplier, who needs to sell its wares, would accept it as a cost of doing business, especially since the supplier would need to provide much of that information on an RFX anyway and this way only has to provide the information to the buyer once as it would be maintained and reusable on every future RFX or information request.

This sounds fine and dandy, but really only makes sense if the workload for the supplier is less than the workload for the buyer. Otherwise, the work is just being shifted, overall supply chain efficiency is not increasing, and cost is not being take out of the supply chain. And SIM is not delivering on its promise.

The reality is that the workload for the supplier is not decreased because, with the proliferation of SIM systems across Procurement, more and more organizations are asking more and more of suppliers. And the perception that the supplier has less customers than the buyer has strategic suppliers is not always correct. Since most large buyers with risk avoidance tendencies only buy from large suppliers, and since suppliers can only become large suppliers by attracting a large client base, the supplier has as many buyers as the buyer has strategic suppliers — and the supplier has just as much data entry and maintenance to do as the buyer did before the buyer purchased its SIM solution. The work hasn’t been minimized, only shifted, and the cost has only increased because the supplier’s cost of data maintenance is no less than the buyer, and the supplier will just add a mark-up to cover their cost.

The true answer to the supplier information problem is not a SIM solution, but a SIR solution — an on-line, shared-access, Supplier Information Repository where a supplier can enter all of their information once, maintain it, and, under a fine-grained security model, share it with their customers (the buyers) on an as-needed basis. This reduces costs for all parties and truly takes costs out of the supply chain as the supplier only has to maintain one set of data, and the buyers can access all data from all suppliers for one low-cost annual subscription, which, because a vendor does not have to maintain multiple SIM instances, allows the vendor to offer repository access at a cost that is less than the cost of a traditional SIM solution.

Procurement Trend #16. Stronger Supplier Relationships

Thirteen anti-trends from those crazy eighties (or earlier) still remain, and as much as we’d like to provide some entertainment that hasn’t been rebooted and re-rebooted to LOLCat who is bored with our continuing anti-trend coverage, we must continue to play Sam Sheepdog and make sure that no Ralph E. Wolfe in sheep’s clothing goes undetected or unrewarded for his effort.

So why do so many historians keep pegging stronger supplier relationships as a future trend? Besides the fact that they are likely still struggling to pronounce col-lab-o-ra-tion (which is a undoubtably a new word for them), it is probably because even the Businessman knows that:

  • delivery dates can make or break a product release and a company

    as a late launch can allow your competition to launch first and secure a substantial amount of marketshare that your company may never get back

  • knowledge work needs to be done with knowledge

    and you can’t fake it by throwing more warm bodies at it

  • supplier failures can often be prevented, but only with foresight

    once a supplier’s doors have been closed, it’s too late to reconsider that 180 day net-terms policy

So what does this mean?

Delivery Dates

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is key. In order to make sure everything stays on schedule, Supply Management has to monitor, or manage as the case may be, the design, the supplier selection, prototype production, full production, transportation, and the delivery schedule. Any delay anywhere in the process that goes uncaught and uncorrected in a timely fashion will result in a missed delivery date.

Knowledge Work

As per our many previous posts, including our posts on inter-departmental collaboration, more stakeholder collaboration, and talent, we’re in a knowledge economy and supply management is knowledge work. Implement a good Knowledge Lifecycle Management solution, get training, collect knowledge from your employees, partners, suppliers, and customers and put it to use.

Supplier Failure

Suppliers typically fail for financial reasons, and this is often something that can be foreseen. You can follow the financial risk ratings, or you can just pay close attention to what is happening. There are always cues when a supplier is in trouble. Multiple contacts disappear overnight. Late deliveries. Poor quality. And so on. Often it’s just a cash-flow problem that is easily fixed by simply paying the supplier a little earlier (which, for many companies, translates into simply paying the supplier on time) so it can cover its operating costs. When you consider that the supplier has to buy the raw materials, produce the goods, ship the goods, wait for you to get them, and then wait for the clock to start ticking on the invoice when you can often sell the goods as soon as you get them, it’s completely understandable that they can be struggling to make payroll when they have to float operations for six months or more when you, if you are selling a hot electronics item or piece of apparel, can get paid in six days or less.

Risk Management and Suppliers: How Banks can Comply with the OCC’s Guidelines on Third-Party Relationships

Today’s guest post is from Rebecca Lorden, Business Development and Marketing Manager of Source One Management Services, LLC.

In October of 2013, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released specific guidelines to banks and federal savings associations that outline how their companies should assess and manage risks associated with third-party relationships. The OCC’s reason behind these guidelines was mainly due to the fact that “the quality of risk management over third-party relationships may not be keeping pace with the level of risk and complexity of these relationships“. (OCC Bulletin 2013-29, October 2013).

It is true that third-parties pose a threat if their own security protocols are not up to par with that of a major financial institution. In fact, in March of 2013, Bank of America became quite aware of this when they announced that a hack into TEKsystems, a third-party security firm they contracted, was the reason their internal emails were released to the public. These emails were no ordinary messages, but documented proof that Bank of America was monitoring hacktivist groups. Furthermore, the hacking group, known as Anonymous, later revealed that data was not retrieved from a traditional, time intensive and difficult hack, but “stored on a misconfigured server and basically open for grabs“. (“Bank Of America Says Data Breach Occurred At Third Party”, Computer World, February 2013). The scandal was not only damaging to Bank of America’s reputation, but also an obvious indication that banks needed to manage supplier risk more effectively.

The OCC’s guidelines outline eight key phases that should be considered when developing risk management processes. These phases include planning, third-party selection, contract negotiations, monitoring, termination, accountability, reporting and reviews. As clear as that might be, banks are still struggling on how to properly implement controls around these factors. That is where supplier relationship management can play a significant role.

Supplier relationship management, otherwise known as SRM, is the actual practice of strategic planning and managing all interactions with third-parties to maximize their value. Many think of SRM as a way to reduce spend. SRM processes can reduce quality issues and delays with suppliers that, in turn, can translate into cost savings. More importantly, however, SRM can function as a main component in reducing a bank’s risk with suppliers. Supply chain experts feel as though SRM offers a “solid framework” that can provide companies with a “formal risk and control process to follow“. (Building The Case For Supplier Relationship Management, May 2014).

For those that already have an SRM program in place, or believe SRM is just a sales tactic for supply chain consultants, now may be the time to reevaluate. First, suppliers can be neglected over the course of their contract. Even if the relationship started off on a good foot, the value from a supplier can diminish pretty quickly, especially if the supplier or the bank is faced with turnover or a redirection in initiatives. SRM dictates a process that continually communicates and supports the relationship, helping build supplier engagement no matter what changes are on the horizon. Secondly, for those non-believers, consider this: if managing suppliers is now a major priority set by the OCC, what better way to adhere to these guidelines than to build a solid foundation on which to base all third-party relationships on?

It certainly seems that these OCC guidelines are a daunting task for banks to tackle. Managing supplier risks and enforcing compliance is not something that can be done overnight. Banks, however, have a secure solution in supplier relationship management. SRM can be the catalyst to successful third-party relationship management, ensuring that the risks are minimized to the best of a bank’s ability.

Thanks, Rebecca.

HICX Solutions Wants To Buy You A Shiny New Pair of Shoes! Part III

In Part II of this series we not only noted that HICX, which stands for Harmonize, Integrate, Control, and eXchange, is a relatively new SIM offering on the market (even though it has been in development since 2004), addresses the classic SIM sweet-spots, but also hits a few new ones. Not only does it include on-boarding and an integrated supplier portal like classic SIM, and more than adequately address Performance and Compliance Management — mainstays of current SIM platforms, but also goes beyond to offer a complete Master Data Management (MDM) solution for your Supply Management operation.

But that isn’t the only trick it offers. As hinted at in Part I, it not only allows a user to define, and redefine, data models as necessary but define, and redefine, workflows as necessary to allow an organization to not only accommodate new product demands but adapt to new technologies and new business requirements as they arise. These new tricks are not to be underestimated. While a number of platforms allow you to extend and augment the data model, most do not allow the data model to be extended after the fact, and those that do require all existing elements to have the new property defined, or at least defaulted (to a default or a value that represents a not-yet-defined value).

In contrast, the HICX platform allows the data model for any element to be updated at any time by any user with authority, and since the HICX platform supports versioning with all data elements of the data model, no existing elements are impacted or need to be updated since the data (element) model is loaded with each data element and each data element is validated against the (element) model it was created with. (Once the data element is loaded, the user can add any additional elements required to update the associated data model, if desired.)

But that’s not the best trick that the HICX platform has to offer. The best trick is that the platform allows the workflow to be updated at any time by any user with the authority to do so, even if the workflow is being used in an initiative currently in progress — such as an on-boarding, compliance, or performance improvement initiative. This is because the platform not only versions data models, but workflows that drive the product and initiatives. If, during an event, the event administrator notices that that the workflow is causing problems for the suppliers and can be simplified, or notices that the information being collected is not what was expected, the administrator can simplify the workflow or add additional, mandatory, data requests. Suppliers who have already started the workflow will be able to finish the current workflow, and can then be sent a request for additional information by the administrator (who can limit the request to suppliers on the older version of the workflow) but suppliers who did not begin the initiative before the update will start on the new workflow.

But the real power of the workflow management capability is the ability to change registration, data collection, and performance measurement workflows (and associated data element models) when suppliers change, products change, and evaluation methods change. Traditional SIM platforms decline in usage because they can’t keep up with changing business requirements and user needs. But with the ability to update workflows to match the business needs at any time, using an integrated visual workflow designer, the HICX platform insures that SIM is always relevant and current. It’s the new trick that most SIM platforms have been missing.

Other tricks include:

  • Dynamic Dashboards

    like any good SIM product, the HICX platform supports user dashboards, but doesn’t stop at one dashboard per user — the user can create as many dashboards as he or she wants and customize them to specific purposes — compliance, performance improvement, on-boarding, insurance, etc.; the tool includes a sophisticated dashboard designer that allows a knowledgeable user to design a dashboard that is actually relevant to the initiative at hand (which can be focussed on non-compliance, non-performance etc. — since we all know that dashboards that report success are dangerous and dysfunctional)

  • Advanced Search

    that allows the user to search for any data element using any fields, and filter using any set of fixed values (lists) and related elements; these searches can be used to define supplier sets for initiatives, using as many dimensions as necessary to get it right

  • User Defined Escalations

    that allow the user to define multiple levels of automated escalation during initiatives, where each escalation can occur at a different interval and be targeted to a different group or individual

These aren’t all the tricks the platform has to offer, but they are most of the tricks of note that serve to distinguish the HICX platform from the other SIM products on the market. If you’re on the market for a SIM solution, you should definitely take a look. The name and website might be a bit non-descriptive, but the tool certainly isn’t.

HICX Solutions Wants To Buy You A Shiny New Pair of Shoes! Part II

In Part I we noted that, despite the fact that SIM (Supplier Information Management) was old news and a mature Supply Management solution offering (as the early leaders in this space were formed as early as 2000), it may still have a few tricks up its sleeves and the acquisition of the right technology platform might just get the acquirer a shiny new pair of shoes that are as coveted as Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers. (Of course, the acquisition of the wrong technology might get the acquirer a pink slip.)

We also noted in Part I that HICX, which stands for Harmonize, Integrate, Control, and eXchange, a relatively new SIM offering on the market (even though it has been in development since 2004), not only addresses the classic SIM sweet-spots, but also hits a few new ones that can bring significant value to your organization if properly implemented and utilized as it brings with it a new bag of tricks. How does it do this?

Let’s start with the five major areas of SIM covered in Part I:

  • Onboarding

    The HICX platform not only allows the entire process to be automated, but allows the workflow to be customized to each supplier according to the supplier type (sub-contractor, one-off vendor, product, service, importer, government agency, etc.), the region the supplier is in, the business unit(s) the supplier deals with, the products or services the supplier offers, the languages the supplier uses, and the data that is required for performance, compliance, or other initiatives that involve the supplier. The customized process insures that the supplier is only asked for data that is needed, and that the supplier can designate the appropriate personnel to provide that data. The portal can be configured to include a significant number of data checks to not only make sure that the data is of the right type (numeric, alpha-numeric, attachment, etc.) but that the data provided makes sense (is in range, is from a pre-defined set of answers, etc.) — which prevents a lot of typos (which can result in bad scorecards and unnecessary alerts in an exception management setup, which the platform also supports). In addition, known supplier data can be pre-populated for review, and can even come from supplier directories (including the D&B directory). It’s very easy for the user doing the onboarding to customize this process as that user can customize the process by simply selecting the supplier type, region, business unit, products, services, languages, etc. of relevance to each supplier and the system does the rest. The user then has the option to add or remove additional requirements for individual suppliers, and override any and all defaults (that they have the authority to override as per the fine-grained permissions and securities models).

  • Master Data Management

    Not only does the MDM solution provide you with numerous “out-of-the-box” data models, standards, and validations that you can customize as needed, but it recognizes that MDM systems have to integrate with downstream ERP/MRP systems, upstream sourcing and procurement systems, and even overarching BI, Spend Analysis, and Reporting systems that cross and connect the streams. (Supply Management streams are not dematerializers — sometimes it is beneficial if the streams cross.) As a result, it has out-of-the-box integrations with a number of upstream, downstream, and mid-stream systems and can push, pull, and sync data as required according to any number of user-defined rules. Plus, it allows certain aspects of master data, including bank master data, to be handled separately (and stored in separate, heavily encrypted, and highly secure data sources).

  • Performance Management

    The performance management component, as expected, allows the user to build scorecards around business goals and use whatever information is required, whether it is supplier provided, internal or third-party and whether it comes from the SIM solution, upstream solutions, downstream solutions, or cross-stream solutions. It also supports a very dynamic and flexible scoring mechanism that can support whatever formulae the user feels is necessary to construct an adequate scorecard.

  • Compliance Management

    The compliance module allows the user to create and manage compliance initiatives across one or more suppliers for one or more projects. This can be as simple as collecting raw material data to insure that the products your suppliers are manufacturing do not contain any restricted substances under RoHS or other directives, or as complex as collecting all data relating to sustainability initiatives to directly and indirectly support your organization-wide Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.

  • Integrated Supplier Portal

    As per our coverage of the on-boarding solution, the portal is streamlined so that the supplier is only asked for data that is needed, all aspects of the portal provide the supplier with a consistent experience, and the supplier can designate the appropriate personnel to provide and maintain the data that is needed on a data type, product, or initiative basis.

But this is not all that the HICX solution has to offer. Come back for Part III.