After the orders, time to reconcile everything.
The morning was taken up with the IS&T Management Team pulling information together about what’s gone through as orders to ensure we’re on target as expected.
The afternoon was a series of phone conversations including one with one of our key systems suppliers about how we want to work together in the future.
It’s important both for us and for our suppliers that the relationship is a healthy one rather than it simply being about supply and demand. We get greater benefit from putting time into those relationships, and in understanding the requirements of both parties. If we can change some of our processes, especially around timescales and times of the year for example, our suppliers can often provide us with a better service. Better joining up to plan procurements also helps our suppliers gear up, so that we get what we need when we need it.
On the systems side, the benefits are often about getting advance notice of product ‘roadmaps’ that help us see the strategic direction the product is being taken in, and sometimes even being able to influence that so it better meets our needs.
It is something that needs to be worked at though, as with all important relationships.
Tags: budget, finance, money, procurement, suppliers