Don’t Have Time to Run an RFP?

So, you don’t have time to run an RFP.  Well, who does really?

Requests for Proposals are time-consuming affairs (the average RFP eats between 350 and 500 hours) and once you’re done, who’s to say you’re going to net any benefit?  

When you’ve got a short turnaround time to obtain proposals from vendors and services suppliers, the RFP process can be an exercise in futility that demands more than it delivers. And you may not have those precious hours to expend.  

In this blog, we’ll talk a little about why that is and then, a better way to undertake the process.

Time is money

Putting together an RFP is a major undertaking.  It can take weeks or months to develop requirements.  Then, there’s formatting. Next, you need to compile prospective suppliers and finally, collate and analyze responses.

But you know what?  RFPs take up precious time on the supplier side, too.

And where’s the guarantee for suppliers that you’re not just fishing?  Suppliers these days cast a jaded eye on RFPs coming through the door and may be less inclined to respond.  That means you’re not getting a 360 of what’s out there.

Suppliers need to know that the RFPs they’re looking at are geared to building a better mousetrap. They need to know they have a chance at a successful bid and aren’t just spending valuable resources chasing a ghost.

Getting around RFPs with a GPO

A Group Purchasing Organization is the way companies like yours are bypassing the onerous RFP process, saving them human resources, time and money.

You don’t need to hunt down sometimes reluctant suppliers’ proposals with a GPO, because that work is already done.  Because a GPO leverages the collective resources of its members, your buying power increases. You’ve got access to bulk purchasing you’d never have on your own – RFP or no RFP.

Savings and efficiencies

A GPO can save your company between 10% and 35% on indirect spend.  By having access to better pricing because of the power of numbers (our members), you save money.  But you also streamline your procurement function, making it more efficient and cost-effective.

No more time-consuming RFPs.  No more complex negotiating process with multiple suppliers.  Your GPO has that covered.

What’s more, your record of purchasing for the past year allows a GPO to forecast cost savings, helping you budget more effectively.

A GPO centralizes procurement.  You’ll still make all the decisions that matter but your human resources’ hands will be freed to pursue more productive work.  No more continual wrangling with suppliers to get the best price.

Puff yourself up

One of the great beauties of the GPO way of doing things is that your small or medium-sized business puffs itself up to the size of a much bigger company, gaining you the attention of big-name suppliers.

Because you’ve got the power of numbers behind you, you’ve got major league clout that brings you savings from top-drawer market players.

With CenterPoint Group, you can kiss RFPs goodbye.  The power of numbers sets you free.

The post Don’t Have Time to Run an RFP? appeared first on Centerpoint.

source https://centerpointgroup.com/dont-have-time-to-run-an-rfp/

What Are Some of Your Current Challenges in Purchasing?

We’ve all got our problems and procurement professionals are no exception.  As with every business sector, procurement is facing economic, social and technological change that’s coming fast and furious.

It can be a little disconcerting how quickly things can change in a dynamic landscape like the one we’re in.

So, what are some of your current challenges in purchasing?  We’re willing to bet they’re not that different from those of professionals elsewhere, with finding the right people being a big one.

In a jobs market with more vacancies than people hoping to fill them, the kind of talent procurement needs is thin on the ground.  Retaining it when you finally find it can be tough, too. Then there’s downward pressure on pricing, arising from fluctuations in the prices of commodities and services.

Finally, procurement’s ability to absorb change and emerge from its rigors victorious is a major concern. Change doesn’t wait.  People are accustomed to doing things a certain way and sometimes, that puts the brakes on positive change that can benefit your company.

In this post, we’re going to tell you how CenterPoint Group can put these challenges to rest.  We’re a purchasing partner that gives you what you need to produce exceptional results in procurement.

Talent?  We’ve got it

CenterPoint’s teams consist of procurement professionals, former employees of suppliers and business professionals who bring our customers all the right talent to bring their purchasing processes up to the minute.

With 15 years of data and market experience, we’re a team of seasoned experts who have served 20% of the Fortune 500 during our tenure in this sector.

We are the talent you’re seeking and we stick around for as long as you need us.

Shifting economic sands are no match for CenterPoint

While it’s true that the market is volatile, there’s no cause for alarm with CenterPoint Group in your corner.  We bring you indexed pricing and caps which preclude market volatility, taming it so that you know what to expect.

Employing key data, we look at your last year’s purchasing figures, analyzing them and forecasting your needs.  You know what you’re getting into with CenterPoint, so that the market and its vagaries are somebody else’s problem – not yours.

Facing change head on

Big data only sounds scary.  What it is, in truth, is your ticket to more responsive purchasing process that identifies trends and market realities and gets ahead of them.  Big data can also track every transaction in a complex purchasing setup, ensuring that nothing falls between the cracks and that every purchase you make is fully accounted for.

Global purchasing, done right, is a process of creating greater efficiencies and streamlining operations.  And the ability to make those wonderful things happen is what big data gives us.

That’s why we face change head on at CenterPoint.  Because we’ve done it, our members benefit, with insights that set the scene for superior savings and increased efficiencies.

If purchasing challenges are keeping you up at night, contact us.  We’ll get that seen to.

The post What Are Some of Your Current Challenges in Purchasing? appeared first on Centerpoint.

source https://centerpointgroup.com/what-are-some-of-your-current-challenges-in-purchasing/

Are You Tired of Not Getting Top Level Customer Service from Your Suppliers?

Your company spends a lot of money with your suppliers, so when you call them with a problem, a question or a complaint, you expect to find someone on the other end of the phone with a solution, an answer or a response.

But you don’t.  You leave messages.  You send emails. Nothing.  Sometimes you think your supplier is just a figment of your imagination or perhaps a disembodied robotic presence, like Hal in A Space Odyssey.

But even a disembodied robotic presence can answer a question.

Are you tired of not getting top-level customer service from your suppliers?  If you’re reading this, that’s probably the case. Maybe it’s slow response, late deliveries, or incomplete orders, but whatever it is that’s getting on your nerves, you’re not alone.

Customer service.  A quaint vestige of the past?

People everywhere are talking about a trend in customer service that doesn’t bode well.  It seems that wherever you go, attentive, responsive customer service has become a quaint vestige of the past.

Ask for help online, sometime and enter a maze of pages and sub-pages which seek to answer your question.  You may finally arrive at a complaints page, but the void your complaint is conveyed to sucks it into its depths and a response is never received.

Or, you may encounter a friendly “customer service chat” which only frustrates you further, as the chirpy words being offered to do nothing to solve your problem.  It’s frustrating!

But at CenterPoint Group, customer service is as 21st Century as our use of data to track every transaction and interaction in your supply chain, ensuring that nothing falls between the cracks.

We believe in customer service because it’s a big part of what we do.

Connecting with you

CenterPoint Group GPO’s members get the kind of customer service most people only dream of.  The suppliers we work with are required by the terms of our agreements with them to provide you with a dedicated account manager.  And that’s just the beginning of our best-in-class customer service.

Your supplier-side account manager has a twin at CenterPoint.  When you need mediation, CenterPoint is there to smooth over any misunderstandings and get everyone to “yes”.

At CenterPoint, we make sure you’re not left hanging when you’ve got a problem, a question or a complaint.  

No disembodied robotic presences here.

The concierge treatment

Concierge level treatment is the highest form of customer service and that’s what we practice at CenterPoint.

We personalize our services to meet your needs, guaranteeing seamless implementation, a streamlined billing process and a web ordering platform that’s custom-tailored to you.

Your CenterPoint Customer Service Representative is your link to getting the best from suppliers.  There’s no ambiguity about who the customer is when you’re enjoying concierge customer service with CenterPoint.

21st-century service

If you’re tired of not getting top-level customer service from your suppliers, then it’s time to make the leap to CenterPoint.  Contact us to find out more about our 21st-century customer service.

The post Are You Tired of Not Getting Top Level Customer Service from Your Suppliers? appeared first on Centerpoint.

source https://centerpointgroup.com/not-getting-top-level-customer-service-from-suppliers/

Are You Reviewing all Possible Spend Areas of Your Business?

What your business spends money on is a whole lot of different things.  When it comes to indirect spend, you may not be quite sure what’s going on under the hood.

Are you reviewing all possible spend areas of your business?  It’s highly likely that you’re not, because it’s a big conversation with a lot of moving parts.  From safety to office supplies, energy to wireless telecom, your spending on daily business needs is distributed to a lot of different categories.

CenterPoint Group is the answer to drilling down into your purchasing to find out where the money’s going and how less of that money can go there.  Because you’ve got enough going on, you can’t keep tabs on every aspect of your spending.

But we can.

Immediate results

When you join CenterPoint Group, you’ll see results in under two weeks.  But those results grow with time.

Your savings are sustainable with CenterPoint because you get multi-year protections derived from indexed pricing and caps.

With CenterPoint, price increases are rare.  We’ve got the negotiating leverage needed to ensure that favorable prices stick.  That lets you relax, as your spend is brought under control with the oversight of your trusted procurement advisor – CenterPoint.

MRO magic

Maintenance, repairs, and operations (MRO) is a huge spend area, encompassing everything from machinery and parts to cleaning supplies and other daily needs associated with the conduct of your business.

There are literally thousands of categories and sub-categories which combine to create MRO, so it’s unlikely you’ll get a handle on all of them without the support of a GPO like CenterPoint Group.

So many companies distribute MRO purchasing across multiple locations, but that’s not efficient.  With CenterPoint, MRO is centralized, streamlined and costs are reduced. This is a complex area which requires a practiced, focused hand and you’ll get that, with CenterPoint.

Pre-negotiated agreements.

CenterPoint offers members category expertise in key areas like MRO, office supplies, safety and PPE, wireless and energy.

With a strong command of markets and category expertise, we dispense with the need to spend valuable human resources hours on RFPs which may or may not bear fruit.

We’re able to create highly competitive agreements for our members which bring them best-in-class terms and conditions.  That saves you the complex, time-consuming business of negotiating with multiple suppliers.

You save time and money when CenterPoint is reviewing all possible spend areas of your business.

Value. Leadership. Integrity

With total transparency and accountability, CenterPoint brings you finely-tuned, outsourced support that gets you the cost savings you need to meet your goal, creating a Center of Excellence in procurement.

We bring our members value.  In only two weeks, you’ll see what we mean.  With no long-term commitment required from you and no minimum purchases, you’ll see our value while barely lifting a finger.

CenterPoint leads and innovates in the strategic sourcing sector with over 10 years of market and data experience.  And our knowledge delivers.

Contact us to experience the power of numbers with a trusted procurement advisor – CenterPoint Group.

The post Are You Reviewing all Possible Spend Areas of Your Business? appeared first on Centerpoint.

source https://centerpointgroup.com/reviewing-all-possible-spend-areas-of-your-business/