Sloth…..
Today’s post is written by Heather Powell, Manager of the COE Department & Project Manager at SafeSourcing Inc.
5. Sloth – Being too slow or lazy at doing something.
a. Laziness is giving in to the desire to do nothing. Being lazy can mean avoiding doing something else; whatever the hard thing is that you want to avoid doing. Taking laziness too far is avoidance of undesirable tasks (including thinking hard). We grow by doing challenging things.
In e-procurement sloth can be defined as- not having a contracts register/database meaning renewal dates are missed.
This results in missed opportunities to renegotiate contract terms and influence renewal pricing. This is especially prevalent in the area of utilities but also impacts photocopiers, maintenance contracts and additional services. In many cases you need to be giving notice on contracts 1, 3 or even 6 months in advance.
- How to avoid this:
- 1. Keep a contract register with all relevant dates. SafeSourcing offers a SafeContract™ for their customers who need to record, store, and track contracts.
- 2. Make sure you include those categories where others are in charge of renewal too as if the individuals move on, or happen to be off sick when a renewal is due it can very easily fall down the cracks and get missed. It also enables you to engage with colleagues throughout the renewal process to ensure they’re getting ‘best value’ on the customer’s behalf.
Do you recognize Sloth as a sign of sins in your business practices today? Stay tuned tomorrow for the 6th sin in e-procurement: Wrath and how to realize and avoid it.
For more information on how SafeSourcing can assist you in exploring your procurement solutions for your business or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative. We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.
We look forward to your comments.
