Musings on Making Mistakes and why we have E&O Insurance!

March 5th, 2020

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

 

Today’s post is from our archives at  SafeSourcing.

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” ― Albert Einstein

“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.” ― Rita Mae Brown

Mistakes are inevitable, we all make them. In fact, life would be incomplete without them; and yet many of us waste valuable time and energy covering them up or even denying their existence. Making a mistake is not the worst thing we can do. I believe it is how we react to and reflect upon our mistakes that can make all the difference. In my opinion, our mistakes are some of the most well informed references in the library of our life’s experience. Once we are willing to embrace them for the lessons that they provide, we are able to learn that they contain a wealth of data about how best to conduct our lives moving forward. If only we could spend more time and energy extracting the gifts of wisdom from our mistakes and less time regretting them, we might also be more likely to extend that same forgiveness and compassion to others, thus contributing to an overall kinder and gentler world. Where’s the mistake in that?

And speaking of mistakes, here are just a few of my favorite mistaken song lyrics:

Hold me closer Tony Danza… Count the head lice on the highway – Elton John

I’ve got two chickens to paralyze – Eddie Money

This is the dawning of the Age of Asparagus – the 5th Dimension

There’s a bathroom on the right – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Donuts make my brown eyes blue – Crystal Gayle

Do you like bean enchiladas and getting caught in the rain? – Rupert Holmes

The sheep don’t like it… Rock the catbox! Rock the catbox! – the Clash

Interested in learning how SafeSourcing can help your company run more efficiently? Like to try a risk free trial? Please don’t hesitate to contact SafeSourcing. Our team is ready and available to assist you!

Posted in | Comments Off on Musings on Making Mistakes and why we have E&O Insurance!

Prickly Pear Cactus May Solve Plastic Problems

March 4th, 2020

Prickly pear cactus paddles contain large amounts of sugars and gum, making them a good candidate to create “biopolymers”.

 

 

Today’s post is by Gayl Southard, Administrative Consultant at SafeSourcing, Inc.

The prickly pear is sometimes used as a novelty ingredient in margaritas, or in jelly for Arizona tourists. The microscopic barbs on the paddles can be very painful if you brush up against this cactus. Researchers at a university in Mexico have developed a way to turn the pulp from the paddles into a biodegradable plastic. This could not have come at a better time as plastic pollution has reached epic proportions. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (a floating mass of plastic) is now larger than Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico combined!

Plastic breaks down and eventually is consumed by marine life. An autopsy of a washed up whale in the Philippines revealed 88 pounds of plastic in its stomach. Humans also ingest roughly 50,000 microscopic pieces of plastic each year.

Prickly pear cactus paddles contain large amounts of sugars and gum, making them a good candidate to create “biopolymers”. Corn has been used for a long time in creating polymer products to make biodegradable spoons and cups. Corn, however, leaves a big carbon footprint when you consider the water, fertilizer, and energy used to grow and harvest it. The prickly pear cactus, however, requires very little water. More research has to be done in order to bring this to market.

If you would like more information on how SafeSourcing can help you, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative.  We have an entire team ready to assist you today.

References………………………………………………………

John D’Anna, AZ Central, 7/9/2019

Posted in | Comments Off on Prickly Pear Cactus May Solve Plastic Problems

Here, Let Me Take That Purchasing Problem Off Your Plate…

February 28th, 2020

Are you in the middle or end of a contract and stuck as to what to do next? Has pricing increased

 

Today’s post is from our archives at  SafeSourcing Inc.

Are you in the middle or end of a contract and stuck as to what to do next?  Has pricing increased

year after year, but service or product delays have been more frequent? Let SafeSourcing, Inc. help YOU! How, you say? With our custom e-procurement process that takes supplier vetting off your plate, helps you establish a contract ready terms and conditions that protects you, and creates a specifications that is detailed for your needs.

You see, we take all your hours of work off your plate and do the work for you, bringing you a reliable supplier base, clean contract ready terms and conditions, and an equal to or better service or product need. And we can do it quickly!  But what is e-procurement?

Wikipedia defines E-Procurement as electronic procurement, sometimes also known as supplier exchange is the business-to-business or business-to-consumer or business-to-government purchase and sale of supplies, work, and services through the Internet as well as other information and networking systems, such as electronic data interchange and enterprise resource planning. The e-procurement value chain consists of indent management, e-Informing, e-Tendering, e-Auctioning, vendor management, catalogue management, Purchase Order Integration, Order Status, Ship Notice, e-invoicing, e-payment, and contract management. Indent management is the workflow involved in the preparation of tenders. This part of the value chain is optional, with individual procuring departments defining their indenting process. In works procurement, administrative approval and technical sanction are obtained in electronic format. In goods procurement, indent generation activity is done online.

Are you interested in 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.

 

Posted in | Comments Off on Here, Let Me Take That Purchasing Problem Off Your Plate…

Chocolate Industry

February 25th, 2020

Do you know where your chocolate comes from?

 

Today’s blog is by Margaret Stewart, Director of HR and Administration at SafeSourcing.

 It seems with nearly every holiday, there is usually a common chocolate treat associated with it. Whether it is chocolate hearts for Valentine’s Day, chocolate bunnies for Easter, or hot chocolate for Christmas, chocolate has become not just common, but a standard for many of our holidays. Not only that, but chocolate is something many of us eat often without the holiday celebration, from chocolate chip cookies and granola bars to a candy bar at your local gas station.

 So where does all this chocolate come from? While most of us can find chocolate in nearly every store you might visit, we first we need to find out who makes all this chocolate. Globally, the top chocolate companies are Mars Inc., Ferrero Group, Mondelez International, Meiji Co. Ltd., Hershey Co., and Nestle. These companies have remained the top in the industry for numerous years and account for approximately 60 billion dollars in sales. That’s a lot of chocolate!

 While chocolate is a sweet treat many of us enjoy, there has recently been some bitter discussion on where chocolate comes from. This has led to some investigative reports looking into the chocolate industry and the source of their cocoa. An estimated 70% of the world’s cocoa comes from Ghana and the Ivory Coast which are both West African countries and are known to not only have vast government corruption, but also known to use child labor as well as slavery in their cocoa farms. This claim is difficult to verify, however, because journalists and reporters are often barred from visiting these farms or highly supervised while there, being only allowed to show the area in a positive way.

 There has recently been a change in the chocolate industry, though. There are many chocolate companies that ethically source their cocoa. No matter where you live, there are likely a number of chocolatiers near you that use cocoa from farms that provide humane conditions for their workers and that is something extra sweet to think about.

 For more information on how you can ethically source chocolate, or on our Risk Free trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative. We have an entire team ready to assist you today.

References:

  1.  http://safesourcing.com/ContactUs/tabid/60/language/en-US/Default.aspx
  2. https://www.candyindustry.com/2020/global-top-100-candy-companies
  3. https://foodispower.org/human-labor-slavery/slavery-chocolate/
  4. Ethically sourced chocolate: http://www.slavefreechocolate.org/ethical-chocolate-companies

 

Posted in | Comments Off on Chocolate Industry

Are you Looking for a New Furnace?

February 21st, 2020

Winter still has a ways to go!

 

Today’s post is by Troy Lowe; Vice President of Development at SafeSourcing.

Winter still has a ways to go and if you are having trouble with your furnace it might be time to purchase a new one. There are several options available when purchasing a new furnace. In this BLOG I will be discussing the differences between single stage, two stage and variable capacity furnaces. A single stage furnace is a furnace that runs at full capacity the entire time that the system is running. The system has a gas valve that opens to 100 percent for the entire run time. For example, if the system is an 80,000 BTU system, it will run at 80,000 BTU rate for the entire duration. A two stage furnace is a furnace that can run at full capacity or less while the system is running. The system has a gas valve that can open to 100 percent or change to about 70 percent during run time. For example with this type of system, if the system is a 100,000 BTU system, it can either run at a 70,000 BTU rate or a 100,000 BTU rate depending on the temperature. A variable capacity furnace is a furnace that can run at full capacity or less while the system is running. The system has a gas valve that can regulate the capacity between 40 percent and 100 percent. For example with this type of system, if the system is a 100,000 BTU system, it can run anywhere between a 40,000 BTU rate and a 100,000 BTU rate depending on the temperature. The more stages your system supports can create better air filtration and make for a better balanced temperature throughout the structure. The better filtration occurs because the furnace runs longer when not performing at full capacity which makes the air flow through the filter more times and removes more of the dust and allergens. If you are considering a new furnace below is a list of other advantages of using a multi stage furnace.

  • Increased Efficiency
  • Quieter Operation
  • Less System Cycling
  • More Even Temperatures
  • Improved Air Quality

If you would like more information on how SafeSourcing can help you, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative.  We have an entire team ready to assist you today.

References:

https://www.pickhvac.com/faq/difference-between-one-stage-and-two-stage-furnaces/

 

 

Posted in | Comments Off on Are you Looking for a New Furnace?

February 20th, 2020

But how many of us actually do?

 

 Today’s blog is by Gayl Southard, Administrative Assistant at SafeSourcing.

“You learn something new everyday” is a phrase often used after a person learns a lesson by accident. You simply are learning by circumstance rather than acquiring a new skill set or learning new information or facts.

Harvey MacKay has always been an advocate of lifelong learning or intentional learning. Getting the right information and putting this into practice whether it be to improve his golf swing or learning a new language. Technology today makes things easier than ever before. There are online classes, TEDtalks, YouTube, and instructional videos to name a few. If you are hooked up to WiFi, knowledge is unlimited and is available to fit your schedule.

“Alvin Toffler, author of ‘Future Shock,’ who said, the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn”. In today’s world you need to know how to navigate social relationships, keep up with new technology, be informed about politics, be aware of your finances, make intelligent career decisions, choose a healthy diet along with a million other skills in order to thrive in this world.

Learning something the wrong way can have permanent consequences. Some questions you may ask before taking on new learning are:

  •     Why am I learning this information and how will I use it?
  •     What level of understanding do I need?
  •     How can this information be broken down?
  •     What are the most important things to learn based on my personal goals?

Many times knowing a little on a topic can be a conversation starter or could even lead to a sale. You might not commit to learning something everyday , but once a week or month could be a good start. MacKay’s Moral is use it or lose it!

For more information on how SafeSourcing can help your procurement efforts, or on our Risk

Free trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative. We have an entire team ready to assist you today.

References:

Harvey MacKay, AZCentral, 1/13/2020

 

Posted in | Comments Off on

Are you too Comfortable?

February 18th, 2020

You should be keeping a watchful eye on all costs even in a strong market like todays.

 

 

Today’s post is by Dave Wenig, Vice President of Sales and Services at SafeSourcing, Inc.

There is no shortage of news stories that are designed to induce fear in the reader. Surely, it’s up to the reader to decide whether the articles are correct or just more clickbait. While a lot of what we see today falls into the clickbait category, there are still real risks that need to be monitored and managed.

One such headline that affects us all is a question that has gotten plenty of attention in the media recently. Will we see a recession in 2020 or not? I’m not even going to speculate. It’s not my place to do so. Instead, I’ll do my part to make sure that my customers are prepared for a recession or any other potentially devastating situation.

Are you too comfortable?

One of the biggest mistakes I see our prospects and a few customers making is allowing themselves to become too comfortable with their situation. Perhaps a strong economy has been good to them for some amount of time and they have shifted their focus away from cost reductions. Whether they did this intentionally or through negligence, they’ve made a critical mistake. Focusing solely on revenue is an incomplete strategy. It’s like keeping your car perfectly clean and shiny and skipping the maintenance like oil changes. At some point, you’re going to be in trouble.

I’ll admit that this seems dramatic, but the fact is I have personally seen this play out within some of the organizations that SafeSourcing has worked with over the years. I’ve watched companies embrace strategic sourcing, regardless of how weak or strong their sales are at the time, which thrive when the market is strong and survive when it is not. On the other hand, I’ve watched former customers and prospects go through layoffs, having their stock values crash, and shut their doors. At some point, it’s too late to cut costs. The time to be a steward of your organization’s expenses is before it is too late.

Don’t let yourself get too comfortable and caught off guard. Split your focus in a way that still allows for strategic sourcing to be an initiative and make sure the organization understands that this has executive sponsorship. Or don’t. I’ll keep my eye on the news and hope I don’t see more familiar company names in these saddening headlines.

If you would like more information on how SafeSourcing can help you, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative.  We have an entire team ready to assist you today.

 

Posted in | Comments Off on Are you too Comfortable?

There are 7 steps of the strategic procurement process!

February 13th, 2020

Can your new employees tell you what they are the first day they start?

 

Today’s post is our SafeSourcing Inc Archives.

Only being with Safe Sourcing for a few days and knowing absolutely nothing about the company prior to my hire, I have learned a great deal of information in a very short amount of time. In order to fully understand what it is we do I have been doing a little research out side of work. According to sources, no pun intended, there are 7 steps of strategic procurement process.

Step 1: Conducting an internal need of analysis

To start you need to identify exactly what the needs are of your client. You need data including but not limited to, current performance, resources used, costs and potential growth.

Step 2: Collect Information

It is extremely important for you to collect as much information as possible, so you are able to help your client as best as possible. Look for specific requirements that are needed and see exactly what their goal is and how you can help them achieve that goal.

Step 3: Collect Supplier Information

Not only do you need information from your client, you also need to get information form your suppliers. You need to select suppliers carefully. You should only pick certain suppliers that are going to benefit your clients needs. It would also be helpful to learn a little bit about their company.

Step 4: Develop a Sourcing/Outsourcing Strategy

After all, 3 steps are complete you are in need of your Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for Quote (RFQ) to all the selected suppliers. You will also need to get your agreement and documents finalized and sent to your suppliers. Getting your business strategy in order will keep you organized.

Step 5: Implement the Sourcing Strategy

Having an Expression of Interest (EOI), a prepared RFP or a RFQ and solicit bids from identified potential suppliers as part of the bidding process is very important at this stage. The RFP should include:

  • Detailed material
  • Product or service specifications
  • Delivery and service requirements
  • Evaluation criteria
  • Pricing structure
  • Financial terms

Step 6: Negotiate with Suppliers and Select Winning Bid

Your procurement team will then evaluate the received proposals, quotes or bids, and use the criteria and a process to shortlist the bidders to provide detailed proposals and give reports to your client. After the evaluation process is complete, your procurement team will then enter contract negotiations with the first selected bidder.

Step 7: Implement a Transition Plan

Winning suppliers should be invited to participate in implementing improvements. A communication plan is a must when developing a system for measuring and evaluating performance.

These are a few things I have learned in the few days working for this great company and I feel that if you follow these few steps you and your team can develop and implement a strategic procurement plan.

Please contact a SafeSourcing customer Services team member about our risk free trial

We look forward to your comments

 

 

 

Posted in | Comments Off on There are 7 steps of the strategic procurement process!

Don’t Close the Door on Negotiations

January 29th, 2020

Keeping an open mind will result in significant savings.

 

Today’s post is by Dave Wenig, Vice President of Sales and Services at SafeSourcing, Inc.

At SafeSourcing, we believe that any spend of any kind can be negotiated using our eProcurement RFx tools. That may seem pretty bold, but it’s true. We’ve negotiated everything from basic copy paper to private jet services, and all sorts of spend categories in between.

Along the way, we have encountered a certain objection from our customers that causes me to be concerned. From time to time, the customer will believe that they have selected a good or service that is unique and has no competition. They have selected the best of the best and there would be no point in trying to source an alternative or attempt to get a better price.

I appreciate that the product you have selected may be better than some of the alternatives. Or, just as importantly, you may perceive that the product you have selected may be the best. The same can be true of services. You might feel that your current vendor goes above and beyond the scope of their work to perform for you. That may be true, but there’s no reason why another vendor could not do the same.

What I recommend in these cases is to invite well-qualified competitors to participate in an RFx Event against the vendor that you prefer. Let them position their competitive product or service against the product or service that you like and let all of the vendors compete to offer the best price and overall value in a live format. Perhaps once the RFx Event has completed, you will still select the vendor of your choice. It is very likely that if you do, the pricing negotiated will be significantly lower than what you had previously been quoted.

In one recent case, a customer was absolutely set on purchasing a fleet of trucks from a particular manufacturer that was all to include a customized set of accessories and equipment. In the customer’s mind, there really was no other option. That said, they still agreed to keep an open mind and not close the door on a potential negotiation. This was very wise of them. As a result of allowing SafeSourcing to negotiate their truck pricing, the customer attained a 15% price reduction on top of the best pricing they had received from the manufacturer they preferred. Better still, they had options and an opportunity to get more savings from other vendors and they had all of the details they needed to decide if any of those options would work for them.

In that case, there were many ways for the customer to declare victory with a seven-digit savings figure. They never would have been able to attain that savings if they hadn’t kept an open mind and created the opportunity for the savings to occur. If you would like more information on how SafeSourcing can help you, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative.  We have an entire team ready to assist you today.

Posted in | Comments Off on Don’t Close the Door on Negotiations

The business for athletes!

January 23rd, 2020

Athletes, not just the big ones, like baseball and football, but in all kinds of sports ….

 

 

Today’s Post is by Eli Razov, Senior Account Manager at SafeSourcing Inc.

Athletes, not just the big ones, like baseball and football, but in all kinds of sports can make great additions to your company. Being a current Rugby player for a local club, I may be a little biased but I believe that athletes are a great addition to any team. With many reasons to consider, here are four traits that athletes possess that you should look for in potential employees:

They know how to work in teams

Just about anyone that has competed in a team sport has had to learn how to play with teammates. Whether they’re pros or amateurs, without that essential skill, they will not have got very far. Because of this familiarity with teamwork and collaboration, athletes are also often natural born leaders in the workplace, rallying co-workers when the going gets tough and offering help and support.

They have taught themselves to be resilient 

From experience, I can attest to the resilience needed to succeed in sports. You can have the greatest game plan in history, but things will almost never turn out the way you expect. You will make mistakes, give up goals, and lose points. You can’t, however, dwell on these missteps. If you want to win (and not let your teammates down), you need to overcome adversity quickly. More importantly, if you want to become a better player, you need to learn how to embrace these off-plan detours. Everyone makes mistakes, but the difference between success and failure often comes down to how you deal with those mistakes.

Athletes are coachable 

When you’re building your business, you need a team that can take feedback, learn from it, and immediately put it in action. Athletes are receptive for this coaching because they are happy that leadership cares enough to help them grow. Athletes want to be coached and understand that to be the best, they need to learn from the best.

They’re usually hard workers 

When an athlete doesn’t succeed, they don’t just throw in the towel. They look for weaknesses and problems in their game and then work even harder. What happens when they do succeed? They often work even harder, if only to stay on top.

At SafeSourcing we have helped many companies with their Human Resource and Staffing needs. By working with some of the largest staffing companies in the country, we can help you find the right employees for the right price. From helping build position outlines, scope of work, and many other requirements needed for new employees, we have the know how to help you build the perfect team!

For more information on how SafeSourcing can assist you or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact SafeSourcing  we have an entire team waiting to assist you today.

 

Posted in | Comments Off on The business for athletes!

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »
© 2025 SafeSourcing