Local service contracts are often overlooked as a savings opportunity in healthcare. However, a hospital system in North Carolina was able to cut its water delivery costs by engaging with eBridge to run a reverse auction bid for the contract. Previously, the hospitals had four different vendors and variations in prices. eBridge worked with the procurement office to develop specifications for a bid, identify additional potential suppliers, trained the suppliers on the eBridge website, and hosted the online bid. Seven suppliers were approved by the hospital and the bid was broken into multiple lots. In the end, a local incumbent supplier earned all of the business, and the hospital system consolidated its contracts and lowered its costs.
There is a great article out on Spendmatter.com about the impact of the falling Euro on sourcing, procurement and supply chain strategies. Procurement professionals have to develop strategies to circumvent the damage the failing Euro has done to the economy. Contracts have to be rewritten, new sourcing strategies developed and currency hedging will be vital for a successful 2012 business year.
The current unemployment rate has everyone looking at where the American jobs are going. As companies strive for best value, jobs are outsourced to lower priced manufacturers. Of course this low cost comes at a price, the loss of American jobs. So which should the procurement professional be more concerned with, the lower price or the possible job loss?
This issue has been debated from every angle, politically to economically. Ideally, the procurement professional should be concerned with the best-value sourcing, whether that is local or global. Saving money on manufacturing parts internationally, may allow the company to add jobs locally in another area. There will always be disagreements where outsourcing is concerned, however don’t allow this issue to undermine what a procurement was designed for. Concentrate on finding the best-value sourcing for your company, and incorporate those savings to enhance your company.
eBridge prides itself on being a fully managed reverse auction service provider. We provide strategic sourcing based on the criteria provided by the buyer. We source for local, national, or global suppliers, based on our buyers needs. We average 36 suppliers to a buyer’s bid, and strive to reach “true market value” on every bid.
The City of North Miami Beach, FL partnered with eBridge to acquire their Norwood WTP Lime Sludge Removal Services. There were 3 participating suppliers with 95 bids placed, creating a competitive bidding environment. The first place bid was reduced 20 times over the 40 minute bid. The bid reached true market value with a spread of 0.57% between the 1st and 2nd place suppliers! The City of North Miami Beach, FL saved 18% on their budgeted value.
The European financial meltdown has made headlines worldwide, but it is just a small part of the global economic crisis. The devaluation of the Euro has many global businesses wondering if global sourcing is such a good idea. Procurement organizations have to consider the outcome of the volatile currency markets, when considering their supply chain risks. Currency hedging is a difficult game to play in a stable market, let alone in such a risky economic environment. In light of this, global supply contracts are being reevaluated, for more local options. Businesses are buying and selling locally, to avoid the risk of currency inflation loss.
eBridge prides itself on being a fully managed reverse auction service provider. We provide strategic sourcing based on the criteria provided by the buyer. We source for local, national, or global suppliers, based on our buyers needs. We also average 36 suppliers to a buyer’s bid.
The failing economy has almost everyone on edge, waiting to see if the next turn will be for better or worse. The job market is increasing marginally, but not fast enough. The downgrading of the U.S. and several European countries’ credit ratings was a blow to the global economy. The stagnant economic growth looks like a bleak outlook on a prosperous future.
However, there are some who disagree, and say we are just in a transitional period. Technology improves so fast, that man often can’t keep up. As soon as we upgrade our technology, a new invention makes it obsolete. There are some scholars who believe our economy will level out, when people adjust to the new digital economy. When major technological advancements are made, it takes time for their adjustments to be accepted. The current argument is whether or not, once these adoptions are accepted if the economy will then catch up?
Let us know what you think? Do you agree with these thoughts, and we are just in a technological transitioning period? At eBridge we believe in an integration of personal interaction with a technological platform. We provide fully manage reverse auction services, within our platform and our customer service. To learn more about eBridge please contact us at: 1-877-245-8880, or visit our website http://www.ebridgeglobal.com.
A State Education Lottery has successfully been using a reverse auction strategy to purchase its promotional items like pens, cups, and t-shirts with their logo. The first two auctions came in below budget, but the third bid delivered even more amazing results. Seven bidders were approved to compete after submitting samples to the agency. The catalog price for the items was over $150,000 and the State budgeted $129,000 for the purchase. After an hour of suppliers underbidding each other, the low bid came in at $50,000! Second place was $51,900 and all seven of the bidders were at least 25% below the budgeted amount.
The City of Versailles, KY ran their 2nd chemical bid through eBridge’s reverse auction system. The City of Versailles, KY needed 12 chemicals, for a 1 year contract. The hour and a half event was extremely competitive, with 16 participating suppliers and 461 bids placed. There were 95 first place turnovers, causing a high/low spread of 0.03% and reaching true market value. The City of Versailles were pleased with the results, and saved 9.3% on their budgeted value.
The federal government has been using reverse auctions for many years, purchasing $1.15 billion worth of products and commodities through reverse auctions in fiscal 2010. While their purchasing process is different than how private companies purchase, it’s important to note that they are using the technology as a standard purchasing technique and see the value of finding true market value when using tax payer dollars. Click here to read the full story.
http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2010/12/14/reverse-auctions-adoption-fears.aspx
Jamie Gracia writes an excellent article on barriers to entry for reverse auctions in the Government sector. His article below outlines some fears of government agencies adopting the technology and why it is important to embrace this technological advancement that is quickly becoming industry standard practice in professional purchasing.
By Jaime Gracia on December 17, 2010
As Government continues to leverage its buying power through continued fiscal pressures, one process that is not getting enough attention is the use of reverse auctions. Reverse auctions are an effective and efficient means of realizing large savings on purchases of not only commodities, but highly defined services as well. Although current initiatives exist such as the General Service Administration’s (GSA) Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (FSSI), which encourages adoption of industry best practices, federal buyers are simply not going far enough in leveraging their buying power to maximize price savings. To achieve maximum efficiency, the Government should begin to create holistic strategic souring initiatives that include reverse auctions as a mechanism for cost savings, since programs such as FSSI are simply catalog buys to bidders that have been pre-qualified, and mimic the GSA Schedules program. Further, many Program Managers and other acquisition officials I have spoken to state that they do not always get the best prices by using these types of pre-negotiated arrangements, and thus buy either directly from vendors or execute procurements outside these initiatives. The result is ineffective buying and the continuation of not maximizing efficiencies to the detriment of the taxpayer.
Reverse auctions are by definition a structured competitive bidding event where competition can be maximized to help drive the price lower over the course of the event. One common reason I have heard for the poor adoption rate is technology barriers, which is a frankly a disingenuous reason. The benefits of potentially significant cost savings, enhanced transparency, increased collaboration, and increased competition all outweigh any barriers that seem to be artificially created by Federal organizations. If the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Obama Administration are serious about Open Government and accountability, then enhanced adoption of reverse auction should be further explored.
Another stumbling block to adoption is the issue of transparency, as the risk adverse nature of Government creates issues that should not exist through fear of protest that seems to be paralyzing acquisition decision-making. The reverse auction process is Acquisition 2.0 in motion, as reverse auctions create a structured and automated negotiation process with transparency at its core, since the process depends on vendors creating a clear and documented process for creating the pricing structure and the subsequent contracted price. It is the openness of the process that should be embraced, since the reverse auction allows for real time pricing feedback, and also allows acquisition officials to have real time visibility into the negotiation. This type of structure and the transparent process creates and enhances competition, reduces complexity, enhances collaboration, and ensures compliance with the acquisition policies and regulations.
It is these types of procurement methods that should be embraced, and will need to be further explored to help create holistic strategic sourcing initiatives for realizing true cost-savings by adjusting processes, ensuring leadership drives change, and breaking the endemic status-quo culture of Government. Successful examples of reverse auctions already exist through both Defense and civilian agency use, so lessons learned are available for use and need to be expanded upon to help with widespread adoption. As OMB continues to issue guidance on improving federal acquisitions and government management in general, reverse auctions need to be part of this process of continuous improvement and increasing accountability to the taxpayer.
Click here to read Mr. Gracia’s blog.