Consider this your required reading for all things sourcing and procurement. Check in every week for industry insights, in-depth analysis, expert perspectives, and the latest news from the sourcing world on the Scout Blog.
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Reviving Reverse Auctions with Scout: It’s all About Smart Supplier Engagement
From the start, our focus at Scout is all about making the business of doing business as simple, effective, and frictionless as possible. And a big part of that is balancing the needs of both our customers and their suppliers. It’s in that spirit of partnership and collaboration that I’m thrilled to share with you… read more
Shane Hetrick | Tags: reverse auctions, scout reverse auctions, strategic sourcing, supplier engagement
October 30, 2018
Three Fang-tastic Themes to Dust the Cobwebs Off Your Sourcing Strategy (at SPARK)
Not everyone is a huge fan of the spooky stuff. Horror movies? Haunted houses? Many gladly say “No, thank you” when offered a chance to jolt in fright. So, when Halloween rolls around each year, scaredy-cats all over scamper to their hiding spots, cowering in corners until All Hallow’s Eve comes to a close. But… read more
October 24, 2018
Don’t Sacrifice Long-Term Value for Short Term Gain: A New Approach to Reverse Auctions
It’s easy to look at sourcing and procurement strategy as a black-and-white, zero sum game. When I win, you lose. And at the center of this dynamic is the assumed trade-off between maximizing savings and supporting supplier relationships. Truly, achieving bottom-line savings and fostering strong supplier relationships are competing priorities of which procurement is well-versed…. read more
October 23, 2018
Execute with Confidence: Three Lessons for Aligning Strategy and Technology in Sourcing
Rarely used and dusty, legacy tools have a funny way of stifling procurement teams’ sourcing prowess, hindering ambition and demotivating top performers. For leaders focused on future-proofing their function, their only choice is to incorporate top sourcing strategies into everyday business practices. Fortunately, modern platforms are finally starting to address the needs of more flexible,… read more
October 9, 2018
Announcing SPARK 2019: Putting Sourcing Center Stage at SFJAZZ
SPARK is back! For our second annual conference for forward-thinking CPOs and sourcing leaders, we’re stepping up to a new venue, so mark your calendars for February 26 and 27 in San Francisco For Scout SPARK. You’ll experience two days of discovery, dialogue, and the opportunity to dive deeper into how we can make global… read more
October 8, 2018
Hit Your Sourcing Stride Through Engagement and Quality Data
Successful sourcing teams hit their stride when they find that perfect balance of supplier and stakeholder engagement. So the question is, what steps need to be taken in order to reach that peak? One thing seems to be certain: quality data is the starting point. And as the race to predict and keep ahead of… read more
September 17, 2018
Three Critical Conversations from the Gartner Sourcing Summit
I’ve just returned from the Gartner Sourcing, Procurement, Vendor & Asset Management Summit, held in Orlando, FL. A three-day event, this year’s Gartner Sourcing Summit brought together two adjacent, but often overlapping communities – IT and Procurement. The 1,500 delegates in attendance created a dynamic conversation that covered a broad range of topics, and I… read more
September 13, 2018
Forbes Names Scout RFP a Cloud 100 Rising Star!
Today, in its 3rd annual recognition of the best and the brightest global cloud companies, Forbes revealed its 2018 list of Cloud 100 Rising Stars. And, I’m proud to share the news that Forbes and Bessemer Venture Partners has recognized Scout as one the Top 20 Breakout Up-and-Comers for 2018, the definitive list of the… read more