My, my, my. How time flies! It’s already the end of 2015. And as I do each year, I’ll use this space to recap what has been another prolific year here at the Next Level Purchasing Association (NLPA). This year, we had a laser-sharp focus on producing and refining the highest-quality educational content for procurement professionals. Here’s what we accomplished…
I recently had the chance to chat with Spend Matters’ Thomas Kase about the Next Level Purchasing Association’s new online course, “Strategic Supplier Diversity Best Practices.” There are many opinions on supplier diversity. Some people consider it an almost worthless pursuit. Others regard it as the best thing about procurement. Thomas and I are kindred spirits in that we think…
Companies often acquire other companies to take advantage of synergies. But, post-merger, it is not uncommon for acquired companies to continue to operate almost completely autonomously. In terms of purchasing, this means that there is little effort made to consolidate spend or share best practices. In other words, there’s a lot of money left on the table in these situations. …
Where can you get 150 hours of procurement training online, you ask? From the Next Level Purchasing Association! Today, we announced the release of our latest online Express Course, “Next Generation Procurement Talent Management.” With this launch, we now offer 150 hours worth of self-paced online procurement courses! “Next Generation Procurement Talent Management” helps leaders master the three key tenets…
In the past couple of months, the Next Level Purchasing Association (NLPA) has released several new pieces of thought leadership around the topic of procurement talent management. These pieces include a fun YouTube video, a whitepaper, and a guest post on Spend Matters. The procurement journalists of the world have noticed. These pieces were dissected on LinkedIn by Buyers Meeting…
Here at the Next Level Purchasing Association, we take procurement seriously. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a little fun now and then, too, right? If the pressures of procurement have you stressed, take a few minutes to check out our new video on procurement talent management. Not only might you come away with a valuable idea or three,…
I hope that you have enjoyed the article “Procurement Cost Reductions Maxed Out?” Now, I know for some that the idea of a procurement department not primarily focusing on cost reductions sounds strange. Many procurement professionals and leaders consider cost reductions to be the raison d’etre of a procurement department. And, until a procurement department approaches maturity, cost reductions should…
The Next Level Purchasing Association (NLPA) today announced the release of a new online training course that reflects the new, strategic role supplier diversity has begun to play in leading organizations. “Strategic Supplier Diversity Best Practices” teaches forward-thinking procurement professionals and leaders various techniques and processes that will positively contribute to an organization’s branding, competitive advantage, and assurance of supply.…
Special thanks to Source One Management Services for this guest post Mother Nature has been giving people qualms for centuries and bad weather can have a significant negative impact on your supply chain. For example, this year, grocery stores found it difficult to stock their aisles with enough canned pumpkin pie filling for their customers – just in time for…