Ask Rich - The PMAB Blog for Supply Professionals

Rich Weissman is our resident purchasing expert. Rich is a Certified Purchasing Manager with 25 years of hands-on purchasing experience.

Rich regularly blogs on topics of interest to purchasing and supply chain managers.

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12/1/2010

Question: Hi Rich, I am trying to find paper pulp price trends for 2010. I have been to the US Bureau of Labor Statastics, etc. Do you have any other resource sites that are free. Thank you, Connie

Hi Connie: Nothing free that I can find but what I see sure shows that pricing has gone up. I'd search for a trade association. But...if it important to your business why not subscribe to a service? Also, if your supplier is trying to pass on a price increase ask them for the data to back up their increase. They would have access to the data...and if not...why are they raising prices? -rw

8/11/2010

Question: Hi Rich, Do you know where I can get a sample(s) of an RFI or a template? Looking into national distribution companies but does not have to touch this service type. Bill

Check out rfpdb.com. This is a pretty comprehensive site for requests for proposals. If what you are not looking for is not there I think the site's community can help. You have to register but it is free.

5/4/2010

Question: Hi Rich, Is there a list available of the top 10 Limo services in Boston, NYC and Washington DC ? Thank you. Joe 617-856-2964

Taxi! I have a feeling that any list is a pay for placment so I'd probably not give them much credence. My suggestion is to work with a national or regional company that can effectively service all of your locations. Best negotiation leverage as well. I did find limos.com to be a reasonable site where you can get started.

3/15/2010

Question: I currently work for a Bio/Life Sciences company with really no purchasing policy to build on. I have been challenged to put a policy in place but without some kind of foundation to build off of I am looking for some resources or even samples to help me with this task. Any thoughts or resources out there that I could tap into? Regards, Joe Firmani Purchasing Manager Metabolix Inc.

Many colleges and public agencies post their purchasing policies online. While these may not be totally applicable to the life sciences business segment, they are a good place to start. College procurement is tough to manage so many of these policies are pretty comprehensive. Just Google purchasing policies and a lot of them turn up. You might also want to check the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. There may be a member forum of some sort that will allow you to query other members.

3/15/2010

Question: Hi Rich, Is there a preferred philosophy on whether to provide suppliers with gross forecast vs. net forecast? What are the arguments for one (each) over the other? Thank you.

Generally suppliers are just happy to get a forecast! I dont think the gross or net is important, but some level of accuracy is. I think that a gross forecast is more of a planning tool (capacity) and a net forecast allows suppliers to fine tune their operations (production). A gross forecast with a long horizon and a short forecast with a shorter horizon may work. Keep in mind that over time a supplier will analyze forecasts versus actual shipments and will adjust your numbers accordingly.