Vendor Management Boot Camp

Get Informed – Leave Empowered

Benefits

  • Identify which vendors to manage
  • Enhance relationships with vendors
  • Ensure vendor performance
  • Exercise your rights
  • Monitor vendor obligations
  • Learn to use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
  • Implement an effective vendor management system

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Available At-Your-Site

Online or In-person

Customized to Your Specific Needs

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Overview

Are you concerned about contractual disagreements and products/services that don’t measure up to standards?

With a curriculum purposefully designed to provide those new to the profession, and veterans looking to get back to basics, with practical tips and tactics for increasing vendor/supplier performance.

In the one-day session you will learn how to control your vendors and get what you pay for. You’ll learn techniques to establish and maintain a meaningful working relationship with your key vendors. Additionally, you will be able to create and utilize leverage that stabilizes and enhances vendor performance.

This 6.5-hour interactive workshop will leave participants feeling informed, empowered, and excited about their future in technology procurement-vendor management. This session is hands-on, collaborative, and facilitated by industry leaders.

Topics Include

  • Essential Governance Structure and Tools
  • Vendor Classification
  • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
  • Relationship Management Techniques

*Attendees will be provided with an On-demand MAP (Managed Acquisition Process) online class. Approx. 2 hours

Workshop Outline

The Problem

Customer Environment

  • Less Experience
  • Sense of Urgency
  • Lack of Incentives
  • Internal Politics
  • Relationships
  • Processes Not Enforced
  • Lost Business Opportunities
  • Bad Contracts/No Contracts
  • Lack of Time and Resources

Vendor Environment

  • Full Time
  • Highly Trained
  • Very Motivated
  • Information Advantage
  • Team Advantage
  • Strong Relationships
  • Superior Product and Service Knowledge

Relationship Dynamics

  • Customer Objectives
  • Vendor Objectives

The Solution

Total Vendor Management

  • Governance
  • Relationship Management
  • Managed Acquisitions

Total Vendor Management

Governance

  • Form Team
    • Why?
    • Who?
    • Structure
    • Responsibilities
  • Conduct Evaluation
    • Identify standards
      • Policies—Five areas for improvement, including:
        • Onsite vendors
        • Ethical behavior
      • Procedures—Four key topics, including:
        • Change control
        • Incident escalation
        • Documents—Six categories of templates, including:
          • Deficiency letters
          • Relationship agreement
    • Conduct assessments
    • Determine compliance
      • Customer
      • Vendor
  • Improve Position
    • Identify best practices
    • Conduct gap analysis
    • Strive for best practices
      • Create new standards
      • Revise existing standards
    • Obtain management approval
  • Implement Standards
    • Conduct internal training— an effective six-step process
    • Notify vendors—Six key components
  • Monitor Compliance
    • Vendors’
    • Customer’s
    • Document results
      • Compliance
      • Noncompliance
    • Enforce rights and implement remedies

Relationship Management

  • Form Team
    • Why?
    • Who?
    • Structure
    • Responsibilities
  • Classify Vendors
    • What?
      • Determine vendors’ impact
    • Why?
      • Which vendors require management?
      • Allocate customer resources effectively
    • How?
      • One-dimensional
      • Two-dimensional
      • Multidimensional
  • Improve Relationships
    • Assess current status—Five things we must do, including:
      • Outline contractual commitments
      • Conduct satisfaction survey
      • Identify areas for improvements
    • Determine future needs
      • This vendor
      • This category of vendor
    • Identify relationship desired
      • Operational
      • Business
      • Strategic
    • Evaluate leverage
    • Create plan
    • Implement plan
  • Develop KPIs
    • What are they?
    • How are they used?—Six major ways, including:
      • Eliminate/reduce excuses
      • Grade and compare vendors
    • Create KPI index model—Five short steps
  • Assign VRMs
    • VRM roles and responsibilities—Eight significant items, including:
      • Develops relationships at highest levels
      • Informs vendor of its performance
      • Conducts periodic stewardship meetings
    • VRM attributes—Nine critical attributes, including:
      • Analytical
      • Diplomatic
      • Familiar with vendors’ industry
    • VRM key relationships
      • Internal
      • External
    • Success criteria—Six key factors, including:
      • Proven management skills
      • Experience-based assignments
    • Stewardship meetings—Seven components to consider, including:
      • Purpose
      • Frequency
      • Suggested agenda
  • Monitor Relationships
    • Establish monitoring infrastructure
    • Assign responsibilities
      • KPIs
      • Governance
      • Reclassification
      • Contract management
    • Audit improvement plan results
    • Ensure vendor accountability
    • Relationship breakdowns—Seven important issues, including:
      • Characteristics of breakdowns
      • Prevention
      • Resolution

Summary

Best Practices—Fourteen essential factors, including:​
  • Executive Sponsorship
  • Cross-Functional Teams
  • Organizational Alignment and Support