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.
During hard economic times, asking tough questions can be a key factor to the success of your business. It is often uncomfortable to ask about the financial health of your business partners, but knowing those answers is vital to your business’ economic health. Buyers and Suppliers must have an honest discussion during the procurement process, or both could face heavy losses with extreme economic consequences.
An excerpt from the article Risk Management Requires Tough Questioning, By Paul Teague, highlights how many business have been affected by this economy over the last few years.
Here is a startling statistic: 49,895 businesses filed for bankruptcy in the US federal courts during the 12-month period ending September 2011. Think that’s a big number? It is – but it’s 14% lower than the number for the 12 months that ended in September 2010. In other words, business bankruptcies in the US have gone down despite a less-than-stellar economy. From a macro-economic perspective, that’s good news. From a micro-economic perspective (that is, your own personal business world), it’s only good if none of your key suppliers were among the companies going bust.
Companies, large and small are doing everything possible to add to their bottom line. They are looking for innovative ways to cut cost, and find true market value for their purchases. Reverse Auction is an exciting method that allows multiple suppliers to bid against each other, allowing the buyer to receive competitive pricing. Purchasing at true market value will allow for a more accurate budget to be developed.
eBridge provides a fully managed reverse auction service, and understands the needs of companies facing financial struggles. Our procurement team would be happy to show you how our process can work effectively with your procurement procedures.
Please contact us at sales@ebridgeglobal.com, or call us toll free at 1-800-245-8880.
To read Paul Teague’s article in its entirety click here: http://blog.procurementleaders.com/procurement-blog/2011/12/12/paul-teague-risk-management-requires-tough-questioning.html?printerFriendly=true
A Southern Indiana Company partnered with eBridge for the 3rd time, to procure their Flat IDC Wire Cables. There were 3 participating suppliers in this event, which lasted for 28 minutes. Forty-two bids were placed, with a spread of 7.53% between 1st and 2nd place. The Southern Indiana Company saved 15.6% on their budgeted value, and was pleased with the process.
A California State University, partnered with eBridge to procure their BetaLED Parking and Area Lighting. The event lasted for 41 minutes, with 8 participating suppliers. There were 223 bids placed with 8 first place turnovers, allowing for a competitive bid. The spread between 1st and 2nd place was 3.72%. The university saved 32% on their first budget value, with their first reverse auction with eBridge.
A State Procurement Office needed to procure a magazine printing contract, and partnered with eBridge for the 3rd consecutive year. There were 4 participating suppliers with 42 bids placed. After 37 first place turnovers, the spread between 1st and 2nd place ended at 1.36%, showing true market value. The Southern Organization saved 3% over last year’s price and is paying 35% less than they paid in 2008 – the last time the bid was run as a traditional sealed bid