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From Des Moines to Dubai: Highlights and Insights from Passwall Solutions in 2024
Allow me a moment of self-indulgence, as I review this past year. This post may also be a bit more personal than most and is a chance for reflection. 2024 was a good year for Passwall Solutions, and I’m proud of the work I have done. I am still a solopreneur, not yet...
How a Supply Chain Geek Sources a Live Christmas Tree
Because this week is Christmas and this post will publish on Christmas Eve, let’s talk about sourcing a live Christmas tree as a supply chain professional. Now, true to form, this post is coming too late to do anything about it this year, which is appropriate for the...
The Ten People You Meet in Supply Chain
In my time in supply chain, I’ve found there’s a few personalities that keep popping up. Some of them show up in every supply chain team I’ve ever been a part of. Some only show up in the larger teams, and some of these people definitely show up in non-supply chain...
The Hidden Costs of Change Orders—and How Supply Chain Can Mitigate Them
Ah, change orders. While it is often necessary to change a project (and therefore change pricing) while that project is ongoing, change orders are frustrating for everyone involved. Large change orders can cause a blame game where everyone in a company blames everyone...
Perfect Timing: Mastering RFP Open, Close, and Bid Durations
In running a Request for Proposal (RFP), timing matters. This includes when it opens, how long it lasts, and when it closes. Today we’ll talk about RFP timing, including opening, running, and closing for the best bid results. We’ll also cover sealed vs. unsealed bids...
Express Gratitude Instead of Apologizing
In this season of gratitude here in the U.S., I’m reminded of one of the best pieces of professional advice I ever received: Don’t say “I’m sorry,” say, “Thank you.” The anecdotal wisdom is that women apologize more than men, but research shows it’s a little more...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Contract Exhibits
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Governing Law and Force Majeure
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Miscellany
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Indemnification and Termination
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Training and Insurance
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Warranties and Hazmat
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Product Changes or Discontinuations and Buyer’s Property
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Nonconformance, Inspection, and Payment Terms
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Forecasting and Delivery Requirements
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Law Compliance and Purchase Orders
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Pricing Control and Quality Clauses
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
Contract Negotiation Deep Dive: Introductory Clauses
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney and cannot give legal advice. This series is from a supply chain practitioner’s perspective on negotiating contracts and is simply offering my perspective on common contract clauses. Seek professional legal advice for your own...
The Do’s and Don’ts of Attending Internal Customer Staff Meetings
As a supply chain professional, it’s incredibly easy to fall into the “they vs. we” trap. “They” are the internal customer, the engineer, the end user, the operations team. “We” are the procurement, supply chain, or logistics team. While there are many ways to start...
Bonded Warehouses and FTZs: Your Guide to Import Optimization
I first encountered Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) and bonded warehouses while working for a manufacturer who was getting many components out of China. Before that point, most of my employers were getting the majority of their shipments domestically, either from US...
Supply Chain Disruption: Predicting Supplier Bad Days
The hot topic in supply chain for the last few years has been supply chain disruption. Supply Chain Brain’s annual supplier partnership publication is themed around disruption, everyone working anywhere in supply chain in 2021 remembers what working through disruption...
From Tactical to Strategic: Why Procurement Needs to Chase Value, Not Just Savings
The inimitable Mathew Schulz posted on LinkedIn last week about how the best procurement pros chase value instead of savings. This got me thinking about savings vs. value, and the differences between a procurement team who thinks tactically vs. one who thinks...
Do You Have Vendors or Suppliers?
Language matters. Early in my supply chain career, my supply chain leader sat across his desk from me and told me, “Vendors sell hot dogs. Suppliers are partners.” I think I was implementing a supplier scorecard program at the time and was constantly referring to our...
Dirty Negotiation Tactics and How to Counter Them
Anyone who has been in multiple negotiations has dealt with dirty, hardball tactics. Maybe you’ve even used them yourself in an attempt to gain the upper hand. While related to negotiations focused on changing the rules, hardball tactics are in a little different...