by Janice Marquardt | Mar 24, 2026 | Definitions
I came back early from lunch on a Friday afternoon and there it was, sitting on the desk next to mine. An already-opened pay stub. From the new Design Engineer we had hired two months prior. No one was around, everyone was still at lunch or in the workshop. I knew I...
by Janice Marquardt | Mar 17, 2026 | Processes
Parenting is hard. Parenting well is harder. My very wise sister-in-law likes to remind me: We’re not raising good kids; we’re raising good adults. Why am I mentioning this in a post about procurement? Because parenting has major and valuable lessons for procurement...
by Janice Marquardt | Mar 10, 2026 | Contracts, Savings
Cash flow is always important to any business. But when times get a bit tight, suddenly cash flow comes into sharp focus and executives start asking how to improve it. We are in an era where companies everywhere are holding cash to pay tariffs, systems are changing as...
by Janice Marquardt | Mar 3, 2026 | e-Auctions
Here’s a truth that will not surprise you: Sometimes people don’t want to do an e-auction. I’ve talked about convincing the skeptics in the context of procurement transformation, but this is more specific. This sounds like, “An e-auction might be a good idea, BUT . ....
by Janice Marquardt | Feb 24, 2026 | Definitions, Processes
Sometimes the engineer part of me comes out. While you’d think it would show up when a machine in my house is broken or when touring a manufacturing facility, it really shows up the strongest when talking about part numbers. (Yes, part numbers.) Did I mention I’m also...
