by Janice Marquardt | Sep 30, 2025 | Definitions, e-Auctions, Supply Chain Career
When someone sends me a list of items to negotiate using an e-auction, one of the first questions I ask is: “What is your award scenario?” While a procurement professional should consider this question long before a negotiation, Request for Proposal, or even before...
by Janice Marquardt | Aug 26, 2025 | Contracts, e-Auctions, Org Chart, Processes, Supply Chain Career
We Can’t Do The Things Without the Stuff “We can’t do the things without the stuff!” she exclaimed during our daily check-in call. She was waiting for the technical team to send final specifications so she could finish building the e-auction. I’m not sure why it...
by Janice Marquardt | Aug 19, 2025 | Definitions, e-Auctions, Savings
E-auctions have come a long way since they were introduced in the late 1990s. What started as suppliers in a room writing bids on a clipboard became mailed floppy disks (yes, really), and then the web-based software options we know today. Along the way, we added more...
by Janice Marquardt | Jul 8, 2025 | Definitions, e-Auctions, Savings
On a call with a client today, they asked me how a “lump sum” bid is different from a “unit price” bid. This led to a larger discussion about risk vs. cost in a supply chain and this client team said to me, “You should write an article about this topic.” So here we...
by Janice Marquardt | Jul 1, 2025 | Processes, Savings
A few months ago, I had the immense privilege of working with the team at Iowa State University’s Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) to assess the supply chains at eight small Iowa-based manufacturers. The lessons we learned and their common threads...
