by Janice Marquardt | Nov 4, 2025 | Supply Chain Career
So you are (or have) a new supply chain leader. Congratulations, opportunity abounds! And so do pitfalls. Traps. Challenges. Whether you are part of a team with a new leader, managing a new leader, or you are the new leader, today’s post is for you. I have led new...
by Janice Marquardt | Oct 28, 2025 | Benefits, e-Auctions, Savings
Profit Levers: Where to Find Value in Uncertain Times CEOs really do think differently. When I asked my CEO why we were doing e-auctions, he looked at me and said something like, “When times are tight, we can seek to improve our profits from one of three sources:...
by Janice Marquardt | Sep 2, 2025 | Benefits, Contracts, Processes, Supply Chain Career
Are you ready for the holidays? Those of you in retail are responding, “Of course, I’ve had to be worrying about stocking up and overseas freight for weeks now. After all, some FedEx Demand Surcharges start on September 29th this year.” The rest of you might be...
by Janice Marquardt | Aug 5, 2025 | Savings, Supply Chain Career
Like any industry, procurement has its lingo. RFP, RFI, RFX, bids, suppliers vs. vendors (that’s a whole other topic!), maverick spend, cost avoidance, tail spend, e-auction, TCO, punchout, and a myriad of other things. But presiding over all of these other terms:...
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...
