Getting bad publicity, losing customers and being subject to criminal consequences are just a few of the risks an organization can face when its procurement professionals are unaware of constantly changing social responsibility concerns.

Oracle Corp. has introduced Oracle Project Procurement, the latest addition to its suite of project portfolio management and procurement applications.

Companies are looking more towards chief purchasing officers to help them understand supply chain risks, while firms which are collaborating and sharing information about their suppliers are reducing the cost of due diligence for themselves and making their business more competitive.

Walmart welcomed more than 500 manufacturers recently at its world headquarters, during the company's first Made in the USA open call. Suppliers met with senior company officials and merchants to pitch products for stores, clubs and online.

ThomasNet.com has added a quality certification application to its free platform of suppliers.

Zycus, a vendor of software for procurement management, has added a number of features to its applications.

A new business network for procurement has been launched in Australia under the name Procurious.