Kate Vitasek, SupplyChainBrain Contributor

The ‘Vested’ Approach: A Better Way to Outsource

May 12, 2022

The pressures on supply chains remain enormous, leaving many supply chain professionals with a key question: Is there a better way to work with suppliers, including critical outsourcing partners such manufacturers and third-party logistics providers?

Companies’ Procurement Skills Are Woefully Lacking

May 10, 2022

Kate Vitasek, SupplyChainBrain Contributor

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical skills gap across the procurement and logistics landscape, a report by the American Productivity & Quality Center put a pin in the talent shortages facing today’s industry professionals.

Relational Contracting for Building Healthier Supplier Relationships

May 10, 2022

Kate Vitasek, SupplyChainBrain Contributor

A look at the pioneering research and concepts behind formal relational contracts, with the goal of helping practitioners understand how such agreements can benefit their organizations.

ANALYSIS

The Power of Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships

February 1, 2021

Kate Vitasek, SupplyChainBrain Contributor

It might be tempting for businesses to use their procurement or market power to position themselves to survive the pandemic. However, new and uncertain economic realities will mean the old notions of power and market strategy won’t work.

Analysis

Making the RFP Process More Collaborative

February 12, 2020

Kate Vitasek, SupplyChainBrain Contributor

A progressive process for competitive bidding is helping organizations shift toward more collaborative supplier relationships.

Learning by Doing: Innovation in Teaching Contracting Skills

February 6, 2019

Kate Vitasek, SupplyChainBrain Contributor

Innovative educational approaches are allowing companies to make the shift from role-playing to “real-playing.”

The Volatile Global Economy Demands End-to-End Cooperation

February 6, 2019

Kate Vitasek, SupplyChainBrain Contributor

In the current climate of “economic populism,” buyers, sellers and their supply chains have an opportunity to step up and cope with major challenges through cooperation, transparency and flexibility.

Aligning Metrics for the Business at Hand

February 6, 2019

Kate Vitasek, SupplyChainBrain Contributor

Properly aligning metrics with supply chain partners to track and improve strategic relationships is an idea whose time has come. Simply monitoring transactions is not enough; metrics must add value.