What is contract management?

Contract life cycle management is the process of systematically managing contract creation, execution and analysis to:

• maximise operational and financial performance
• minimise risk.

Both public and private sector organisations are facing increasing pressure to reduce costs and improve financial and operational performance. Thanks to new regulatory requirements, globalisation, increased contract volume and contract complexity, effective contract management is more important than ever.

We can assist you through all or part of the contract life cycle, to cut through what’s not necessary and concentrate on what you really want your contractors and vendors to do. We work with you to establish the critical contract metrics and risks to be managed during the contract phases. We’ll help you negotiate collaborative outcomes and ensure a consistent and efficient rebase of your contracts.

MB ASSOCIATES help you more from your supply chain, and improve vendor delivery and performance.

Rapidly advance the skills of your procurement related team members.

We help you to achieve a broader and more integrated employee skill set with advanced training courses and development programmes designed to meet your short and long-term needs. Our extensive, proven sourcing and procurement training framework covers a variety of specialty skills in areas such as:

• contract and relationship management
• high performing procurement team leadership
• quality and process excellence
• project management, risk management and sustainability.

The challenge for sourcing and procurement is to continually reduce costs whilst also delivering new kinds of value to the organisation. MB ASSOCIATES help your sourcing and procurement team become more innovative, commercially-driven and agile. Drive measurable improvements in your team’s performance.

We can tailor a training course to meet the specific needs of your organisation. Ask us about:

• Procurement Fundamentals
• Procurement Decision-making
• Strategic Sourcing and Category Management
• Procurement and risk analysis
• The Evaluation Process
• The Negotiation Process
• How to win a tender
• Tender Preparation
• Contract Management

What is a Procurement Maturity Assessment?

A Procurement Maturity Assessment is an independent detailed assessment of your procurement capability. The purpose of a Procurement Maturity Assessment is to help you improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your procurement functions for significant savings and added value. When you undertake an MB ASSOCIATES Procurement Maturity Assessment you will get:

• A detailed assessment of the level of procurement maturity in your institution, assessed by one of our MCIPS qualified procurement experts.
• Benchmark scores for how your organisation compares with others in your field, both overall and in specific aspects of procurement. This establishes a baseline for your organisation to review improvement progress.
• An action plan, agreed with your organisation, for improving procurement efficiency and effectiveness, and for becoming a key partner and change agent with your organisation.

Our experienced procurement team have been involved as procurement change agents in both the public and private sectors. We understand the dynamics of change. Our assessment is supported by an in-depth investigation of source data and processes, and covers eight procurement elements:

• Procurement Strategy
• Organisational Structure
• Procure to Pay
• Reporting and Documentation
• System Support
• Change Management
• Supplier Relationship Management
• Customer Relationship Management

What is strategic sourcing?

Strategic Sourcing provides a rigorous and disciplined process for category management to:

• drive cost savings
• improve supplier service.

MB ASSOCIATES help you plan for success. Our experts have global experience across the public and private sectors, and across all categories. We start by establishing your category cost baselines and identifying the total cost breakdown. We analyse relevant supplier markets, negotiation strategies, and methodologies for evaluating quotations and tenders. Our team can then produce:

• appropriate sourcing strategies for your category and your needs
• a procurement plan and RFP/ tender documentation
• any commercial models you require
• implementation plans for new strategies

What is procurement interim management?

Organisations frequently face short term or unexpected requirements that place additional strain on procurement resources. Procurement interim management helps you bridge this gap in the short term, and introduce international good practice delivery and innovation in the long term.

MB ASSOCIATES helps you bridge the resourcing gap with rapid results. Our broad experience, tools and processes enable us to hit the ground running. We give you immediate access to our local and international expertise, as well as links to our extended network of capabilities such as analytics and market research. Where appropriate, we provide interim management from procurement assistant up to CPO level.

We ensure that the knowledge and insight we gain is transferred to your Procurement team, and doesn’t just reside with a particular individual. Our support enables you to:

• maintain and improve procurement agility in the short term while working out your longer-term solutions.
• ensure buy-in to the delivery of your business objectives.

What is procurement transformation?

The role of Procurement is evolving rapidly from a tactical team focused on cost reduction to a strategic entity driving organisation-wide value. An MB ASSOCIATES procurement transformation focuses on building a high-performance procurement organisation in the shortest period of time.

Like any transformation program, the real challenge is in the implementation.

At MB ASSOCIATES we adopt a holistic approach toward procurement transformation. We not only assist you in navigating the change landscape, but also in building up change management competencies and confidence across your entire organisation. MB ASSOCIATES support you throughout the entire transformation journey.

What is organisational change management?

Change is inevitable in any organisation. Effective change management helps you:

• take a systematic approach to effecting change in your organisation
• implement strategies for making changes to your organisation’s goals, processes or technologies while minimising disruption
• controlling change and helping your team to adapt to the changes you’re making.

Planning and managing significant cultural, process or technological change is one of the greatest challenges faced by any organisation. The rewards of successful change can be great but the risk of failure is high and is often not simply restricted to the change at hand, but to future change too.

At MB ASSOCIATES we not only assist you in navigating the change landscape, but also in building up change management competencies and confidence across your entire organisation.

What is procurement strategy and business case development?

The business case sets out the policy, business and contract objectives. It outlines any issues that affect the decision-making and the procurement and investment options. A good business case ensures that the proposed contract will meet the need, that it is achievable and affordable, and includes:

• the outcome(s) of the contract
• critical success factors
• the possible alternatives, including existing contracts
• the risks including the extent and where they may fall
• identification of any contingent needs and ramifications of proceeding
• the procurement strategy and plan.

Expectations in the board room are rising – and to meet them, procurement organisations need to innovate, reinvent and transform themselves. It’s not about being better, it’s about being best-in-class. We can help you develop an organisation-wide procurement strategy or a dedicated project strategy – aligned to your business objectives – that’s engineered for success. Procurement should be thought through at the very earliest stage of the project life cycle to plan for and drive efficient delivery solutions.

At MB ASSOCIATES, we believe in aiming for procurement excellence. We produce procurement plans and business cases that work together, so you have the best procurement options at your disposal from the earliest stage of your project.

What is tender management?

There are various types of contracts available in New Zealand. T A compelling, proposal winning EOI/RFP response focuses on obtaining the best value – not necessarily the lowest price.

While price is an important part of any organisations buying decision, it is frequently not the number one criterion. Buyers want to know that their suppliers are responsive to their needs, innovative, and have high quality products and services. They want to know that their suppliers will be good business partners with them in the future. Tender management should get the best result for your organisation and your clients.

MB ASSOCIATES has designed thousands of EOIs/RFPs. We secure the highest quality services at the best prices and most advantageous terms and conditions. We go beyond the typical engagement. We not only help you identify and negotiate with suppliers, we remain involved to ensure ongoing compliance with terms and conditions.

We also provide:

• advice on what would be the most suitable and productive in getting the best result your organisation requires.
• full procurement process from EOI to RFP to the issuing of the purchase order.
• sourcing knowledge, lessons-learned, and insights gleaned from working for the most successful organisations worldwide.