ABSTRACT
Effective sourcing always starts with stakeholders, as their input is paramount to achieving sourcing that clearly links to the overarching objectives, mission, and goals of an entity. Formal methods for generating stakeholder input include electronic input in the form of reports, charts, and surveys, as well as input from committees and standing meetings. Legal is a key stakeholder in any sourcing framework or project, ensuring that the documents produced in the sourcing process are enforceable, compliant with federal and local law, and without conflicts with other documents.
Informal stakeholder input can be obtained from informal conversations, facility tours, shadowing a “day in the life” of the stakeholder, or being a guest or permanent part of the agenda in a weekly department meeting. The importance of generating input from suppliers is a value enhancement in the sourcing process—far from the “arm’s length” approach that has historically characterized stakeholder relationships. Additional opportunities for obtaining stakeholder input include RFIs, trade shows, matchmaker events, targeted outreach by an entity, and meet and greets at the request of a supplier. Finally, the involvement of communications, public relations, and human resources departments can play critical roles in influencing opinion and change management in complex sourcing projects.
