SMART > Our Services > Process & Operations > Sourcing & Procurement

SMART understands the importance of the procure-to-pay continuum to their clients, and has developed a tried and tested optimisation service that allows organisations to maximise the value of their people and technology investments. Ultimately, Procurement and Accounts Payable will be equipped to provide a better service to their customers, enhance their operational efficiency, and deliver rapid and large scale cost savings.

SMART understands sourcing models are dynamic, just like organisations - their needs change over time. Sourcing has matured into more than just outsourcing a function or process because it is more efficient to have it performed by an external provider. It now includes the effective management of every service provider an organisations utilises, identifying the right blend of outsourced and insourced provisions (be they offshore, near shore or onshore providers) and ensuring that together they combine to create the optimum model that maximises efficiency, cost savings, and competitive advantage.

Leading organisations are assessing their different sourcing relationships on a continual basis to identify their most successful relationships. Recent M&A activity, for example, could increase business volumes, introduce new sourcing relationships, and render previous decisions to out/insource invalid. Many organisations may even be in a position to offer a sourcing service as a result of increased investment budget and bigger volumes. In many cases the erosion of margins means that having the capability to effectively manage sourcing relationships and ensure they are flexible enough to fit an evolving business model is vital to success.

SMART helps clients assess their existing sourcing models against their organisation, and advises them in building the optimal model.

Our Services Include:

• Sourcing strategy

  Being able to find the information you need to make critical decisions, and being able to decipher the information that is available is the key to rapid and accurate decision making. Whether our clients need to develop those technology solutions in-house, or whether they need to outsource them to sustain a bottom line advantage, SMART consultants can help.

• Vendor Selection & Evaluation

  SMART works with clients in the vendor selection process. These engagements typically include requirements gathering, request for proposal (RFP) development, evaluation of RFP responses, and recommendations based on each vendor's compliance with the requirements.

• Contract Formulation

  SMART consultants know that vendor contracts should ensure optimum levels of quality, well defined and managed risks and adequate compensation provision. SMART teams work with clients to define a robust contract that includes any number of requisite variables.

• Procurement Infrastructure

  Improved efficiency and savings are key results in leveraging extensive procure-to-pay technology, process, and organisational knowledge. SMART has the ability to conduct broad procure-to-pay assessments, or perform targeted opportunity assessments meant to solve a specific business problem. Our intent is optimisation, and we instinctively maintain a focus on people and help companies lead change as opposed to manage change.

• Compliance & SLA Management

  Any successful sourcing arrangement is defined through its effective and efficient management of service levels through watertight agreements. SMART's knowledge of local laws and regulations helps clients create best practice SLAs including definition of services, performance measurement, problem management, customer duties, warranties, disaster recovery and termination of agreement.

• IT Sourcing