The Problem
A multi-branch organization with a centralized system for ordering business
forms and office supplies wanted to reduce the cost of items purchased and
minimize processing costs. The firm also wanted to embrace Internet purchasing,
but needed to avoid the extra cost of hosting a corporate procurement
software application.
The Solution
Two sourcing reviews were undertaken by The Poulton Consulting Group for Office
Supplies and Business Forms. To qualify, vendors needed to be capable of
providing superior Internet ordering tools to a multi-site business - as well
as offering unit price reductions on items that were purchased regularly.
The Results
The client's decision team selected two vendors to provide Business Forms and
Office Supplies. Overall program cost reductions of 39.6% and 34.0% respectively
were achieved. Both vendors supported full feature internet based e-commerce
sites that allowed all client locations to order directly. The internal
owner of the supply programs concentrated his efforts on overall program
administration. As central processing of orders was eliminated, staffing
was reduced by two.
