Aim for competence

Winning the gold was an exhilarating experience for Filipinos across the globe, becoming a good yearender. After the Philippines recently bagged the title of Miss International came the Filipino athletes’ bringing pride and honor to the country in the recent SEA Games. Truly, these events were enough to overshadow recurring political noises at home, and despite harder times, some of us may have quietly mused, "I’m proud to be Pinoy!"

Having won the gold is an accomplishment in itself. However, these accomplishments would not have been realized if no competition had taken place. One will never know if excellence has been achieved unless competencies are tested with others within a community. And while competition presses everyone to work harder, it is also the prime catalyst that prods all of those involved to work as a team.

The same principle is also exercised within eMarketplaces. Purchasers become pseudo "lead project managers" in a certain respect, where communication is much more efficient for both internal and external customers. Cost-efficiency measures are best realized when purchasing requirements are clearly defined, setting the tone for future negotiations. Moreover, members of an organization are more enabled to distinguish which specific product or service criterion will be prioritized by end-users, especially when belt-tightening measures are called for. Through an exchange’s pre-defined item specification categories, awarding procedures are also simplified in a more objective format. Appropriate documentation without the hassle of clerical filing complements buyers’ awarding defense, as this is integrated into internal compliance audit rules.

Transparency within an exchange also helps suppliers pinpoint which specific product components their main clients are paying more attention to, consequently aiding their research and development for alternative yet cost-effective variants. Network utilization is optimized as routing and/or scheduling is adequately coordinated in advance, alongside inventory planning and warehouse management, among others. More importantly, back-office managers become attuned to their respective accounts to better fulfill and manage orders, improve their customer service and monitor repairs and returns processing.

eMarketplaces also allow decision-makers to spot internal flaws and rectify them immediately, as documents are accessible 24x7. With results summarized and supported by corresponding negotiation details within a single exchange, calculated decisions are timely executed, especially for long-term contracts with fixed pricing agreements. This has gained significance in an upcoming inflation-driven year, as more companies realize the strategic benefits they get when negotiation procedures are rationalized.

For advanced users of eMarketplaces, SourcePilipinas provides a synthesized platform that buyers and suppliers can tap for improved data referencing. Typically, off-the-shelf or even customized platforms are limited to buying companies that have budgets for improved internal data integration. eMarketplaces like SourcePilipinas, however, manage to provide a facility that need not involve any capital outlay, merging buyers and suppliers into a single platform with more value-added features, apart from being user-friendly. Through this scheme, gap identification becomes much more effective, allowing enterprises to properly document procedures and methods that can be further reinforced as business conditions change.

Participation in eMarketplaces is not something to fret about. It all boils down to an enterprise’s level of commitment to move its business model to higher terrain and ultimately achieve "perfection" as competition increases. Being an ideal, transparency is best realized when enterprises are prepared to take a brave leap toward this approach.

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Grace Crisostomo-Cerdenia is the general manager of SourcePilipinas.com and COO of 2TradeAsia. For comments or queries, e-mail her at [email protected].