Contract Management articles from September 2004

Contract Management archives from September 2004

NCMA ... serving the business community.(Leadership Forum)
September 1, 2004... As early as the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, management gurus Tom Peters and Bob Waterman Jr., identified an important new business trend--the need for organizations to be fluid, nimble, and dynamic to respond to quickly evolving and...

Tough questions managers must ask themselves.(Professional Development)
September 1, 2004... A boss creates fear--a leader builds confidence. A boss blames--a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all--a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery--a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or...

Effective sales processes: the means for improving contract quality; with a sales process in place, the quality of agreements improves dramatically. If for no other reason, improving the quality of life is a powerful motivation for implementing a sales process.(related article: Pre-call Research Tips and Planning Guidelines)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2004... Not all sales professionals are created equal. Some just have more natural-born talent than others. In fact, about 20 percent of all selling professionals generate a disproportionately high amount of sales revenue. In some organizations, we've...

Doing great business deals: it takes more than just "compliance": having the right process steps, tools, and compliance knowledge is only part of building business competencies. The rest of it involves your behavioral readiness.
September 1, 2004... Adapted from original presentation at NCMA World Congress April 2004. Business-to-business transactions have introduced a level of complexity in contracting that cannot be overemphasized. These transactions often cross different identity...

Creating and using supplier scorecards; a scorecard with well-developed performance indicators works to keep the vendor focused on the customer's corporate goals.
September 1, 2004... Supplier scorecards are an integral piece of a supplier relationship management program. Properly constructed and used, the scorecard assesses performance and customer satisfaction with individual suppliers, as well as compares suppliers...

Spreading roots: corporate culture beyond the corporation: today, ethics is a basic necessity. A corporate culture without ethics is only a rogue employee away from potential catastrophe.
September 1, 2004... It is easy to believe in the wake of seemingly incessant corporate scandals that business and ethics go together like instant and classic or like jumbo and shrimp. Yet, they must go together for ethical, business, and legal reasons. The...

Creating a supplier value-chain: the supplier's leadership must establish a customer-focused project culture and a strong supply-chain management infrastructure to achieve a successful supplier value-chain.
September 1, 2004... This article is a modified excerpt from the book, Managing Complex Outsourced Projects, by Gregory A. Garrett, (CCH Inc., Chicago, IL 2004). According to the Gartner Group's latest studies, 77 percent of all outsourced business-to-business...

Adopting best practices in Contract Management; enterprise CM solutions may help organizations improve revenues, reduce operating costs, lower risks, and operate more efficiently.(Contract Management)(related article: The Hard-Dollar Payback of Contract Optimization)
September 1, 2004... The typical Fortune 1000 company maintains 20,000 to 40,000 active contracts. (1) Because these contracts define business relationships and transactions, managing contracts and ensuring compliance is critical. Yet, the complexities of...

Failed brinkmanship.(Case Commentary)
September 1, 2004... Walsh Construction Company (Walsh) in Illinois was the lowest bidder on a July 1989 Corps of Engineers invitation for bids (IFB) to "remediate" hazardous and toxic materials at a superfund site in Holbrook, Massachusetts. The IFB established...

Telecommunication contracting: industry best practices.(Telecommunications)
September 1, 2004... Increased globalization, innovative new technologies, new services, industry deregulation, and increased competition among service providers have resulted in corporate customers looking at opportunities to reduce telecommunication spending and...

Kodak catches a new wave.(Best Practices)(Eastman Kodak Co.)
September 1, 2004... Judy Bueg, supply chain operations and program manager for Radio Frequency Identification, Digital & Film Imaging Systems (D&FIS), holds a small vial to the light. At a casual glance, the bottle appears to hold small pieces of glitter. All...

I-many contract management solutions provider suite.(Information Technology)
September 1, 2004... The I-many contract management solution suite is a real-time tool that can manage a contract through a full life cycle. I-many has several solutions that contracting, legal, and accounting departments will appreciate. Through various...

Rising contract demands: Wind2Software meets the challenge.(E-Business)
September 1, 2004... It's all about the bottom line and money--you know that with every contract you manage. What system or program you select to track where each cost and revenue point goes, therefore, is critical. Wind2Software's FMS accounting system, used...

GSA: moving your way.(GSA Case Study)(General Services Administration)
September 1, 2004... Moving and traveling can often be a huge headache, burdensome and stressful for those involved. Here are a few solutions that GSA offers. Transportation Help GSA's new Transportation Management Services Solution (TMSS) electronic bill...

Final edition September 2004.
September 1, 2004... Legislation Transparency and Accountability in Security Contracting Bill Introduced in House Representatives David Price, Henry Waxman, John Spratt, Martin Meehan, and Bud Cramer have introduced a bill in the House of Representatives,...

Top ICAF paper of the year: Contingency Contracting and Combat Capabilities.(NCMA Association News)(National Contract Management Association)(Industrial College of the Armed Forces)
September 1, 2004... NCMA traditionally honors the top author(s) of a paper at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.) with the annual Award for Excellence in Research and Writing. This year's award...

Aerospace & Defense Contracting Conference; going beyond: latest Aerospace and Defense Conference, new NCMA board meetings.(NCMA Association News)
September 1, 2004... Exploring and protecting, flying and building--this is the lofty and challenging task of the aerospace and defense industry today. But it is those professionals who make these cutting-edge projects--on land, sea, and into space--that really are...

Announcing new ESI Contracting Award.(NCMA Association News)(National Contract Management Association)(ESI International)
September 1, 2004... Excellence in the contracting profession--especially at a time when contractors are responsible for developing new relationships on an increasingly interconnected global front--should never be underestimated or taken for granted. NCMA's...

Knowing the value of certification.(NCMA Association News)
September 1, 2004... This is a published excerpt of NCMA's "Statement of Professional Qualifications," reprinted with request from the Contract Management Certification & Accreditation Board (CMCAB). To become a CPCM, a candidate must already have earned the CFCM...

DCMA director/NCMA member receives second star.(NCMA Association News)(Defense Contract Management Agency)(related article: Chapter Bulletin Board)(National Contract Management Association)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Director General Darryl A Scott, U.S. Air Force, received his second star in a promotion ceremony in early July 2004. Scott has served as DCMA's director since December 2003. In this role, he is...

Dear Contract Management professionals.
September 1, 2004... As a valued member of NCMA, you have contributed to the success of our association on many levels and continue to be a part of a changing profession. As we build upon this path of success, we are excited about this second issue of the newly...

Continuous improvement and the contracting profession.
September 1, 2004... Abstract. The topic of how companies and organizations stay competitive is a pervasive subject in the media; frequently the idea of "continuous improvement" (CI) is used. The concept is this: companies with a strong culture of continually...

Capability-based acquisition in the Missile Defense Agency and implications for department of defense acquisition.
September 1, 2004... Abstract. The process outlined in this article has the potential to transform the U.S. military into a truly integrated fighting force. Merging the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA's) capability-based acquisition process with the ideas contained...

An update on Department of Homeland Security contracting.
September 1, 2004... Abstract. It is unclear whether absent an amendment of Section 103 of the Homeland Security Act by Congress, if DHS can create (through regulation alone) a chief procurement officer who will be on par with the other DHS "chiefs." In a move...

A case study of the Raytheon Six Sigma with suppliers project.(Raytheon Aircraft Co.)
September 1, 2004... Abstract. How does one deploy an internally developed set of quality-based values outward into the supply chain and, in doing so, transform those values into a set of robust, executable processes and incorporate them into a supplier development...