Procurement: For best results, talk to the folks in IT and HR
By Susan Avery -- Purchasing, 9/16/2004 2:00:00 AM
"First, I think it's highly important for there to be strong cooperation between the technology groups (IT) and procurement," says Joseph Brady, commodity analyst, Biogen Idec, Cambridge, Mass. Brady should know. Responsible for hardware, software, telecom and consulting sourcing at the biotech company, he has five years' experience as an IT professional and five years' experience as an IT procurement professional.
"Cooperation brings about the best of both worlds," he says. The organization leverages technology expertise of IT and business knowledge of procurement. For IT, developing a standard across the board helps minimize future support costs." Using multiple systems requires engineers who are skilled in different areas to man the help desk. A procurement operation needs to have parts for the machines on hand as well as processes in place to service them.
Cooperation between IT and procurement means the two can hammer out requirements for end users. For instance, procurement may be aware that system size, power, and battery life are important to some users. Ergonomics and employee health and safety also play a role. Armed with this data, the technology group can develop a matrix that identifies PCs that fit the requirements.
Procurement also needs to ensure that its sourcing systems are capable of running newer operating systems, says Brady. Taking into account other applications that may use a considerable amount of memory, procurement should consider systems that can be easily upgraded and don't quickly become obsolete.
Equally important is procurement's relationship with its supplier (reseller/manufacturer). Biogen Idec has negotiated an agreement with a manufacturer and purchases PCs through a reseller. The reseller configures the systems and loads software to customer requirements.
A good working relationship helps procurement stay abreast of changes in the marketplace, especially essential considering the fast pace of technology innovation.
Biogen Idec looks to its reseller suppliers for support with system migration, consulting and other areas. "If a PC is DOA, the reseller informs us, without impacting our service level and commitment to our internal customers," says Brady. "Our tech group is measured on its service and we want to keep that as high as possible."
An asset management system maintains a record of desktops and laptops; each PC is assigned an asset tag. Software tracks applications loaded on the systems.
For PC disposal, Biogen Idec has an agreement with a third party that collects the machines and verifies that data has been completely scrubbed. The third party issues certificates stating the machines have been disposed of in accordance with best practices. PCs in relatively good condition they resell. Others they destroy.
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