The Green Notebook

What is The Green Notebook?

The Green Notebook is a “what’s what“ check on your existing sourcing and supplier governance process, with the primary goal of identifying where you excel at Sourcing and Supplier Governance, and where you might need some help. Those results can then feed directly into creating a roadmap to implement a best practices Sourcing and Supplier Governance methodology, from which you can immediately benefit.

After getting to know your process, interviewing a variety of personnel who either have involvement in your Sourcing and Supplier Governance process, or should, and taking a look at existing documentation, Seprio will conduct an analysis that compares your current Sourcing and Supplier Governance practices against best practices, and create a gap analysis and opportunity assessment that identifies areas of need.

Ideally, we’re getting our hands dirty by sourcing alongside you so we can better see the process in action. It’s invaluable to experience what and how you do things first-hand, though The Green Notebook is valuable as a standalone.

What’s the process?

1. Discovery + History Review

Seprio will first get a bird’s eye view of your current situation. Before any diagnosis or recommendations are given, it’s vital to understand where things currently stand. Seprio has identified six key areas that indicate if best practices for Sourcing and Supplier Governance are in place and being utilized:

  • Oversight & Policy

  • Risk & Due Diligence

  • Sourcing & Solicitations

  • Contracts & Negotiation

  • Contract Management

  • Supplier Relationship Management

Seprio also looks at current vendor spend data to begin to identify where your money is going and where special attention should be directed.

Overall, the Green Notebook examines 321 data elements within those six different areas listed above.

2. Interrogation

Just kidding! Sort of…

The documents (processes, policies, SOPs) only tells so much of the story.

In fact, it’s usually what’s missing from the paper trail that’s often most important… The people.

Seprio will [kindly] interview personnel that play a part in Sourcing and Supplier Governance, including the constituents of the Sourcing and Supplier Governance program (i.e. the business) as well as legal, risk, finance, and any other areas who touch on, or benefit from, the process. Understanding not only what happens in the process, but also how that process is perceived by those who are required to use it, can contribute greatly in ensuring buy-in.

Once Seprio has the full story, it’s time to wrap it all up with a bowtie.

3. The Final Analysis

Once everything has been said and done, The Green Notebook is comprised of your:

  • Gap Analysis; showing gaps where best practices are needed and the impact that implementing best practices would have…

  • Opportunity Assessment; showing areas with cost saving opportunities based on vendor spend data…

It all comes together to create your roadmap to better Sourcing and Supplier Governance through efficient and effective processes, which leads to great risk reduction, cost & time savings, and visibility.

Seprio will present The Green Notebook along with any other key findings to stakeholders, and provide guidance and clarification as needed as you make the decision about whether you want to go to the next level and not only understand what you can do better, but actually do better…

Signs this is for you:

  • Desire to implement industry best practices for sourcing and supplier governance.

  • Inadequate contract management processes leading to missed deadlines or poor vendor performance.

  • Inconsistent communication and collaboration between departments involved in sourcing and supplier governance.

  • Challenges with identifying and selecting the best vendors for a particular need.

  • Your team isn’t negotiating deals as well as they could be.

  • Need for more efficient and effective sourcing and supplier governance processes to save time and reduce costs.

  • Struggling to measure and demonstrate the value of procurement to the wider organization

  • Difficulty tracking supplier performance and ensuring compliance with contracts.

  • Personnel hasn’t been trained on sourcing or supplier governance.

  • Lots of people spending money, not sure they are doing it well.

  • No current sourcing or supplier governance department, needing to build one.

  • Things move too slow in sourcing and supplier governance.

  • There’s obvious room for improvement in the way things are done.

  • You’re already successfully sourcing and managing suppliers, but want to validate it’s the best it can be.

Contract Management Case Studies

The Seprio Promises

  1. If you commit to the process, you will save more money than you pay Seprio, guaranteed.

  2. You make all the decisions and sign off on the strategy before negotiations even begin.

  3. We will not only support your relationships with your vendors, but we will also work hard to improve those relationships.

What can you expect from us?

  • Visibility

    You’ll get full visibility into everything we do together, as well as the nuances of your unique circumstances.

    As a decision-maker, it’s impossible to guide your team in the right direction without knowing where you stand today.

  • Process Consistency

    Great companies do the right things, the same way, every time. Our job is to make your job easier.

    We live and breathe sourcing and supplier governance, so rest assured you’ll cross the finish line with a smile.

  • Risk Reduction & Cost Savings

    This is one of those situations where it’s easier to show than tell. Don’t make it harder than it has to be!

    You’re better off checking out the testimonials than hearing me try to say money & risk reduction a different way.

Contact Us.