In this fourth and final installment of our Gartner series on collaborating more effectively with your suppliers, we focus on how you can adapt and scale the strategy you have introduced over the long term.
To build long-term partnerships with strategic suppliers, Gartner recommends establishing quarterly business review meetings (QBRs) in which the status quo is ascertained and discussed, while new opportunities and options for generating measurable commercial and business benefits for both sides are presented and considered. To achieve maximum effectiveness, the meetings’ participants should include senior managers across various functions from both the purchasing company and the supplier’s side. The topics selected for the meeting should be strategic and not only operative or tactical.
According to the experts, the most appropriate types of activities for suppliers who are not (yet) in strategic focus are lightweight options like supplier summits, feedback surveys or supplier panels.
In addition to those mentioned above, Gartner also has plenty of other practical tips for implementing and scaling a strategy for more effective collaboration with suppliers.
Gartner’s “The Journey to Effective Supplier Collaboration – Governance and Scaling” is now available for download from our website – naturally free of charge.
