Spend Matters and MetalMiner have published extensive research in the area of supplier management. But nearly all of our analysis and primary research to date has focused on vendor level information, aside from coverage of conflict minerals (Dodd-Frank) and related registration. Now, we're hoping to dig deeper into the area of supplier management, vendor/material risk and supply chain traceability by conducting a survey and additional primary research that takes an even deeper view of the extended products and vendor supply chain.

This survey aims to examine the potential demand for supplier information and enrichment content primarily on the item/material level, including products/components/chemicals that may be subject to regulation or restriction based on their base components, inherent hazards or intended usage. It will be used to judge the broader marketplace interest in these new solutions and the findings may be shared, in the aggregate, with a range of organizations as well as Spend Matters and MetalMiner readers.

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Spend Matters welcomes some thoughts from Hackett's Pierre Mitchell today. He is soliciting some last minute input from Spend Matters readers to fill out a quick survey.

One of the most basic procurement strategies is to separate transactional purchasing from strategic sourcing. Yet not all strategic sourcing techniques are implemented strategically. There are two aspects to this. First, sourcing methodologies themselves can only go so far in supporting broader category management objectives and other strategic procurement activities. We have already published research in this area, and there has been more than enough blog chatter on the topic, so we won't tread old ground here.

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Spend Matters would like to welcome a guest post from Pierre Mitchell, Director, Procurement Research and Advisory for The Hackett Group.

As I wrap up our inflation study closing this Monday, April 4 (it's a quick study; 10-15 minutes, confidential; custom readout; etc.), I've been looking at the interim results and there are definitely some interesting insights, of which I'll share a few.

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I'm very pleased to be working with Jason and Spend Matters on a new Monday blog post series highlighting some interesting tools and technologies -- some established, some emerging. Each week we'll focus on a tool and how we might use it, and ask your thoughts on how to best take advantage of the myriad technologies available. We'll discuss technologies targeted at both consumers and businesses, with a twist on examining how we might creatively apply them in a day-to-day work context. Some weeks will feature a quick tip; others, a more detailed discussion.

- Ryder Daniels, Capsaicin, LLC

For our first post, we'll take about a new beta offering from Instantloop. This basic service allows you to conduct automated telephone surveys by following a few simple steps. Before the availability of services like Instantloop, phone surveys were fairly expensive and time-consuming to conduct. With Instantloop, you can set up an automated ~10 question survey for ~50 people in about 15 minutes. Outgoing automated calls are placed in parallel, so based on the availability of respondents, you may get answers the same day, and you can view response rates and response data online. The automated voice is fairly clear to understand, and there are plans to allow survey admins to record their own greetings and announcements.

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Two weeks ago, we launched our first Spend Matters poll. And the results are in. In the poll, we asked: "For those involved in Spend Management decisions, how have the Gulf Hurricanes impacted your operations?" Participants had a choice of four answers below. The number of votes received to date for each is in parenthesis at the end.

1) As a result of the hurricanes, we will have to shut down plants and / or facilities (5 votes)

2) The hurricanes will directly impact our operations and costs (e.g., delayed shipments, higher transportation costs) (6 votes)

3) The hurricanes will make us think more seriously about supply risk and total cost in the future (7 votes)

4) The hurricanes have not directly impacted our operations, nor have they changed our Spend Management approach (5 votes)

In retrospect, this poll was a bit limiting. It was aimed at US manufacturers, primarily, and only practitioners could answer the questions. Next time, we'll take a more global perspective, and let all readers of Spend Matters have a say. So stay tuned, and look for our next poll in the coming weeks! And if you've not voted yet in the first poll, it's not too late to voice your opinion.

- Jason Busch