Pre-Conference Workshop

Global Sourcing Pre-Conference Workshop
November 10, 2009
1:00 PM - 5:30 PM
(Location: The Westin Times Square)

Join us for an in-depth review of the sourcing process before the main event!

Take this opportunity to learn the fundamentals of Global Sourcing from experts who have planned, managed and successfully implemented sourcing initiatives around the world. This workshop has been designed for executives and professionals who manage sourcing processes on a day to day basis in mid to large size organizations. Combining practical advice with lessons learned and industry best practices, these interactive sessions are ideal for those who either want a refresher course or want an in depth understanding and knowledge of the three essential areas of Sourcing - Vendor Selection, Contract Negotiation and Relationship Management.

This half day workshop consists of 3 back-to-back sessions hosted by sourcing experts and practitioners:


  Tuesday, November 10, 1:00 PM



 Bob Mathers
 Principal Consultant
 Compass Management Consultants


 Lee Coulter
 former Senior VP of Global Sourcing
 Kraft Foods


The Sourcing Process:  From RFPs to Vendor Selection

Given the impact the economic downturn has had on both vendors and consumers of services, it is more important than ever to be prudent during the selection process for outsourced services. In particular, a comprehensive Request For Proposal methodology can simplify the process for vendor selection minimizing financial risk and optimizing organizational alignment. This hands on workshop by an experienced Sourcing Executive will detail the essentials of an RFP process and provide a holistic approach to vendor selection that balances the need for a structured approach with the pragmatism of a workable solution.

In this session, participants will review techniques for soliciting, reviewing and validating vendor proposals:

You will learn:

• How to solicit RFPs and evaluate bids.
• How to review proposals.
• How to validate, negotiate and close vendor proposals.
  

Compass Principal Consultant Bob Mathers works with organizations in a wide variety of industry sectors to improve operational performance through the use of comparative analysis and industry insight gained over the past 15 years.

Bobs' areas of expertise include IT infrastructure, performance improvement, performance management, outsourcing strategy development, outsourced pricing benchmarking and organizational design.

As Senior VP of Global Shared Services for Kraft Foods, Lee Coulter implemented more than 100 shared services across nine functions as a key leader of the company’s “Organize for Growth” operating model. Lee has in-depth global leadership experience in technology, manufacturing, BPO services, financial services, and CPG sectors.

Lee’s functional expertise includes strategic planning, vendor management, large-scale global project management, service delivery, Six Sigma quality process, coaching, and mentoring.

 

Tuesday, November 10, 2:30 PM

 Mark Grossman
 Attorney at Law
 Grossman Law Group



Getting the Most from your Negotiations and Agreements:  A Primer on Managing your Contracts and SLAs

Once you have selected your vendor, the real work begins. The importance of negotiating and structuring an effective contract is often underestimated. This is the crucial phase which sets the right relationship framework for years to come and is essential to get the deal right. In this workshop, you will get practical tips on how to get the most from your agreement with your vendor and how to embed SLAs and other performance measures to manage the ongoing relationship.  You’ll learn the tricks of the trade to negotiate terms and how to maximize the value of those hard won concessions:

You will learn:

• Why a good agreement is critical for achieving successful outsourcing outcomes.
• Effective negotiating tactics and the critical terms worth fighting for.
• How to use your contract in a practical way to guide the ongoing relationship.
• How to manage your vendor to ensure performance beyond the SLAs.
• How to enforce SLAs if things go wrong or you see deteriorating service.

Mark Grossman is a 26-year business lawyer who began focusing his practice on technology about 20 years ago.  He is also an author and frequent speaker on technology, business, and the art and science of negotiating deals.

Mark is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level attainable, and has been a member of the Florida Bar’s Computer Law Committee.  Further, he was chosen by his peers to appear in the last several editions of The Best Lawyers in America. 

Mark is a 1982 cum laude graduate of GeorgetownUniversityLawCenter in Washington, D.C.

Mark started his career as a business lawyer gaining experience as a negotiator and litigator, but then began to focus his practice on technology outsourcing, telecommunications, licensing, and custom development deals.  Working on such technology deals led to experience with non-disclosure agreements, software audit disputes, computer use policies, the Internet, privacy policies, online contracts, e-commerce, document destruction policies, intellectual property, employment agreements, and issues unique to start-ups. 

In 1997, Mark created his weekly “CyberLaw” column in South Florida’s “Daily Business Review.”  In 2000, he renamed his column “TechLaw” and moved it to the Miami Herald where the column ran for many years.

Since the mid-1990’s, Mark has spoken to hundreds of groups domestically and internationally including multiple appearances at Georgetown University Law Center’s Advanced Computer Law Institute and COMDEX in Las Vegas.  He has also been a guest on many television and radio shows including ABC’s “Nightline.”


Tuesday, November 10, 4:00 PM

    
 
 Henry Guapo
 Partner
 Avasant

Bob Moss
Head - Strategic Sourcing, ISD
HCL Technologies Limited


Vendor Management: Maximizing the Value of Outsourcing through Effective Planning, Execution & Health Checks

Establishing and maintaining an effective vendor management capability is essential to ensuring outsourcing relationships actually achieve their objectives such as performance/SLA improvements, cost savings and process and technology transformation. Despite its importance throughout the sourcing lifecycle it is an area that is often overlooked or underemphasized. It is often presumed that having a sourcing strategy squarely aligned with business strategy that is then executed with all the rigor of a requirements based vendor selection process which then culminates with the execution of a best practices-based services contract will likely lead to a successful outsourcing relationship. Although these are essential factors that contribute to outsourcing success, vendor management is the glue that keeps both parties focused on delivering results and achieving outsourcing objectives. Effective vendor management is the key to continually achieving maximum value from an outsourcing relationship.

If vendor management is effectively planned for and executed through out the sourcing lifecycle the chances of success increase significantly. During our preconference session we will address the following questions and issues that will guide attendees, regardless of where they are in the sourcing lifecycle, down a road of vendor management success.

 

You will learn:

• How should vendor management be addressed throughout the sourcing lifecycle including ongoing health checks and adjustments e.g., during sourcing planning and strategy development, transaction execution and operational and management phases?
• What are the key roles, processes and governance mechanisms involved in vendor management and how should they be scaled to fit an organization’s needs?
• When and how should the myriad of outsourcing performance and relationship quality metrics and score card mechanisms be employed e.g., key performance indicators, operational service level agreements, transformational metrics, process metrics, project metrics, customer satisfaction surveys…?

Mr. Guapo is a Partner with the consulting firm Avasant and has extensive experience assisting clients with all aspects of the information technology and business process sourcing lifecycle including strategy development, RFP development and vendor selection, contract development and negotiations and on going sourcing management. For the past 12 years Mr. Guapo has led a variety of management consulting engagements including sourcing engagements covering information technology infrastructure services, applications development and maintenance services, system implementation and business process services spanning a variety of industries and State and Local Government. Prior to joining Avasant, Mr. Guapo was a Director in Gartner Consulting's Strategic Sourcing practice. Mr. Guapo earned a bachelor's degree in engineering with a minor in business administration at the University of Southern California. He also earned an MBA, with an emphasis in finance and information technology, at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.