The evaluation of an Outsourcing application model cannot ignore the degree of knowledge and use of Information Technologies, as well as the availability of the Tools on which they are based and the proposals presented by the Outsourcing Provider
Time Management
In high-productivity countries we find ourselves more and more frequently in the need to relate to the precious factor of time. It is now a widespread opinion that an optimal definition and respect for working time slots is no longer sufficient; what takes on fundamental importance as it is what is concretely achieved in this period of time, that is, the result of the activities, in their remote premises and of the human and technological resources, whether internal or external. In order to carry out effective Control and Management activities, increasingly new managerial tools and actions based on innovative technologies are necessary. The availability of these tools plays a decisive role in the definition of new organizational models aimed at reducing costs, consolidating the company's position on the market and greater competitiveness and efficiencies. In an attempt to resolve the "time problem", in the context of Materials and Procurement Management, companies will increasingly find themselves in the position of requesting from their suppliers the ability to take on an active partner role in the definition and development of company strategies and in the achievement of increasingly better economic objectives; In this way, we will achieve increasingly complete and fruitful integration with those organizational centers that are in a position to offer this service.
Communications and Procedures
The number of procedures in a procurement process increases over time in proportion to the number of orders that become necessary, particularly in the context of system reciprocations. This increase in the number of orders originates from the effective reduction in the value held in the warehouse towards which large companies are moving.
The documentation and volume of information generated for each procedure of the procurement process and the related management in the various phases of the process make the time spent the main protagonist of these activities. Time reveals itself as a factor whose degree of impact is imponderable and, apparently, unmeasurable; the possibility can only be taken into consideration of reducing the amount of time used thanks to the support of targeted IT solutions, capable of carrying out communication, verification, control and follow up activities; in fact, the costs of these activities often greatly exceed the value of the object to be supplied (the procurement procedures are between fifty and sixty, the entities involved are around ten, the people involved are between ten and twenty).
Integrated Outsourcing Platform Software
New technologies and methods of communication allow the creation and use of more effective solutions at reduced costs. Their validity must be found in the high response speed rather than in the power of the hardware used. The implementation of installation, diagnosis, maintenance and modernization costs of applications is extremely reduced when compared to the possibility of operating from anywhere in the world.
The introduction of the dedicated software platform, created from a Workflow perspective, allows Online Feedback, automatically available upon each completion of the procedure by the external structure and the possibility of operating interactively by relating one's own structure to that of the Outsourcing Provider. It is possible, for example, to consult a personalized database made available by the Outsourcing Provider: in other words, each resource/entity (Outsourcer) involved in the procurement process can check the progress of a procurement request at any point of the flow, as well as being able to check lists, orders sent, their progress and related delivery terms, invoices and documents, "control of the Outsourcing activity" (GI - Degree of Integration).
The possibility of accessing this information is ensured by the simple use of an Information Oriented information management system.
As previously mentioned, the factor that primarily generates the increase in the number of orders is the need to reduce warehouse supplies; proportional to this increase are the multiplication of control and support activities of the suppliers involved. An enormous help in managing this type of situation comes from the creation of synergies with other materials management agencies within the same Group (in Italy and abroad), if not even with other entities with common guidelines.
The use of the Integrated Outsourcing Platform Software is placed, as part of the strategic planning of innovation, between the Outsourcer and the activities of the Outsourcing Provider, without generating negative impacts on existing structures and requirements. All this can also be seen as creating the basis for a gradual evolution towards International Outsourcing. (see Virtual Warehouse which allows you to keep the value of supplies reduced, but to have an available quantity greater than the minimum quantity stored in the warehouse).