APPLYING FOR THE 2013 INSTITUTE FOR SUPPLY MANAGEMENT™ — MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN SUPPLY MANAGEMENT

Eligibility

Supply management departments in organizations of all sizes and geographic locations, domestic and international, are invited to apply. Multiple entries are welcome. Members of the Evaluations Committee are unable to review entries from their own company or those from direct competitors. Company data submitted remains strictly confidential unless ISM receives permission to use information in an ISM brochure, magazine or website.

For the 2013 Awards, the project/initiative must (1) have been completed and/or implemented and (2) have measurable outcomes within the date range of October 1, 2009 through September 16, 2012.

How to Apply

ISM has developed a simple web-enabled platform for you to use to submit an application. When the application period for the 2014 Institute for Supply Management™ — Michigan State University Awards for Excellence in Supply Management opens in July 2013, a link to the application will be available. You will be able to upload documents in standard format files.

Applicants must submit the following:

1. Complete all elements of the web application form, select one category per entry and include the category on the cover page. Choices are: Process, Transformation of the Organization, People, Technology and Sustainability. If no category is specified, one will be designated by ISM.
   
   
2. An executive summary of no more than two pages that includes, in this order:
   1. Brief description of your organization.
   2. A clear description of the reason/rationale behind the project/initiative strategy.
   3. How the project/initiative meets date range parameters. The project/initiative must (1) have been completed and/or implemented and (2) have measurable outcomes within the date range of October 1, 2009 through September 16, 2012.
   4. Impact of the project/initiative on your organization (for example, what was your solution, what was the effect across the business, how did you become more competitive and so on).
   5. How your solution exhibited leadership and innovation.
   6. Results and how they were validated and quantified (for example, real-world performance data including milestones, baseline metrics and results or the percentage or magnitude of the results).
   7. Plans for sustaining the initiative.
   
   Submit in Microsoft Word using a minimum 10 pt. text size.
   
   
3. Supporting documentation further explaining the scope, impact and execution of the initiative following the general order of the executive summary. Validation of results from internal business partners, external customers or suppliers is encouraged. Please do not submit confidential or proprietary materials. Results may be stated in terms of order of magnitude rather than actual figures. Supporting documentation cannot exceed six pages. These documents may be in Word, Excel, PowerPoint or PDF format.
   
   
4. Total application length, excluding the Web application form, may not exceed eight pages total.
   
   
5. Applications will only be accepted through the ISM website. Click here for the application.
   
   
6. Purchase the Excellence in Supply Management Application Fee by clicking the "Purchase ISM Award Application Fee" button and continuing the checkout process. You may pay the fee before or after you make a submission.

The Oversight Committee reserves the right to remove any application from consideration at its sole discretion.

Application Fee

An application fee of $1,000 per organization is required for 2013 Award applications. Organizations that submit multiple applications will only be charged this fee once, regardless of the number of applications they submit. Companies enrolled in the ISM Corporate Program do not pay an application fee.

The application fee will be used to build the scholarship fund awarded by ISM. The entry fee is not refundable. If you have any questions about this fee, please e-mail ISM at Awards@ism.ws.

Number of Awards

It is ISM's intention to give one award per category based on the merits of the submissions. Five additional awards may be given and come from one category or a combination of categories if submissions warrant it. Awards are dependent on applications of sufficient quality. In support of the ISM mission "to lead supply management," the Oversight Committee focuses on identifying entries that exhibit leadership and innovative thinking coupled with measurable organizational impact.

About the Judging Process

Three factors are most crucial in guiding the judges' selections. First, projects must address big challenges for which new solutions would have wide organizational and/or supply chain impact. Second, top contenders must offer a truly innovative solution, rather than just a modest improvement over existing practices. Third, entries must be supported by rigorous data based on real-world performance.

Results should be measured, significant and sustainable. They may be hard or soft, and projected or actual. The results may be measured against any recognized metric such as revenue enhancement, asset management, cost management, productivity, speed-to-market or competitiveness. Metrics are not confined to this list. While results may be projected or actual, judges place higher value on results that are supported by data. Results may be presented as percentages or the magnitude of change rather than absolute numbers. If appropriate and available, validation outside the supply arena is welcome.

Award Criteria

The Evaluation Committee and the Oversight Committee assess entries based on the following award criteria:

1. The application submitted covers a project led by a supply management department (i.e., the entity spending its own resources in support of its mission through a supply management department).
2. The initiative meets application criteria.
3. The initiative addresses a major organizational challenge.
4. The solution is innovative.
5. The supply management department exhibits leadership throughout the process.
6. The results have an impact on the organization's performance.
7. The results are supported by validation.
8. The application content is certified as correct by an officer of the organization.

For the 2013 Awards, the project/initiative must either (1) have been completed and/or implemented and (2) have measurable outcomes within the date range of October 1, 2009 through September 16, 2012.

About the Reviewers

The Evaluation Committee is comprised of senior supply professionals. Reviewers evaluate applications against pre-established criteria and recommend finalists to the Oversight Committee for approval. The Oversight Committee is comprised of senior supply executives and academics and is responsible for setting policy and selecting awards winners.

About the Awards Event

Winners will be notified in January 2013. All notifications are strictly confidential. Award recipients will be publicly announced and honored at an Awards Dinner on Sunday, April 28, 2013, at the ISM Annual International Supply Management Conference and Educational Exhibit in Dallas, TX. Winners agree to make presentations at the Conference, which runs April 29 - May 1, 2013.

ISM Contact

Direct questions to Terri Tracey, CAE, Vice President, at 800/888-6276 or 480/752-6276, extension 3071 (or if calling from outside the United States 480/752-6276, extension 3071), or by e-mail at Awards@ism.ws.

The Application Form

Awards Submission Form

• Applying for the 2013 Awards for Excellence in Supply Management and Application Fee Payment
• Submit Your Entry Now!
• About Entry Categories
• About the Reviewers
• Award Types
• Main Page
• Awards Trophy
• Sponsorship Opportunities for the Eighth Annual Institute for Supply Management™ — Michigan Management University Awards for Excellence in Supply Management and the R. Gene Richter Scholarship Awards (Word Doc)
• Back to Top