| Frequently Asked Questions — Purchasing and Supply Management |
| I need information on… |
What's available? |
Where to find / how to get.. |
| Benchmarking Data |
CAPS Research conducts Benchmarking Reports on various industries, and also compiles a Cross-Industry Comparison of Standard Benchmarks.
The Benchmarking Network provides resources online, including a free benchmarking newsletter and links to industry- and process-focused benchmarking associations.
Consult ISM's "Measuring Performance / Benchmarking" Resource Guide for articles and resources on the topic. Resource Guides are FREE to members. |
CAPS
http://www.capsresearch.org
Choose "Research" then "Benchmarking Reports"
Benchmarking Network
http://www.benchmarkingnetwork.com
ISM Resource Guides Index
www.ism.ws/tools/guides/index.cfm |
| Best Practices |
CAPS Research publishes Practix, a quarterly presentation of best practices in supply management. |
CAPS - Practix
http://www.capsresearch.org/Research/Practix.aspx |
Bid Documents / Bid Specifications
(RFP, RFQ, etc.) |
ISM's Members-Only Bid Specifications Database holds thousands of sample bid documents, including RFPs, RFQs, and Invitations for Bid. Sample documents can be downloaded for personal use.
Many government agencies post bids online. Before using a sample bid, check with the state or city agency to see if their bids are available for public use.
Consult ISM's "Bidding Process" Resource Guide for articles and resources on the topic. Resource Guides are FREE to members. |
ISM Bid Specifications Database
www.ism.ws/tools/content.cfm?ItemNumber=7806
Most state Web sites can be found in the following format, where XX stands for the state's two-letter postal code
http://www.state.XX.us
ISM Resource Guides Index
www.ism.ws/tools/guides/index.cfm |
| Colleges / Schools |
ISM publishes a listing of institutions offering educational programs in Supply Management. |
Supply Management Education
www.ism.ws/membership/content.cfm?ItemNumber=4742 |
| Commodity Pricing Information |
Purchasing Magazine offers regular updates of commodity prices and a paid service called purchasingdata.com.
The Producer Price Index measures changes in selling price over time. |
Purchasing Magazine
http://www.purchasing.com
Producer Price Index
http://www.bls.gov/ppi |
| Company History |
There is a wealth of information available online. For the basics, try looking at the company's Web site for a press release center or an "about us" section. Or, try a business search engine, such as Business.com
For detailed information, including financial reports, contacts, and competitors, good sources include Hoover's Online, Dun and Bradstreet, and Industry Watch. |
Business.com
http://www.business.com
Hoover's Online
http://www.hoovers.com
Dun and Bradstreet
http://www.dnb.com
Industry Watch
http://cnniw.yellowbrix.com |
| Consultants |
IT Toolbox publishes a list of Supply Chain consultants, arranged alphabetically. |
IT Toolbox – Supply Chain Vendors
http://supplychain.ittoolbox.com/topics/s.asp?s=11&p=11&h1=11 |
| Contract Samples / Contracting |
eTool Agreements, available online at a reduced rate for ISM members, offers a wide variety of sample contracts.
For articles on the contracting process, members can search ISM's Articles Database. There are several helpful resources in the Database, including the following:
ISM InfoEdge: The Basics of Skillful Contract Writing
ISM InfoEdge: Effective Contract Administration
The ISM Resource Guides on "Contract Formation" and "Contract Management" also provide links to articles and resources. Resource Guides are free to ISM members.
Other resources include:
NCMA — The National Contract Management Association, provides resources and support for contract management.
Findlaw.com - For a list of sites where you will find contract forms. |
eTool Agreements
www.ism.ws/products/
results.cfm?MetaDataID=487
ISM Articles Database
www.ism.ws/search/search.cfm
The Basics of Skillful Contract Writing
www.ism.ws/pubs/InfoEdge/
InfoEdgeIssue.cfm?ItemNumber=10461
Effective Contract Administration
www.ism.ws/pubs/InfoEdge/
InfoEdgeIssue.cfm?ItemNumber=10475
ISM Resource Guides Index
www.ism.ws/tools/guides/index.cfm
NCMA
http://www.ncmahq.org
Findlaw.com
http://www.findlaw.com/16forms/collections.html |
| Cost of a Purchase Order |
ISM does not conduct studies tracking the average price of a purchase order.
CAPS Research has a study detailing the transaction costs of low value goods and services. |
CAPS Research
http://www.capsresearch.org
Select "Research" then "Focus Studies" to find the report entitled "Reducing the Transaction Costs of Purchasing Low Value Goods and Services" and see page 25. |
| Economic Indicators |
ISM's Report On Business® (ROB) is published monthly and features important information for both the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes economic information, including the Survey of Current Business.
For other useful economic resources, see ISM's list of Economic Resources |
ISM Report On Business® (ROB)
www.ism.ws/ISMReport/index.cfm
Bureau of Economic Analysis
http://www.bea.gov
ISM- Other Economic Resources
www.ism.ws/ISMReport/content.cfm?ItemNumber=14194 |
| Employment / Resume Service / Career Opportunities |
ISM's Career Center includes job listings from around the country, searchable by job title or region of the country. Refer to this section if you want to post your resume, post a job, or find other job hunting resources. |
ISM Career Center
www.ism.ws/CareerCenter/index.cfm |
| Ethics |
ISM's Code of Ethics, the Principles and Standards of Ethical Supply Management Conduct, is available free.
Consult ISM's "Ethics in Purchasing" Resource Guide for articles and resources on the topic. Resource Guides are FREE to members.
International Business Ethics Institute offers professional services to organizations interested in implementing, expanding, or modifying business ethics and corporate responsibility programs.
Ethics Resource Center, Inc. a resource center for information, advice, and educational products and services, the Ethics Resource Center helps governments, companies, and associations establish standards of ethical conduct.
Business for Social Responsibility Group is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping organizations implement and improve corporate social responsibility policies and practices.
The Ethics Officer Association (EOA) is a professional association exclusively for managers of ethics compliance and business conduct programs |
Principles and Standards
www.ism.ws/tools/content.cfm?ItemNumber=4740
ISM Resource Guides Index
www.ism.ws/tools/guides/index.cfm
International Business Ethics Institute
www.business-ethics.org
Ethics Resource Center, Inc.
www.ethics.org
Business for Social Responsibility Group:
www.bsr.org
The Ethics and Compliance Officer Association (ECOA):
www.theecoa.org |
| General Information on Supply Management |
ISM Resource Guides are an easy source for information on specific topics and are FREE to ISM members. Resource Guides feature articles and resources on the topic.
ISM's online Articles Database offers full-text articles from Inside Supply Management®, the Journal of Supply Chain Management, and the Annual International Conference Proceedings. Search by keyword.
Some supply management magazines offer articles online for free. Purchasing Magazine and Supply & Demand Chain Executive both have extensive online article databases.
ITtoolbox SCM Knowledge Base provides the latest community-generated content from the IT market. Share knowledge with your peers and work together to form experience-based decisions. |
ISM Resource Guides
www.ism.ws/tools/guides/index.cfm
ISM Articles Database
www.ism.ws/search/search.cfm
Purchasing Magazine
http://www.purchasing.com
Supply & Demand Chain Executive
http://www.sdcexec.com/
ITtoolbox SCM Knowledge Base
http://supplychain.ittoolbox.com/ |
| Job Descriptions |
Sample job descriptions are available online, free to members. |
Sample Job Descriptions
www.ism.ws/careercenter/jobdescriptions/?navItemNumber=13193 |
| Names of Purchasing Professionals / Names of ISM Members |
ISM does not share or sell its membership list. However, members can communicate with other members through ISM's Special Interest Groups and Forums, local affiliates and through the online Discussion Forums. |
Groups and Forums — Members Only
www.ism.ws/membership/content.cfm?ItemNumber=4739
Discussion Forums
www.ism.ws/forums/index.cfm?navitemNumber=13249 |
| Outsourcing |
Consult ISM's "Outsourcing" Resource Guide for articles and resources on the topic. Resource Guides are FREE to members.
For articles on outsourcing, members can search ISM's Articles Database. There are several helpful resources there, including the following:
ISM InfoEdge: Getting Into Outsourcing
"The Outsourcing Decision"
Inside Supply Management® |
ISM Resource Guides Index
www.ism.ws/tools/guides/index.cfm
ISM Articles Database
www.ism.ws/search/search.cfm
Getting Into Outsourcing
www.ism.ws/pubs/InfoEdge/InfoEdgeIssue.cfm?ItemNumber=10854
The Outsourcing Decision
www.ism.ws/pubs/ISMMag/ismarticle.cfm?ItemNumber=12098 |
| Policy and Procedures |
For articles on policy and procedures, members can search ISM's Articles Database. There are several helpful resources there, including the following:
"Creating Effective Procurement Policies" NAPM Insights
"Improving Procedures by Asking Simple Questions" NAPM Insights |
ISM Articles Database
www.ism.ws/search/search.cfm
"Creating Effective Procurement Policies"
www.ism.ws/pubs/ISMMag/ismarticle.cfm?ItemNumber=5078
"Improving Procedures by Asking Simple Questions"
www.ism.ws/pubs/ISMMag/ismarticle.cfm?ItemNumber=5639 |
| Salary Information |
ISM publishes an annual Salary Survey. The full report provides breakdowns of salary by job title, years of experience, education level, certification status, buying responsibility, state of residency and other factors.
Purchasing Magazine conducts an annual salary survey. The survey includes salary breakdowns by job title, industry, and geographic location.
Salary.com provides salary averages for purchasing-oriented job titles. Averages are calculated by zip code. |
ISM Salary Survey
www.ism.ws/tools/Content.cfm?ItemNumber=21584
Purchasing Magazine
http://www.purchasing.com
Salary.com
http://www.salary.com |
| Suppliers |
ISM offers an online Supplier Directory. You can search by keyword, category, or location.
Also, try a large company information registry such as the ThomasNet or Hoover's. |
ISM Supplier Directory
www.ism.ws/SupplierDirectory/index.cfm
ThomasNet
http://www.thomasnet.com/
Hoover's Online
http://www.hoovers.com |
| Uniform Commercial Code |
The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) is a joint product of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) and the American Law Institute.
Copies of the Uniform Commercial Code, along with more information, can be found online. |
NCCUSL
http://www.nccusl.org
American Law Institute
http://www.ali.org
UCC Articles 1-9
http://www.law.cornell.edu/
ucc/ucc.table.html |
