Crossrail appoints new head of procurement

2 December, 2009 | By Ed Owen

Crossrail has today appointed competitive cyclist and chartered surveyor Martin Rowark as its head of procurement reporting directly to commercial director Martin Buck.

Although interim procurement director Steve Rowsell will stay involved with the project as a consultant, he will be stepping back from his full-time role.

Rowark will join Crossrail on 21 December and will be responsible for the efficient acquisition of works, services and supplies from the external supply market.

Crossrail’s Commercial Director Martin Buck said: “I am delighted that Martin Rowark will be joining us as Head of Procurement. He brings a wealth of experience to the project as he has contributed to key railway projects in the past. We look forward to having him on board and strengthening the team to help deliver Europe’s largest construction project on time and to budget.”

Martin Rowark said: “It is an exciting time to be a part of a project of such national significance as Crossrail. I look forward to contributing to its success.”

Golf star Tiger Woods has apologised to his family, amid continuing speculation about his private life following a car crash last week.

“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart,” he said in a statement, without elaborating further.

“I have not been true to my values and the behaviour my family deserves.”

Woods was found bleeding and semi-conscious after his car hit a tree and fire hydrant outside his Florida home.

He was charged with careless driving, which carries a $164 (£98) fine and four points on his driving record.

e-Three signs global BPO agreement with Oracle

Atlanta, GA November 17, 2009 – e-Three, a leading provider of procurement technology and services, today announced it has entered into a BPO agreement with Oracle.  Under the “BPO Powered by Oracle” program, e-Three will offer Oracle® Procurement Applications as an on-demand offering, combined with procurement expertise and deployment services. 

“Oracle’s best-of-breed Procurement Applications are a perfect fit for e-Three”, said James Anthony, CEO of e-Three.  “By combining hosted on-demand Oracle Applications with procurement expertise and business services, e-Three’s clients can realize rapid adoption and accelerated savings.  In addition, Oracle Applications enable data integration and long-term deployment options including on-premise, thus giving our clients complete deployment flexibility.”

“We are delighted to have e-Three in the “BPO Powered by Oracle” program,” said Tibor Beles, Oracle’s VP of Business Process Outsourcing. “e-Three’s proven procurement expertise complements the flexible on-demand delivery of Oracle’s procurement applications.  Our customers get access to deep category, sourcing and process knowledge to augment their internal procurement capabilities - helping accelerate savings and process improvements.”

Tim Minahan, chief marketing officer at spend management Software as a Service (SaaS) provider Ariba, talks about the rosy future of cloud computing, the factors driving the shift towards the cloud and what the future might look like as more and more capabilities are at our fingertips.

Tight Room Workout

Holiday season is on us and everything that comes with it. The gift giving, the decorating, the parties, the cooking and the traveling. The whole philosophy behind TRX is that it is completely portable and adaptable to practically any location you might find yourself in (hence the name, “Fitness Anywhere”). Need I remind you the benefits exercise can provide in overcoming stress (dealing with crowds and family), burning calories (you can have your pie and eat it too!) and maintaining a positive mood (the turkey burned? Anyone for festive Peking Duck?).

Travel for the holidays can put you in tight quarters, whether it is a hotel room, a guest room, a basement or a walk-in closet that your aunt decided to throw a mattress in. This workout is designed for just such areas (except for the closet, even there you might be hard pressed to find room).

TRX Chest Press                    10-15 reps
TRX Triceps Press                 10-15 reps
TRX Biceps Curl                     10-15 reps
TRX High Row                         10-15 reps
TRX Single Leg Squat            10-15 reps each leg
TRX Y Raise                           8-10 reps
TRX W Raise                          8-10 reps
TRX Lunge                              10-15 reps each leg
TRX Crunch                            10-15 reps
TRX Hip Press                         10-15 reps

Despite the similarity in emphasis on the centrality of the supply chain for business, there is a fractious rift between many finance and procurement departments, with chief financial officers (CFOs) overlooking the role chief procurement officers (CPOs) play as ‘gatekeepers’ to the supply chain. According to recent research by Professor Adrian Done, IESE business school, and Basware, a purchase-to-pay solutions firm, the gap persists even though supply chain risk has significantly increased due to the economic climate and years of severe cost cutting.

Voser said that Shell was also reviewing its procurement policy. As a result, of the annual $7bn it spends on procuring drilling services and equipment, for example, it has found 15% of savings. This is partly the result of buying more equipment from China, which is about 20% cheaper than suppliers in other countries.

One of the UK’s biggest newspaper firms is to charge for access to online content from six of its titles.

Since getting into procurement and supply chain over a decade ago, I’ve tried to convince myself — maybe denude is a better term — that the corporate function and philosophical purpose I live my life for is gaining favor at the highest level of the executive suite. But is it? Recent research from Basware (conducted by Loudhouse) suggests that the majority of finance organizations are still skeptical of the role and impact of procurement. And conversations I’ve had with many in the field of late continue to suggest that procurement maintains a persistent PR problem despite the trillions in dollars we’ve sourced, saved and otherwise not spent as a result of our efforts. So what gives? Why does procurement still have a PR problem in spite of all that we’ve done and continue to do?