Simplifying the procurement of complex services with GroCurv

Firstly, our thanks to the many CEOs/ Founders/ Purchasing heads that took the time to speak to the GroCurv team on the subject of Procurement – their challenges, the solutions that have worked for them and how they would like to see all this simplified.

GroCurv is helping companies find the right service providers best suited for them. Through our decades of Sales and Marketing experience we, the founding team, realized that while the information age has made a lot of data available, all this data sometimes comes in the way of making efficient choices. Especially for services that are unique or not-common place.

Finding the right branding agency. The right design agency. The right sales outsourcing agency. The right lead generation agency. These and many other problems were cited by the panel of founders as ‘complex’ problems.

“We can find 25 agencies through references and WhatsApp groups”, they all said. “But which one is best for us? Why is it so complex to identify the best suited service provider? Why is it so time consuming?”

Do you feel the same way? Read on for our response to this problem.

Complex problems are not defined by static variables as much as by dynamic ones.

Estimating the trajectory of several incoming missiles flying at 5 times the speed of sound may appear complex, till the parabolic paths are identified and calculated. Once the solution is ready for one problem, the same steps can be repeated again and again for the next million missiles. Simple?

But what about if the missile had the ability to keep altering its trajectory and speed as it approached its target. That’s complex now.

So complexity is often created by a dynamic/ volatile environment which keeps changing the target.

Given this background, let us come to procurement. How can a company find the best service provider for its solution? How does it navigate the many variables in such a decision, to build the trust necessary to reach the most optimal solution?

GroCurv is trying to solve this problem at the service provider’s end. When we take on a vendor partner, we satisfy ourselves of the following:

1. Is the vendor proficient at the services he is selling?
   
   First we ask the vendor to prioritise his service lines from those with the highest expertise to the least. Then we evaluate these claims by deeply understanding the experiences the vendor demonstrates for the chosen services. Case studies/ testimonials/ referrals are all sort and assessed.
   
   We look at the team to determine the expertise of the team in the service lines. What background, how much expertise. How long have they been together?
   
   
2. Expertise on the industry- Different industries have different requirements. We determine which industries and product categories a particular vendor has demonstrated capabilities for. Again through case studies we validate his relevance for an industry. Both from an organization point of view and his team’s capability point of view.
   
   
3. Simplify the process- We simplify the process of vendor identification using a well - developed algorithm that reads your requirements and identifies the three best options for you from the available pool. Using the entire curation process of the GroCurv team to identify only those service providers who have the relevant industry/ product and functional expertise to solve the problem on hand.
   
   
4. Justify the price- Procurement is typically about the three best quotes for every specification. GroCurv not only offers the quotes, but presents them in an easy comparative methodology. So you know what you are paying for, along with GroCurv's conviction on why the three shortlisted service providers score so high on your project.
   
   
5. Feedback and evolution- Client evaluation is a critical input into vendor development at GroCurv. Clients are at the forefront of innovation and nearest to the customer. If a GroCurv vendor falters, we immediately reach back to the clients to try and understand what went missing. It is imperative for us to understand the changing client ecosystem and hence ensure our vendor’s profiles and options are constantly updated.
   
   
6. Contracting and Project management- Finally, GroCurv uses its experience to ensure your terms with the service provider are clear, transparent and water tight for the project. We also take care that the contract is fair to both the client as well as the vendor. In addition, the project management module from GroCurv ensures that what was promised is delivered both in terms of quality of output and timelines.
   

When GroCurv answers the most critical elements of a vendor selection process- identifying the right vendor, getting the right pricing and ensuring delivery- GroCurv moves a problem from the domain of ‘complexity’ to the domain of a simple, efficient and effective approach for problem solving.

Need speed. Need impact. Need revenues. Fast?

Connect with us on GroCurv and give us the chance to solve for you.

Sources:

• http://spendmatters.com/research/what-defines-complex-sourcing-and-why-does-it-matter/
• http://spendmatters.com/2015/09/23/defining-complex-sourcing-and-why-it-matters/
• http://spendmatters.com/2018/09/25/how-procurement-best-practices-are-stifling-innovation-and-what-to-do-about-it/
• https://www.thehackettgroup.com/sourcing-procurement-strategy/sourcing-procurement-benchmarking/