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5 Reasons to be Thankful for your Suppliers in 2020
As we head into the holiday season, it’s a good time to reflect on a long and challenging 2020. We hope many of you worked with suppliers that you view as true partners, whether that is because they helped you in a pinch, or provided essential expertise that led to the completion of a complex project.
A great supplier is worth being grateful for, so we thought we’d share five reasons Procurated members are thanking their suppliers this year:
1. Willingness to adapt in the face of a crisis
March and April were characterized by critical supply shortages as state and local governments did their best to cope with the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. For every reported fraudulent supplier, there were dozens that stepped up to support their communities. What suppliers adapted in unexpected ways?
This purchaser shares how they found an unexpected partnership with a local distillery:
This is a local distillery that started making hand sanitizer during COVID. Initially they would donate them to the fire and police departments but now we use them as a vendor. They are really kind and we enjoy working with them.
This is a local distillery that started making hand sanitizer during COVID. Initially they would donate them to the fire and police departments but now we use them as a vendor. They are really kind and we enjoy working with them.
2. Prioritizing safety over profit
According to our Fall Procurement Trends Survey, more than 53% of respondents reported working with a new supplier for products or services related to COVID-19. Operating under a state of emergency, many states suspended typical solicitation processes. Instead, they opted to buy now and create contracts later.
Many suppliers had a choice: delay delivering critical products and services to ensure they would be paid or put public safety first in good faith that the contract would come later. This reviewer shared her personal experience with a virus testing supplier:
We utilized this supplier at the beginning of the pandemic to test our refuse workers on-site each day. They quickly provided services to ensure the safety of our workers, and even went without payment for several weeks while we got an emergency contract in place. We are still using them for testing now and will continue to do so until this crisis is over.
We utilized this supplier at the beginning of the pandemic to test our refuse workers on-site each day. They quickly provided services to ensure the safety of our workers, and even went without payment for several weeks while we got an emergency contract in place. We are still using them for testing now and will continue to do so until this crisis is over.
3. “No news is good news”
As the reviewer below states, “in procurement we usually only hear when something goes wrong.” The suppliers you can always depend on to deliver – figuratively or literally – free up crucial time and headspace to tackle other challenges.
This reviewer shares how she has been able to depend on this IT reseller for the past decade:
I always say about vendors, "no news is good news," as in procurement we usually only hear when something goes wrong. Anything we would give [this supplier], they always delivered - and with a smile. No matter how big the challenge this team can handle it.
I always say about vendors, "no news is good news," as in procurement we usually only hear when something goes wrong. Anything we would give [this supplier], they always delivered - and with a smile. No matter how big the challenge this team can handle it.
4. Helping move an important initiative forward
In the shadow of COVID-19, it is easy to forget about the goals your department set at the beginning of the year. Maybe you had a sustainability metric your county was striving to reach, or a commitment to improve test scores in a struggling school district.
What did your department accomplish this year? What suppliers were there to help you reach your goals?
This reviewer shares how this office supplies vendor ‘made “going green” so EASY!’:
Recently we have begun to implement sustainability measures and I am blown away by [this supplier's] program. They have totally set the bar for all other major resellers. They make 'going green' so EASY!
Recently we have begun to implement sustainability measures and I am blown away by [this supplier's] program. They have totally set the bar for all other major resellers. They make 'going green' so EASY!
5. Sharing their expertise to help you make the best purchasing decision.
Suppliers work in their chosen field every day. The good ones are constantly learning from their clients and growing as subject matter experts. The best ones share that expertise with you to help you make the best decisions possible for your agency.
This one buyer shares what happened when they called their plumbing supplier about a broken circulator pump:
They have always shown me ways to save money on parts. It's one-stop shopping. For example, our circulator pumps, they can rebuild them for a fraction of the price of a new one and they run like new. That saves us a lot of money.
They have always shown me ways to save money on parts. It's one-stop shopping. For example, our circulator pumps, they can rebuild them for a fraction of the price of a new one and they run like new. That saves us a lot of money.
What supplier are you grateful for this year?
Consider saying ‘thank you’ by leaving a review on Procurated.
Here's how:
Here's how:
- If you are a new user, click here to review a supplier.
- If you are a current user, click here to sign in and search for the supplier you want to review. Then, visit their page and click “Write a Review.”
Published on Nov 24, 2020
