I was pleased and honored to participate earlier this week at Forum 2014, Virginia’s Department of General Services’ big event for state and local procurement professionals and supplier partners. Indeed it is a very large event, taking place at the Hampton Roads Convention Center over four days, featuring more than 80 sessions, anchored by more than […]
IACCM
IACCM’s Contracting Excellence — July 2014
Risk management – let’s share the risk, not dump it! Article by Kate Vitasek in IACCM’s Contracting Excellence Magazine, published 24 July 2014 Risk management by definition is ambiguous and unpredictable, but it doesn’t have to be. Picture a highly collaborative approach. It shares the risk instead of pushing it to the other guy and […]
Outsource Magazine — July 2014
Avoid Buyer and Seller Remorse: Get What You Pay For Article by Kate Vitasek published 17 July 2014 online and in the magazine’s Summer 2014 digital edition. At some point a buyer and supplier will talk about pricing, maybe not right away – but it’s always the elephant in the room. Pricing is also potentially […]
Needed: A “Getting to We” Negotiations Philosophy
If you are familiar with the Vested business model, you are probably aware of what we in the Vested universe actively promote as a What’s In It For We (WIIFWe) approach for developing and negotiating outsourcing contracts. A long time friend and expert in negotiations skills training – Jeanette Nyden – joined our UT faculty […]
Two Years On: Happy Birthday Vested!
Throughout the evolution of our initial research that started in 2004, leading experts and innovators have contributed to the development of Vested principles and the Vested business model for adoption in nearly every industry and business function. We’ve come to create somewhat of a “movement” as the idea expands. As we conducted our research, it […]
Balancing the Outsource Contract Scales
The old adage that the more things change the more they stay the same probably should be revised when it comes to contract terms: the more things stay the same the worse they get. Tim Cummins, CEO of the International Association for Contract & Commercial Management (IACCM), expressed that thought in a recent Commitment Matters […]
Outsourcing T&Cs Can Cost You!
The old adage about being careful what you ask for applies to contract terms and conditions in spades: you may think you are properly protecting an outsourcing arrangement and insulating it from risk, but the flip side is that numerous T&Cs mean more costs that eat away at profits. Copious, onerous and (often) unnecessary T&Cs […]
Lawyers: Can’t Live with Them, Can’t Live without Them?
I’ve been thinking about the global economy, outsourcing, lawyers and trust lately, and no, that is not as crazy-making or schizophrenic as it may sound. I often talk about the mindset changes that Vested Outsourcing brings to the forefront in the world of business and outsourcing. For many companies the Five Rules require huge changes […]
Endorsing the Vested Way to Outsourcing
If there is any further evidence needed to confirm Vested Outsourcing’s growing influence on our industry, look no further than the academic alliance that the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) has formed with the University of Tennessee College of Business Administration to promote Vested Outsourcing. That’s right – a premier outsourcing, offshoring and shared […]
Achieving Value through Contract Terms: It is Possible
If you’re in outsourcing then you know about the importance of the contract. The contract is the essential foundation, but it’s not a document that exists in vacuum. Equally essential is the art, attitudes and techniques that go into achieving the best contract possible, and then proactively managing it over its term. That is where […]
