Kramer Procurement Solutions/Ethics

ETHICS WORKSHOP FOR BUYERS AND SUPPLIERS

In the wake of Enron, WorldCom and the like, companies and regulators are focused on ethics in the context of financial disclosures, executive compensation, and board of directors’ liability. Reform is surely needed, but these events are focused on less than one percent of the workforce -- senior executives, directors, and highly trained professionals.

The vast majority of an organization’s employees are made up of buyers, sellers, and service providers. A corporation is obligated to reinforce ethics as one of its core principles for all of its employees, in addition to those indicated above. We developed a unique, optional training module that teaches employees how ethics can be a powerful tool in driving value in buyer/supplier negotiations. Our Seven-Step Procurement Process is grounded in core ethical principles of full disclosure and objective decision-making.

Many companies have excellent Codes of Ethics for employees or Codes of Conduct for suppliers. Many of these codes unfortunately are not emphasized, actively promoted, or taught; employees are only required to sign the Code or questionnaire on an annual basis. Do buyers and suppliers really understand their ethical obligations and the ramifications of non-compliance, and more importantly, the economic cost of an ethical breach? We believe that training buyers and suppliers on the importance of ethical conduct and how it can benefit them and their employers breathes life into these Codes and is essential to a "best-in-class" procurement organization.

Kramer Procurement Solutions can augment our Seven-Step Procurement Process engagement with a review your Code of Ethics for employees, Code of Conduct for suppliers, and can help you to implement an effective compliance program in the area of procurement. Even if you have real compliance with your Codes, this workshop will help the bottom-line in reducing procurement costs, and act as a credit toward your overall Corporate Compliance Program.