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Sourcing Project Updates
SYNERGY 2009 marked an excellent opportunity
for members to engage in dialogue about
upcoming sourcing events and Corporate
United’s sourcing roadmap. During the member
feedback sessions on May 12, several groups
formed to discuss current and upcoming
sourcing projects.
Please contact Gary Como,
Corporate United’s vice president of
operations
(gcomo@corporateunited.com) to
express interest in any one of the following
categories.
Packaging Supplies
The packaging supplies committee, formed at
the beginning of Q2, assembled at SYNERGY to
discuss the progress of the sourcing
project. The core committee was joined by
several other interested members who added
their input on the category. The group has
determined the basic scope of the project to
be miscellaneous non-customized packaging
supplies consisting of items, including:
standard boxes and bags, tape, shrink wrap,
film and strapping. The committee is
currently wrapping up the data collection
phase and holding initial meetings with
prospective suppliers.
Travel Management
It became apparent during the travel
management discussion that sourcing the
category – to include both travel agencies
and booking tools – is a real need for
several companies. The core group, formed at
SYNERGY, will most likely make up the
sourcing committee for this project.
Corporate United’s sourcing team plans to
solidify the committee and launch the
project by the end of Q2.
Fleet Management and
Vehicles
The fleet conversation that took place at
SYNERGY was focused on both fleet management
services and fleet vehicles. Much of the
discussion was based on what companies are
doing today and what type of sourcing effort
they would be interested in pursuing with
Corporate United. The group rallied around
fleet vehicles, and it is expected that the
sourcing project will begin in Q3 of 2009.
Drug Testing and
Background Checks
Members participating in the drug testing
and background check conversation at SYNERGY
provided solid input regarding current
practices and suppliers. The discussion
reflected significant and timely interest
and a solid opportunity to leverage spend in
this particular category. As a result,
Corporate United will work with the
companies that expressed interest to form a
committee and begin the sourcing project at
the end of Q2.
Pharmacy Benefits
Management
The pharmacy benefits management (PBM)
discussion at SYNERGY was moderated by
industry expert and Corporate United partner
Chris Goff. Corporate United currently has a
PBM agreement in place, which expires at the
end of 2010. To prepare for the agreement’s
expiration, the Corporate United sourcing
team is currently soliciting members to
provide input and become involved in the
sourcing effort. Due to the complex nature
of establishing a world class PBM contract,
Corporate United is starting the effort now
to align an ideal group of members
interested in participating in the
committee. PBM is a volume-driven category,
so the greater the involvement, the more
powerful the resulting contract will be.
The category sourcing
discussions that took place at SYNERGY (and
the SYNERGY 2009 State of the GPO slide
below) are evidence of Corporate United’s
commitment to ramping up the output of new
agreements. In addition to the categories
listed above and those included in our
sourcing roadmap, we are open to any
suggestions our members have on possible
sourcing projects. Corporate United is
dedicated to growing our portfolio of
agreements and pursuing additional
categories our members are committed to
sourcing with us.
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