TFM Creating Procurement Guidelines Survey

Procurement is the acquisition of goods and/or services at the best possible total cost of ownership, in the right quantity and quality, at the right time (Wikipedia.org). By establishing policies on Procurement Guidelines for its facilities’ needs, an organization increases the probability of acquiring goods and/or services that meet performance and other requirements, at the best (though not always lowest) possible price.

The survey below focuses on the procurement of goods and services.

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Please note: We may include any of your “Additional Comments” below in a TFM August 2008 article on Creating Procurement Guidelines.

If you provide your contact information, we may attribute the comments to you. If you provide your contact information, but do not want any of your comments attributed to you, please indicate that in the Comments section. Thank you!

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1.Does your organization have Procurement Guidelines in place for product and/or service purchases?
(Required.)

Yes

No (skip to Question 9)

I don’t know

2.What is your involvement in the creation of the Procurement Guidelines?

I head up the process.

I head up the process, with involvement from various departments.

I am part of a team of representatives from various departments.

I provide information from the facilities department to the team that creates the guidelines.

I am not involved.

3.What motivates your organization to maintain Procurement Guidelines for product/service purchases (choose all that apply)?

To ensure spending stays within budget

To ensure products/services purchased meet the criteria required by, or of, our organization

To track vendor supply and service

To increase the sustainability of our supply chain

To ensure a certain amount of goods/services are purchased from small, local, minority-owned, woman-owned, and/or disabled-owned businesses

Additional Comments?

4.If you work in a multi-facility organization--do the Procurement Guidelines strictly apply to all locations (within the U.S.), or are there cases where the authorized person at each location makes decisions based on their local market?

My organization only has one location.

My organization has multiple locations around the U.S., and we must adhere to the guidelines of the larger organization.

My organization has multiple locations around the U.S., but in certain instances, we are able to make decisions that might diverge from the procurement guidelines.

Additional Comments?

5.What are the most beneficial aspects of having established Procurement Guidelines in place?

6.What are the biggest drawbacks of having established Procurement Guidelines in place?

7.In what ways do you use the Internet to locate the products you need that fit your Procurement Guidelines (choose all that apply)?

Additional Comments?

8.Do your Procurement Guidelines include a written policy on ethics of procurement (i.e. activities that are permissible to occur between your organization and potential vendors outside of the actual product procurement, such as meals and outings)?

Yes, there is a written policy on this aspect.

No, there is not an official policy.

Additional Comments?