The competitive marketplace requires leading companies in every industry to reduce expenditures on products and services and to drive down transaction processing costs. As a result, numerous companies are reviewing their procurement practices and adopting specific sourcing procedures as a strategic tool. Strategic sourcing and supply chain management break down the traditional walls between buyer and seller, purchaser and user so that organizations may achieve maximum competitive advantage

L. E. Peabody & Associates, Inc. has assisted its clients in implementing strategic sourcing and supply chain improvement programs across a wide spectrum of industries and for a range of materials and services. The Firm has assisted clients in sourcing rail and truck transportation, small package delivery services, automobiles and light trucks and gasoline and diesel fuels. As part of these and other engagements, L. E. Peabody & Associates, Inc. has led programs that assess and redesign distribution channels and implement all aspects of the strategic sourcing process. Our approach to strategic sourcing involves a rigorous multi-step process that includes:

• Assessing opportunities available in the supply market for the purchase of specific goods or services;
• Development and evaluation of alternative sourcing strategies;
• Definition and implementation of project specific sourcing procedures and tasks;
• Developing negotiation strategies and providing support in negotiations with suppliers; and
• Designing and executing implementation plans to ensure negotiated benefits are captured and retained

To accommodate an ever-shifting business environment, L. E. Peabody & Associates, Inc. has gone beyond the traditional norms of linking buyers and sellers. In recent years, the Firm has assisted its clients by investigating and assessing alternative strategies such as the outsourcing of the entire procurement process and participating in consortium buying programs.