11 Questions You May Encounter On Your Next Purchasing Interview…
Will You Give The Right Answers?

PurchTips - Edition # 13 December 31, 2002

By Charles Dominick

11 Purchasing Interview Questions

Place a checkmark next to those questions that you would have difficulty answering. Be honest!

1. How will you go about determining this company's purchasing patterns?

2. If we buy a customized product from a single source, how will you know if the price is fair?

3. All we have is raw purchasing transaction information. What can you do to make sense of it?

4. How do you define cost savings in a way that will be embraced by executive management?

5. What factors would you consider if you had to produce cost savings in a short time frame?

6. What process do you go through when conducting a sourcing initiative?

7. How do you decide if you need a contract for a purchase or not?

8. What are some appropriate remedies for a supplier's failure to perform?

9. How can we reduce our risk through better contract language?

10. What tools do you use to keep track of progress on your projects?

11. What techniques do you use to accelerate progress on your projects?

Spotlight On Professional Development Opportunities

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You will learn how to use PivotTables, functions, and subtotals to summarize large amounts of purchasing data, plus…

• How to develop "Should Cost Models"
• How to create weighted average supplier scorecards
• How to visually compare bids, analyze spend, and track supplier performance by creating charts
• How to develop "Target Pricing Models" for negotiation strategy, and much more

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