Guidelines for creating a Vendor Code of Ethics December 20, 2007
Posted by Meg Sewell in Analytics and Business Intelligence.Tags: code of ethics, Vendor management
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Image taken from www.nninet.com
Tami Morrison-Ruben just recently submitted this piece to me about Vendor Management:
Dealing with vendors can be tricky at times, and it’s important to establish some rules or agreements to assure that the right level of expectation has been set and will be met. We had a few hundred vendors that we were using a few years ago, and through trial and error, we’ve come up with criteria that we provide to our vendors when conducting business with them. We are currently in the process of streamlining and consolidating our vendor relations. Here are some of our guiding principles that may help you figure out your level of agreement with outside vendors.
When a vendor comes in with their product, the product fits your needs, you decide you’d like to purchase this product, and you feel this relationship may be a good fit; it’s time to communicate expectations. I suggest providing your vendor with a list of requirements that say, “This is what we expect from you.” Here are some examples of what we communicate to our vendors.
Be Your Word- If you’re going to say you’re going to do something for us, then do it. Perform the activities dependably, accurately, and in the time that you say you’re going to do it. Also, provide your service in a quality manner.
Honesty is the Best Policy- Let us know the status of things. I don’t even care so much if they’re bad, just let us know! Especially when we want to know about equipment delivery, circuit delivery, or network issues. The worst thing is not to know. Also make sure that you’re communicating clearly. You may inform us, but it may be at a level that we may not understand.
Character is Key- Not only do we want you to communicate in a dependable and truthful manner, we need to be able to trust you. Are the people that work for you reliable, consistent, and accountable? Accountability is a big one for us. We need a vendor that we can trust and that we know will treat us with respect and courtesy.
Partner Protection- Being that we’re a technology company, security is a big issue for us—especially in this day in age. We are not only looking for protection of our company, but protection of our company’s reputation as well. Are you credible? This is huge for us. If you’re not credible as a vendor, we don’t want to do business with you at all.
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Wow… Such truthful statements….
and, of course:
Wow… That today we’re in such a state that statements like these need to be made and put in writing….
Years ago, when I was in a different line of work – managing a car rental shop – I had to Live By My Word… If I took a reservation, I had to be sure I had the car available to fulfill that reservation….
When I’d put a car into the dealership for service – I expected them to be up front and honest about the time and date I was getting that car back… sometimes My reservations were so close to the number of cars in the fleet, I had to be sure I had every single car available….
And this even goes into our own personal lives and the companies we deal with day in and day out… If I’m buying/using/paying for your services – whether as a mechanic, a housecleaner, a restaurant/waiter, or a bar tender, doctor’s office – and you’re promising Me _______, then you need to provide that service/product in the means to which you’ve promised.
This can also be said of the rest of the business world we deal with, not just products…. I use Inovis for a lot of services – InovisWorks for My network/VAN needs, catalog for product information, TrustedLink for My EDI communication and translastion – and when I am told ______, I expect it to happen…. If I place a support request and I’m told that I should receive contact within X-hours, I’d better be hearing from Support within X-hours – even if it’s just to tell Me “We’re working on figuring out the problem to offer a solution.”
Going back to the car mechanic example – don’t tell Me that I’ll have My car ready at 3:00PM and I’m still waiting at 4:00PM or later….