Procurement Professional is the official publication of CIPS Australasia

# 87 - BREAKING NEWS: Soldier dies during war

28 Oct 2009

The recent news of another Australian death in Afghanistan is hardly a surprise really – there is a war on after all. The Buyer’s grandmother used to say “if they will play silly games....” But it still feels like a shock, and we feel sadness for their friends and family. It often humbles our role ‘back in the office’ too. They risk so much for us, whilst we play offices five days-a-week.

But we should not forget that procurement matters to people on the front line. Not just the real front line in Afghanistan, but elsewhere in harm’s way. Many people rely on good procurement and supply chain management to enable them to deliver their service. Not just in Defence, but in the emergency services, the police, energy companies, airlines & train companies, factories, supermarkets and elsewhere.

In fact many people in many situations rely on their  supply chain to deliver. Procurement professionals should not forget that people are relying on them and that most often security-of-supply is actually more important than price. So is quality. Give people genuine quality and, often, price loses its significance.

The Buyer – posted 28 October 2009  

The views of THE BUYER are personal and are not necessarily those of Procurement Professional magazine, BTTB Marketing nor CIPS.