Supplier Information

Improving the Sourcing Process and Supplier Communication
Suppliers frequently ask, “How do we do business with Cisco?”  Our Global Strategic Sourcing team makes it happen.

This Cisco organization has sourced over US$1 billion in supplier opportunities during FY09.  Categories sourced include contact centers, facilities services, and marketing services, to name a few.

As we move into FY10, Strategic Sourcing will align all of its sourcing managers by categories. This change will allow the sourcing team to strengthen its strategic focus, and help sourcing managers identify and strengthen relationships with the suppliers providing services within their respective categories. 

Sourcing Process
Strategic Sourcing has developed a standard, best-in-class sourcing process to achieve optimal results from each project.  The sourcing managers work with the internal project owners, as well as the Global Supplier Diversity Business Development (GSDBD) team, to identify which suppliers to include in each sourcing project.  Every effort is made to include at least one, if not more, diverse suppliers in each sourcing project.  The selected suppliers receive emails inviting them to bid on the project.

Communicating Online with ProSource
The Strategic Sourcing team uses an online application, called ProSource, to facilitate all sourcing activities (Request For Information, Request For Proposal, Request For Quote, Online Negotiations).  This application provides real-time information to both the participating suppliers and the internal Cisco team.  It also provides suppliers with one interface to submit questions and proposals, online, and allows all suppliers to see the same information at the same time. 

Once suppliers submit their proposals, the internal Cisco team grades each supplier proposal and determines the appropriate next steps (such as supplier presentations, demos, reference checks, and award decision announcements).  After the winning supplier is selected, a notification is sent to all suppliers. The Cisco team is always available to address any questions suppliers may have after the award decision is communicated.

We look forward to FY10 and to increasing our partnership with the global supplier community.