Upgrading the sourcing function to a strategy facilitator
The fast paced change in telecoms requires sourcing to be at the intersection of strategy and execution.
In telecoms, Sourcing as a process and organizational role is often highly focused on price of equipment and services. Habitually, success is measured by the obtained price per unit or system. In light of this, the sourcing process tends to be designed to primarily be an instrument to achieve such price/cost targets. For certain commodities such approach is adequate and in some cases even to prefer, but for much of the core assets of a telco operator it does not serve very well. At all.
Sourcing strategy article PS (pdf)