The State Owned Enterprise Procurement Forum (SOEPF) and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) have recently endorsed the second edition of Professor Douglas Boateng’s much anticipated Compendium of Supply Chain Management Terms. Made up of thousands of alphabetically arranged supply chain management terminologies, this compendium provides the first ever all-inclusive compilation of procurement and supply chain management related information. Since state owned procurement spend in South Africa is key to the country’s national development plan, industrialisation, SMME growth, and black industrialist initiatives, increased knowledge surrounding supply chain management and procurement processes is needed. Commenting on this need to improve supply chain management understanding in the country, SOEPF Chairman, Mr. Dennis Mlambo noted that since the forum – which operates as the largest not-for-profit collective body of procurement practitioners in state owned enterprises – seeks to share best practices, advice and lead policy intervention on matters related to procurement and supply chain management, the compendium offers their members a useful tool through which such practices can be shared. He further stated that “the 2nd edition of the world’s 1st supply chain management compendium will without a doubt bridge the gap in current supply chain related understandings.”

Moreover, he insisted that “not only will the compendium assist in creating a common understanding of supply chain management at a local, regional, and international, level, but it will also help to support state owned enterprises and various government departments in their service delivery improvement efforts.”

CIPS, the world’s largest professional body representing purchasing and supply chain professionals, has also expressed its endorsement of the compendium. In relation to this support, Managing Director, Mr. Andre Coetzee, highlighted the growing strategic implications of procurement and supply chain management for both business and society.

He noted that the compendium offers practitioners “the most comprehensive vocabularies associated with supply chain management to date.” It is a “must have tool for those interested in using supply chain management as an instrument for competitive advantage, improving service delivery quality, and national and regional wide development,” he said.
Commenting on the compendium and its related endorsers, Professor Douglas Boateng, Africa’s first Professor Extraordinaire in Supply and Value Chain Management, and compiler of the recently released second edition, stated: “while the first edition proved to be an invaluable reference guide for local, regional and international CEO’s, CFO’s, CIO’s, accountants, policy makers, project directors/managers, engineers, lawyers, procurers, logisticians, exporters, and marketers, to name but few, the second edition has been comprehensively updated to satisfy global user demands.”
“SOEPF and CIPS, as well as other backers including the United Nations World Food Program, ACSA, TK Global Experts and the Association of African Business Schools have all been instrumental in making this update happen,” he said.

As part of the Executive Insight Series, the Compendium of Supply Chain Management Terms, is currently available from CIPS, SOEPF and leading book stores. Some proceeds from the publication will be used to support skills development and supply chain management research initiatives.

www.soepf.co.za