For many years CAPS Research has relied primarily on its public web site to communicate research study results and benchmark outcomes, and to provide information about our programs and events. We've worked hard to strike a balance between providing public access to our research products while ensuring that our corporate sponsors have on-demand access to the entire CAPS Research library of resources. CAPS Research recently released a new knowledgebase exclusively for major sponsor organizations: Knowledge Central (www.capsknowledge.org) is a searchable archive of over 800 CAPS Research studies, including leading-edge practices, benchmarking reports, focus studies, assessments, event presentations and more. This new web site provides sponsors easy access to the entire CAPS Research library of research results and assessment tools. Knowledge Central does not replace our public web site (www.capsresearch.org.) The vast majority of our research results will still be available to all interested parties. However, to increase the value of CAPS Research to our major sponsors, most new research will be released first on Knowledge Central to sponsors only.

Sponsors and non-sponsors are invited to click Knowledge Central Overview for a short, five-minute guided tour of Knowledge Central. If your company is not a CAPS Research sponsor please click on the following Becoming a Sponsor link to learn more.

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Industry-specific benchmark report:

As noted in the recently completed benchmarking report for Department of Energy/NNSA Contractors, this unique industry sector remains solidly focused on supporting socioeconomic programs, more so than any other industry sector that we benchmark. The prime contractors who have overall site management responsibilities for the DOE/NNSA facilities reported that 79% of their total procurement spend was awarded to the small business community. These survey participants also reported that 27% of their total purchase spend (or about $2 billion) was with small businesses classified as disadvantaged, women-owned, or veteran-owned. The prime contractors who participated in this year's benchmarking survey reported their total funding for the recently completed fiscal year was $16.4 billion, and their total procurement spend was $6.6 billion.

Click here to access the resource information page to the industry-specific benchmarking report titled, "Procurement Performance Benchmarking Report for DOE/NNSA Contractors". CAPS Research sponsors with established user profiles may click 'login to view document' to access this report.

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Market basket benchmark report:

The Print Services Market Basket report looks at 24 popularly referenced print jobs that are classified as small, medium, or large jobs based on the quantity being purchased. Each line item is uniquely identified by its type (folder, brochure, post card, magazine, etc.) and description (e.g., flat size 11" x 17"; finished size 8½" x 11"; 4/4 on 100# text white.) It's interesting to note that the similarity in pricing between this report which was completed in January 2008 and the report published a year earlier substantiates that the descriptions for each survey line item are fairly consistent and commonly referenced.

Click here to access the resource information page to the market basket benchmarking report titled, "2008 Print Services Market Basket". CAPS Research sponsors with established user profiles may click 'login to view document' to access this report.

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CPO Insights: Inventory Verification and Management Processes:

How do you formally classify your inventories of parts (or items, components, categories, or commodities?) If you classify, for inventory management purposes, how do you assign a part to a classification? Do you conduct a complete physical inventory count, or do you perform cycle-counts? Do you have an electronic cycle-counting system? Do you conduct "blind" counts? Do you use "eye-balling", scales, or other methods to count large quantities?

Click here to access the resource information page to this CPO Insights question. CAPS Research sponsors with established user profiles may click 'login to view document' to access the CPO best practice responses in regards to verification and management of inventories.

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Practix: Good Practices in Purchasing & Supply Chain Management:

Although the Practix report titled "Business Process Outsourcing in a Pharmaceutical Company" reflects the experiences of a small group of supply management executives in the pharmaceutical sector, it is likely that their experiences are quite similar to those of many supply management executives across different business sectors. This report focuses on a six-step outsourcing decision-making process that starts with an assessment of outsourcing opportunities (step 1) and ends with knowledge transfer (step 6) to ensure an efficient and effective transfer process has been established.

Sponsors and non-sponsors can click here to access the Practix article, "Business Process Outsourcing in a Pharmaceutical Company". This article is published on the CAPS Research web site and requires login access.

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Note: If you're a first-time visitor to CAPS Research you will need to create a user login to access reports. Otherwise, just enter your previously established login data.

To access the newsletter and press release archive click here.

For more information about CAPS Research programs and products please contact us at Research@capsresearch.org.

Sincerely,
Phillip Carter, D.B.A.
Executive Director
CAPS Research

CAPS Research is a global research organization jointly sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, and the Institute for Supply Management™.