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Sourcing and Procurement 
Glossary

Your trusted guide to exploring sourcing and procurement terms & definitions,
from the world’s leading procurement experts and companies

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Audit trail

A record, history or series of documents that provide evidence of a sequence of processes that led to an outcome

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Automation Lead

Individual responsible for running the COE and is responsible for the ongoing automation strategy.

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Average Handling Time

The average duration of one transaction, typically measured from a customer's initial contact through too completion of the transaction, service or call.

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Award Fees

Fees paid at the conclusion of a fixed-duration agreement for achieving a desired goal.

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BATNA

"Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement " or a fallback position should your minimum positions not be met by the Supplier. BATNA provides a course of action to take if negotiations fail and an agreement cannot be reached, such as awarding to a new supplier or maintaining status quo.

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BPO

See Business Process Outsourcing.

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Automatic Renewal

A component or clause of a contract allows an agreement to continue for a defined period if the existing agreement isn't renegotiated within a specified time measured from the expiration of the current contract. Also known as the silent extension or evergreen clause.

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Automation Toolset

The suite of automation technologies available to organisations

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Avoidable Cost

Part of the cost of an activity that could be saved by not performing that activity. These are sometimes also considered "soft savings".

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Award Term

An incentive in the form of contract extension. When supplier meets annual goals, the contract is extended for an additional length of time. See also Contract extension.

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BPM

business process management

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Back Order

Items ordered but not shipped due to a stockout or some other reason. This is widely used as a measure of supplier performance and customer service (e.g., percent back orders, number of occurrences, number of back order days).

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