agencies that must adhere to strict policies in purchasing process. However, the same vendor management principles apply to the lower volume purchasing experienced by professional services firms. Some resources are provided here:

http: www.napm.org

National Association of Purchasing Managers (NAPM)-recently renamed the Institute for Supply Chain Management (www.ism.org)-offers a wide variety of resources for purchasing managers, including seminars, books, negotiation advice, an online knowledge center, and self-paced classes. The NAPM (ISM) confers two certifications for purchasing professionals, the Accredited Purchasing Practitioner (APP) and the Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM).

http: www.cips.org

Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) is an international organization serving the purchasing and supply profession. CIPS is based in the United Kingdom and offers a variety of best-practice information, seminars, and other services to the purchasing manager.

http: www.amanet.org

American Management Association provides seminars, best practices, and information on a wide array of management topics, including purchasing management. http: www.cmcamai.org

The Canadian Management Centre, an affiliate of the American Management Association, provides information on purchasing management and procurement best practices.

http: www.american-purchasing.com

The American Purchasing Society (APS) is a professional association of buyers and purchasing agents. It requires membership and provides subscription to Professional Purchasing monthly magazine. The APS confers two certifications for purchasing professionals: the Certified Purchasing Professional (CPP) and the Certified Professional Purchasing Manager (CPPM).

http: www.pmac.ca

Purchasing Management Association of Canada is an organization providing resources and information for purchasing and procurement managers. http: www.nigp.org/index.htm

National Association of Governmental Purchasing provides public sector purchasing agents with training, education, research, and technical assistance.

Illinois Institute of Technologys Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions (CSEP) http: www.iit.edu/departments/csep.

Training and Certification

Many universities, colleges, and other educational institutions offer courses and certifications in procurement or purchasing management. The University of Alabama-Huntsville is one: http: www.coned.uah.edu/procman.cfm, as well at the California Institute of Technology: http: www.irc.caltech.edu /courses/Strategic Supplier Management.htm.

Templates and Processes

Many government purchasing agencies (federal, state, and municipal) post online their purchasing policies and processes. These can be valuable sources of information for the new purchasing manager or purchasing group. They are easily identifiable using keywords such as purchasing, procurement, agency, or office in any Internet search engine.

Vendor Negotiation

There are a variety of good books and courses on this topic. A few of our favorites include:

Max H. Bazerman and Margaret A. Neale, Negotiating Rationally (New York: Free Press, 1992).

Robert B. Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Quill, 1993). Roger Fisher and William Ury, Getting to Yes (New York: Penguin Books, 1991). J. Edward Russo and Paul J. H. Schoemaker, Decision Traps (New York: Fireside, 1989).

Richard H. Thaler, The Winners Curse (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994).

Vendor Selection

For an in-depth coverage of the vendor selection process see Chapter 10 of The Executives Guide to Information Technology: John Baschab and Jon Piot, The Executives Guide to Information Technology (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2003).

NOTES

1. Vince Lombardi, Vince Lombardis Quotes about Teamwork, available from http: www.vincelombardi.com/quotes/teamwork.html (December 19, 2002).

2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004/2005 edition, Purchasing Managers, Buyers, and Purchasing Agents, available from http: www.bls.gov/oco/ocos023.htm.

3. Cutter Consortium, 78% of IT Organizations Have Litigated, The Cutter Edge (April 9, 2002).

4. See note 3.

5. See note 3.

6. Benjamin Franklin, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776).

Information Technology

John Baschab,Craig E. Courter, and Jon Piot

We used to have a lot of questions to which there were no answers. Now with the computer we have lots of answers to which we havent thought up the questions.

-Peter Ustinov1

Love it or hate it-you cannot escape technology. Clients expect even the most luddite professional to communicate by e-mail. Clients expect their professional advisors to be conversant in technology related to their business. Clients demand efficient operations and balk at excessive invoices where time spent on their work surpasses their expectations. One of their expectations includes the efficient use of technology by professional advisors. Clients are not the only ones demanding technology. New employees and mid level professionals expect current technology tools to assist their practice. The level of service required of IT by professional service firm employees is extremely high as professionals do not tolerate downtime and technical difficulties. If technology hinders the professional from completing their work, costs and revenue loss begin to accrue and rapidly escalate with the passage of time. There is tremendous pressure on IT to provide highly reliable systems that increase the productivity of the professional and decision-making capabilities of management. The cost of downtime is exorbitant. In most cases, management will demand a high level of reliable technology for efficient operations.

Managing technology presents special challenges for nontechnical managers, especially senior firm managers. It has a language all its own, often used by wily technical staff as a shield against critical review. It is also difficult to determine the right level of investment. New possibilities arise constantly, making it difficult to prioritize the new against the old. Partners read