Managing an IT procurement budget of over $1 billion is not an experience factor that shows up on the list of accomplishments of very many people in this industry, but it is all part of the job for Chris Horace. He is responsible for procuring the IT necessary to support Coke bottlers on all continents, and no doubt the role keeps him pretty busy.

“We are very actively engaged in our Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) projects now all around the world and we are introducing several new programs. One of those is a new savings program with our suppliers relative to IT products and services and it is moving along quite well,” said Horace.

Another part of this savings program is an energy initiative which is being implemented now on three continents. Once they learn from that experience they will be ready to roll out all around the globe.

“One thing we are doing that might be of interest to some others is our IT vendors awards program. We keep track of how each supplier has performed relative to the outcomes that are most important to us. We are learning to track innovation, and of course we pay closest attention to the actual value that we receive. We have developed ways to measure the success of the products and services those suppliers provide and now we will pay appropriate recognition. We will recognize their successes by providing awards for achievement,” Horace explained.

By Mike Adkinson

April 2010