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Today's
purchasers are purchasing more and more services. Purchasing
services have unique hazards. These include:
1. Non completion of job by the expected date
2. Having a problematic "customer review"
3. Not getting good responsiveness from your supplier
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When buying goods , one usually expects delivery within the
schedule period as given in the P.O. But "days" in a services
quote's lead time may mean one of three things:
Calendar Days: Each day, including
weekends and holidays, counts towards the lead time. So, if you
place your order on July 1 and the lead time is 30 days, expect
your service to be complete by July 31.
Business Days: Each day, except
weekends and holidays, counts towards the lead time. So, if you
place your order on July 1 and understand that July 4 is a
holiday and Saturdays and Sundays aren't business days, expect
your service to be complete by August 14. |
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Working Days: For some services,
specific supplier employees are assigned to specific tasks.
Working days include only those days that those people actually
work on your project. If an individual works on another
customer's project on a certain day, that day will not be deemed
a working day nor count towards your lead time. So, if you place
your order on July 1 and the individual works on your project
every other business day, expect your service to be complete in
late September.
Wouldn't it be easy for you and your internal customer to
be disappointed if by "30 days" your supplier meant 30
working days and you were expecting the service to be |
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performed in 30 calendar days? When purchasing services,
personally reach agreement with your supplier on the
meaning of days. And
then confirm it in writing! |
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