LONDON: Travis Perkins was one of the top entries for the Sourcing & Procurement Award, one of the European Supply Chain Excellence Awards.

Travis Perkins' approach to sourcing and procurement recognises that imposing prices, charges and procedures on suppliers is unlikely to get the best results.

The two key initiatives that were at the heart of the building merchant's entry were a web-based supplier extranet to provide visibility, and a supplier colleague programme where supplier employees work permanently alongside the Travis Perkins team.

The two initiatives have significantly improved range management, upgraded the quality of product data, reduced slow moving stock and have successfully highlighted areas of inefficiency.