A Minute of Self Reflection

Challenge: Let’s take a company survey.

Survey #1: How does the contracts/procurement department function within your company? Is the department treated as an essential function or is it seen as an obstacle which is a barrier to prevent the progress and execution of work?

Survey #2: If you are the sole negotiator at your company, are you confident in your knowledge base and established procedures to undergo the contracting process? Have you ever been “burned” because you did not understand the terms which were signed?

If the results indicate:

1. the department is treated as an obstacle or barrier

2. educational resources and company procedure could improve

Then, THAT IS OKAY!

But what will you do with those results? Will you allow them to stay at status quo or will you decide to make effective improvements which will maximize your bottom line?

Allow me to introduce myself

Hi! My name is Ashlee Renee Herrington, but you can call me AR for short. While working for major corporations, I noticed the trends of small to medium businesses (SMB) interactions with corporations during the contracting process. SMBs were constantly exposing themselves to risk just for the chance to win bids.

What type of risk?

1. Financial

2. Legal

3. Commercial

4. Security

5. Brand/Product

From these observations, AR Herrington Consultancy was born. In my corporate role, I was never able to help SMBs to the extent I wanted; I could only “allude to” or “point in the right direction” which let’s face it is not always helpful. This company was founded to be able to remove the shroud of mystery from the RFP and Contract Management process.

What to expect moving forward

First and foremost, FUUUUUULLLL AND HOOOONNESSST TRANSPARENCY!! (and yes! It was important to add exaggeration!!)

There is so much mystery surrounding the contracting process. How do you properly bid when you do not understand the rules to the game? Short answer… you DON’T. It will always be a “shot in the dark” until you understand the why behind the process.

Second, to empower SMBs by fostering a community open to new ideas, sharing information, lessons learned, candid conversations, and growing together.

Conclusion

Consider me your new source for tips, tricks, and insider knowledge for working with contracts as a SMB. I have spent my entire career working for top companies and now I am bringing all that knowledge to the people who need it most- the SMB Community.