
Nowadays, the world has become a small town, with a click of a button you can get whatever you wish for. The e-commerce has changed all aspects of buying and selling, it made it easier for the consumer to search for the best offers, cost and materials to purchase. Merging e-commerce into the world of building & construction or what is known as contracting will elevate the industry in supplying the main project materials in the early stages of construction, as in building the frame structure stage; rebar and concrete supply. In the electrical and mechanical stage; cables, wires, circuit breakers, ventilation, tanks, pipes, insulations and sanitary fixtures supply.
The architect platform seeks to transform the building & construction industry into the e-commerce, starting from transforming the quotation request for building materials to be thru the platform, and the continuous development of the platform to facilitate working in the industry and to increase sales for the companies and advertise for it.
- Suppliers
What is the importance of the supplier in the life cycle of a producer?
The supplier has a very important role in all life stages of a producer life cycle, starting from the source of raw materials to support in production increase, and finding the best raw materials. The companies need to work closely to its suppliers to reach the best outcomes of their products.
What distinguish the supplier?
There are a lot of characteristics suppliers are looking for, and the majority agrees on the following:
- Price: many startup companies focus on one aspect of their suppliers; price.
- Trust: trustworthiness is the main aspect that the supplier must have, the good supplier will deliver the accurate agreed quantity within the scheduled time and in a good condition.
- Stability: it is obvious that you prefer dealing with experienced suppliers who do not change the nature of their work continuously. The supplier who works for large companies for a long time is a good sign, and having strong reputation with other clients is a promising sign of company stability.
- Location: products from remote suppliers will probably take longer time to reach and higher shipping cost, so be aware of the duration that the shipment takes until it reaches the loading dock.
- Adaption: mostly you will need suppliers who can provide the latest products and services, and the most advanced ones.
Fifth: Tips for a successful negotiation with the suppliers:
Always remember that focusing on finding the lower price is one of the common mistakes that customers make while negotiating with suppliers. The customer must discuss with the supplier other details which are not less important than price, such as delivery time, payment terms and strategy, quality of the required products, and therefore reaching to the best deal with the supplier.
There are many tips to guide the customer during supplier negotiation, some of these tips are:
- Knowing the supplier: understanding the amount of work that he does, and number of competitors.
- Identifying the objectives: you have to list the most important terms to negotiate.
- Communication with competitors: talking to competitors and being aware of their prices and conditions is a good strategy to find the best deal.
- Don’t accept the first offer: the customer has to reject the first offer with an offer that has better terms.
- Sufficient time: the customer must not rush to a decision and have sufficient time to revise the supplier offer and discuss it.
- Contracting: after having an agreement in all terms between the supplier and the customer, the customer must create a contract that includes all the agreed terms.