August 29, 2022 – Carl Tietjen is the Associate Vice President, Purchasing and Supply at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Read an excerpt from The Journal of Healthcare Contracting’s “10 People to Watch in Healthcare Contracting” below.
What are the most important attributes of successful supply chain teams today?
Strong leadership, a clear vision and teamwork are the most important attributes.
A leader has to know what it is they stand for and what they want to achieve in order to deliver the results. The team must believe in the vision and work together to accomplish the goals. The leader should also have the courage, passion and confidence to execute their goals. A leader also has to establish a clear vision which embraces change, promotes a team-oriented culture and drives continuous improvement.
What project or initiative are you looking forward to working on?
We are in the process of establishing a supplier diversity program that will engage MWBEs (Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises) in all procurement activities. The program will ensure that all diverse suppliers have visibility and access to procurement opportunities. We also want to remove the potential barriers to working with the University (UR), including contract and payment terms, insurance requirements, scale of projects and the like. As the largest employer in the Greater Rochester area, the program will make a profound economic impact on the communities locally and nationally. We have executed a number of key projects as part of our supplier diversity strategic roadmap, and we are continuing to work on the remaining tasks.
UR is committed to a diverse and inclusive supply chain. The commitment ultimately allows us to increase spend with diverse suppliers, drive supply chain innovation and optimize overall supply chain value.
What changes brought about by the pandemic are here to stay in the supply chain?
The pandemic has caused unprecedented supply chain disruptions and has exposed many vulnerabilities in supply chain. UR experienced the same supply chain disruptions as other organizations. We have managed to overcome the obstacles and challenges by working together as one UR team. As the global supply chain continues to be affected by the pandemic, strengthening the risk mitigation plan/process and proactively monitoring the supply risks have become the primary focus to manage the disruptions.
To see the rest of our 10 People to Watch in Healthcare Contracting list, click here.