(Left to right) SourceDogg CEO Mark Scanlon, Minister John Perry, PhD candidate Anthony Flynn, and Dr Paul Davis, lecturer in strategic procurement at DCU
Procurement software start-up SourceDogg.com is funding a PhD Scholarship in Procurement with Dublin City University.
The company said it is investing in post-graduate research around the area of procurement because of its importance to buyers and suppliers and its effect on the economy.
“Government is the largest buyer of goods and services and the decisions made in relation to the way they interact with the market has a massive effect on the economy as a whole,” said SourceDogg CEO Mark Scanlon.
Last year, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service won an award for Excellence in Public Sector Procurement for engaging with SMEs.
“Using tools like SourceDogg.com, public bodies can easily find and engage with more innovative indigenous suppliers, much as Facebook allows us to interact with more ‘friends’ than we could without such a tool,” said Scanlon.
Scanlon claimed that procurement tools allied with static advertising sites like e-tenders increases the quality of decisions made – “whether that be cost savings for taxpayers, or using small, innovative Irish suppliers which will have major direct and indirect impacts on job creation here,” he said.
PhD Scholarship for Excellence in Procurement Research
Minister for Small Business John Perry launched the SourceDogg.com PhD Scholarship for Excellence in Procurement Research in the Centre for Executive Education in Dublin City University. Successful candidates will receive fees funded by DCU and a €20,000 stipend for associated expenses from SourceDogg.com. The scholarship relates to the research area of procurement.
Dr Paul Davis, lecturer in strategic procurement at DCU, is a globally recognised leader in the field of procurement research, especially in studying technology’s impact on procurement processes. He runs the Masters of Strategic Procurement programme in DCU and is president of the Irish Institute of Purchasing & Materials Management (IIPMM).
He will be supervising Anthony Flynn during his PhD studies. Scanlon said Flynn was chosen “as the person we felt most likely to have a tangible impact on procurement policy and practice through his research”.
Operating from offices in Galway and Dublin, SourceDogg.com develops cloud-based procurement software that aims to reduce the cost and burden of sourcing suppliers. It uses social networking concepts to make it easier for people, departments or companies to collaborate, as it allows professionals to form buying groups, share peer reviews and community ratings. Suppliers can list on the system free of charge.
Since launching in 2010, the company has built up clients in sectors ranging from healthcare, hospitality and entertainment to manufacturing, retail, services and transportation. Earlier this year, it announced the creation of 80 new jobs.
