TBD - Portland

SQLSaturday is a training event for SQL Server professionals and those wanting to learn about SQL Server, and will be on October 8, 2011 at Portland, OR, USA. Admittance to SQLSaturday Oregon is free, all costs are covered by donations and sponsorships.

More and more organizations are outsourcing services to provide them with a competitive advantage. Outsourcing a service is uniquely different than buying a product. With a service the organization’s staff is working directly with the vendor’s staff, and often the vendor is providing direct support to internal business partners and external big “C” customers. Managing the relationship is difficult, time consuming, and often the leadership team is not prepared for this new world.

Managing Vendor Partnerships enables organizations to more effectively work with their service providers and their own staff to create long term value and increased ROI from each of their vendor relationships.

At this workshop you will learn how to:

• Move from contract management to relationship management with your vendors
• Transition from managing employees to managing the relationship
• Understand and differentiate between the goals and objectives of the organization and those of the vendor
• Leverage process management techniques to provide a foundation for managing vendor partnerships
• Utilize change management to transition employees to new roles
• Recognize a range of cultural differences between the organization and the vendor
• Gain additional value from your purchasing department
• Be proactive in shaping a positive relationship and in recognizing when the partnership is in trouble
• Establish appropriate governance structures
• Prepare for the end of the contract
• Improve vendor selection, contract development, and negotiation processes
• Create value for long-term competitive advantage

Register: http://managing-vendor-partnerships.eventbrite.com/

Join OEN member companies for a ½ day of riverside restoration projects in partnership with SOLV. Network with your fellow OEN members while enjoying hands-on community service and team building for your employees. This is a great opportunity to build ties with fellow community-minded entrepreneurs.

Date: Saturday, September 17, 2011 Time & Location: TBD Cost: $100

(*Limited to 5 participants per OEN member company & OEN company-level membership required.)

Are you a freelance software developer, or interested in freelancing? Join us to talk shop and meet others!

Presentation: TBD

Recreation: Beer, nerding, socializing, etc.

The presentation will start shortly after 6:00.