Case 1: Integrated Logistics for DEP/GARD Analysis

Introduction
Having attended the Veteran Affairs Acquisition Academy as an intern to become a contract officer for the government, I was immediately intrigued at the way business was being conducted without fair and open competition. As we begin to break down the analysis of Case 1, supply management with be the focal point of discussion.
Supply Chain

As we take a look at where each company falls in the supply chain we can ascertain that GARD is the customer and DEP the supplier. The following diagram will attempt to break it down further:

As we look at the stages in this supply chain, we can see that procurement is the most important. However, in this case the procurement team had it very easy, as Tom Lippet from DEP established a relationship with Mike O’Leary from GARD. In any other business setting, the procurement team is the most important. They are the ones that write the bids proposals for a company. Without them, there would be no work. DEP is highly dependent on its suppliers of raw materials. I find it interesting that they would go with the lowest bidder for their raw materials. If they want to ensure timely delivery, a trade-off analysis of what is important to them for the upcoming year to keep their current contract with GARD. In this supply chain I would put the marketing sales, human resources, and warehouse departments as not have much impact on the deliverance of the product. However, Tom did mention that the products are stored in a warehouse and prepared for shipment. I believe that DEP can cut cost by completing this assigned task immediately following the manufacturing process. I believe that the warehouse should be utilized to store premade inventory and not for palletizing and shrink wrapping. This process should be down at the