Press Release

For Immediate Release
11 April 2007

ACTE Aids Regional Chiefs of Indirect Procurement Scrutinize Complexities of Managing the Cost of Corporate Travel Services

Singapore --

The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) is the exclusive professional association aiding indirect procurement professionals with the cost-management of corporate travel services. ACTE member, Patricia Chua, Director of Global Procurement, Asia Pacific, MSD Asia Pacific Services Pte Ltd, Singapore will present the session, Optimizing Your Corporate Travel Programme to Drive Cost Down, on 26 April at the Indirect Procurement for Services Conference organized by Marcus Evans.

According to a report by Don Durfee published in CFO.Europe.com the average company devotes 33% of its total spending to services.   Although companies cut many forms of spending during a downturn, services spend has continued to rise 3.5% annually. Service procurement can be a black hole of unsourced buying, lost savings opportunities, and limited oversight from the purchasing department. It is difficult for procurement professionals to control this often complex and fragmented part of the strategic sourcing process.

“While the intricacies of services procurement are slowly being unravelled, travel remains among the more complex categories” stated Kenneth Phua, Regional Director, ACTE Asia-Pacific. “Traditional travel managers are being asked to take on more and more indirect spend responsibilities and ACTE is now enhancing its education curriculum to address this need at all of our events.”
 
ACTE is offering procurement professionals an opportunity to participate in a travel management clinic (KENNETH MAKE SURE IT linkS to http://www.acte.org/events/aspac_2007/clinic.php) addressing value-based purchasing at its 2007 Asia-Pacific Education Conference in Singapore from 22-23 August. For information on ACTE and the Asia-Pacific Education Conference go to http://www.acte.org/events/aspac_2007/index.php

For more information contact Association of Corporate Travel Executives:

Kenneth Phua
Regional Director, Asia-Pacific
Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE)
Tel: +65-6440 9169
E-mail: [email protected]

For more information, contact:
Debbie Flynn
CEO
Brighter Group
The Pod, London's Vertical Gateway
Bridges Wharf, Battersea
London SW11 3BE England
T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
E: [email protected]
W: www.brightergroup.com