Sandeep Savoiker, Purchase Manager at Radisson Blu Cavelossim Beach

Mr. Savoiker started his 20 year journey in the hospitality industry by working at small hotel in the initial years. He then moved to Club Mahindra Hotels and worked there for almost 14 years before joining the Alcon Victor group.

He began his career as a stores assistant, then as a purchase assistant when he was transferred from Stores to Purchase. He was then promoted to Executive, then from Purchase executive to assistant Purchase manager. After working for 14 years as at Club Mahindra Holidays, he moved to the Alcon Victor group, at Dona Sylvia where he worked for 5 years. Under the process of unit transfers, he was transferred, around a month ago from Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia to Radisson Blu Resort.

The HPMF which stands for Hospitality Purchase Manager Forum provides necessary data in order to be keep updated about the latest launches. He also checks with his vendors by speaking with them and by getting adequate data from them of any new product launches and by sharing market data. Other than these, one always has the social media to provide any further data.

He says here are many factors to keep in mind while shortlisting vendors. One is but natural the cost factor. The second is that, the product should have a good after sales service background as it happens many times that you procure the product but the services / Spares is taken care by supplier. He checks and takes feedback of the material from other properties and other chefs also.

Another factor is the yield of the product of the machine. It may happen that the cost may be very nominal but yield may not be satisfactory. So there is no point of purchasing that material. Longevity, that is ‘long life’, of the machine is important. It should also not cause harm to the environment.

He has not faced a major setback in his career but he has to deal with many instances and issues. One such issue is that of logistics. His department commits to the user department that the ordered material will be delivered on a particular date but quite often, it does not happen. If an order is placed with an outstation vendor who dispatches the material according to his convenience and further the transporter takes his own sweet time to deliver the goods then the commitment given by his department fails. This is one of the biggest challenge in any corporation, no matter the size.

He believes every day to be a challenge but the most challenging part is, coordination with the outstation vendors for the material ordered. As a buyer, they need to pay advance to the supplier, not knowing his background. The supplier is selected either because he has the item or the material or is providing a good offer on the product. As a result, the buyer must rely on nothing but the supplier’s word of mouth and trust him. Moreover the senior management or the General Manager must be convinced to sanction the advance payment as without it the supplier will not supply the material until and unless the advance payment is received. Then again another issue is that once the advance payment is made by cheque the supplier will wait till the cheque is cleared. So as a Purchase Manager, he needs to talk to the supplier and convince him to send the material at the earliest.

He loves the entire process of his work. His profession provides him the opportunity to meet new people every day. He also gets the chance to learn new things and to face new challenges. To the outside world, the general concept of purchase is to place an order and then get the material, but that is far from reality. As Purchase Managers, they need to see the cost, the yield, the use and also the longevity of the product. Not forgetting the fact that there should not be any wastage even if it is a fruit.

According to him, one should have a positive attitude and should approach with an open mind to learn new things. He/she should also be innovative in their approach and should think of new ways of doing anything like using old objects or props with a twist. For example, using a cycle to depict the Poders of Goa who would come home to sell bread to you. We hardly see any Poders anymore. So through this prop you can display how the Poders provided their service to the community.

He believes that hoteliers need to add the things that are being forgotten. Being in Goa, the authentic Goan Cuisine is not as popular as other cuisines. People travel to Goa from all over the world. So, they should get a taste of Goa. Goan fruits and vegetables also should be showcased and served. There may not be many but we need to make the most of what we got. The famous Tambdi Bhaji, raw bananas, tendli etc need to become a part of the cuisine to enhance our guests experience and to make them happy.

There is always the challenge to cut the cost and procure the item. In the present scenario, , they have a tough role to play. He needs to get the proper item at a competitive or economical price, he needs to look for good service and after sales as well, he needs to ask to cut down the freight charges or to at least you bear the same. Packing charges are normally asked to waive if we regularly place an order with them. Besides that he tries to negotiate the best possible price but the hidden cost is the main factor to control.
For him, it is the cost of the product and the after sales services matter the most while getting the best deals for his company.

The finalisation of vendors is done by the Corporate Purchase.

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