BOULDER, CO— At the recent HD 2001 show, the International Society of Hospitality Purchasers (ISHP) set forth two initiatives for the next 12 months that, according to ISHP President Alan Benjamin, will help purchasers not only do their jobs better, but also help them aid those in need. Benjamin, who is also managing partner for Benjamin West, a purchasing company based here, told HOTEL BUSINESS® that the first initiative involves obtaining “standardized specifications for major FF&E items such as flooring, wall coverings, case goods, lighting, artwork and upholstered seating.” Benjamin said that, “This will increase the efficiency of design firms, purchasing firms, manufacturers and vendors [via]more complete communication. [With these standardized specifications] there will be less back and forth,” and less confusion. New Foundation The second ISHP initiative is the Hospitality Vendor Foundation, said Benjamin. He explained that, “If hospitality vendors have discontinued products, the wrong color carpet or promotional products, which then would normally go to liquidators and fetch 20 to 30 cents on the dollar, those products can instead be donated over the Internet via www.asknet.org, a B2B website which matches needs and resources [with organizations like]Habitat for Humanity.” The ISHP president said that one of the benefits for vendors would be “the tax benefit that would allow [them]to recover all the cost [by]donating through the foundation.” He said that, as of presstime, this initiative will “kick off in the next 60 to 90 days.” Ann Kline and Wayne Siverson at Cendant Corp., industry consultant Patricia Durkan and asknet.org founders Dick Clark and Bob Tipton are partnering with ISHP on the foundation, Benjamin further noted. He also told HOTEL BUSINESS® that the ISHP “hopes to increase industry awareness of the role purchasing plays… Our role is expanding. We are getting more project manager duties. And we are treated as trusted members of the [development]team. We’re even helping owners in some cases to decide on the short list of design firms.” Separately, Benjamin commented on the state of e-procurement, saying that, “Existing large purchasing companies will utilize some of the benefits of e-commerce, but e-commerce retailers are [generally]not nearly as successful as those with bricks and mortar behind them. I’d say overall that this is the first inning of a nine-inning ball game. By the time we’re on innings two, three and four, it’ll be better. But it won’t replace the knowledge of well-experienced firms. It will become a tool, and not replace what we do.”
