Knowledge Center · Procurement strategy
Your Business Intelligence Center: Learn More, Plan Smarter, Make Better Decisions
How to use the Global B2B Group Knowledge Center to define an industrial project, model its full cost and compare suppliers on evidence — before a single quotation arrives.
Global B2B Group project team · editorial · Published
Most expensive procurement mistakes are made before any supplier is contacted. A capacity figure is guessed, freight and installation are left out of the budget, or three quotations are compared on price even though they quote different scopes. By the time the gap is visible, the decision is half made.
Global B2B Group is the supplier-neutral parent of several sector platforms. Sector projects are routed to the matching specialist platform, while cross-industry sourcing, packaging lines and custom machinery are handled here. The Knowledge Center exists for that cross-industry buyer: an operations, engineering or finance manager who needs to understand a purchase well enough to defend it internally.
This guide maps what is actually available today, explains what each resource is good for, and shows a practical sequence for using them together.
Learn: executive guides that explain the decision
The guides are written for decision-makers, not for search engines. Each one explains a single procurement topic, the questions to ask and the documents to request.
Executive guides library
The index of all long-form guides. Start here when you know the topic but not the right questions.
Global sourcing strategy
How to decide where to source from, when to split suppliers and how to weigh distance against cost and risk.
Supplier due diligence
What to verify about a manufacturer before shortlisting: references, financial stability, certifications and capacity.
Incoterms in practice
Who pays and who carries risk at each step of delivery, and how the chosen term changes your landed cost.
Plan: calculators that put numbers on the project
Calculators turn assumptions into a budget you can challenge. They do not replace engineering quotes; they show which costs exist and which inputs move the result most.
Total cost of ownership calculator
Adds energy, labour, maintenance and spares to the purchase price, so a cheaper machine that costs more to run becomes visible.
CAPEX calculator
Builds the full capital budget, including freight, duties, installation, utilities and contingency.
ROI calculator
Estimates payback and return from your own savings and revenue assumptions.
All executive calculators
Includes supplier scoring, import duties, payback, working capital and procurement savings tools.
Compare: structured supplier evaluation
Comparing suppliers fairly means comparing the same scope with the same criteria. These resources help you set those criteria before proposals arrive.
Supplier scoring calculator
Weights price, technical fit, delivery, service and risk so the final ranking reflects your priorities, not only the lowest number.
Factory acceptance test checklist
What to test at the supplier's site before shipment, so defects are found when they are cheapest to fix.
Monitor: market and country intelligence
Regulation, trade measures and logistics change the cost of a project between budget approval and delivery. Two resources keep that context current.
Industry Intelligence
A short daily selection of consequential items from official public sources, each with buyer impact and suggested actions. Items show their source and date; older items are labelled as such.
Country intelligence
Country-level briefs on project conditions, so cross-border sourcing starts with the right expectations.
From first question to a ready RFQ
Learn
Read the guide for your decision topic.
Define
Write capacity, product, site and constraints.
Model
Estimate CAPEX, running costs and TCO.
Compare
Fix scoring criteria and due diligence checks.
Request
Submit a structured, human-reviewed RFQ.
Example walkthrough: replacing a packaging line
An illustrative scenario, not a client case: a food producer plans to replace an ageing packaging line and has received an informal price from one machine builder.
1. Clarify what is being bought
The team reads the sourcing strategy guide and realises the informal price covers the machine only. They list what else the project needs: conveyors, integration with existing equipment, installation and operator training.
2. Build the real budget
In the CAPEX calculator they add freight, duties, installation and a contingency line. The budget is now larger than the original price, but it is defensible.
3. Compare running costs
The TCO calculator shows that energy and spares over several years can matter as much as the purchase price, which changes what they ask suppliers to quote.
4. Set evaluation rules first
With the supplier scoring calculator they agree weights for price, technical fit, delivery and service before any proposal is opened, and prepare due diligence questions.
5. Request comparable proposals
Finally, they use the RFQ builder so every supplier quotes the same scope. Our project team reviews the request and handles supplier outreach on the buyer's behalf.
What is open, what needs registration, what is a service
We want expectations to be clear before you click.
- Knowledge Center, guides and checklistsFree, public
Open to read without an account and without obligation.
- CalculatorsFree, public
Free to use in the browser. Results are estimates based on your inputs.
- Industry Intelligence and country briefsFree, public
Public pages; each item states its source and date.
- Buyer portalFree account
A free account to save and follow your project requests.
- RFQ and supplier outreachHuman-reviewed service
Reviewed by our project team; typically for projects from about USD 250,000. No fee for buyers.
Costly errors this helps you avoid
- Comparing quotations that cover different scopes, delivery terms or warranties.
- Budgeting the machine price and forgetting freight, duties, installation and utilities.
- Choosing the lowest purchase price when running costs dominate over the equipment's life.
- Shortlisting suppliers before checking references, certifications and capacity.
- Ignoring regulatory or trade changes that affect the destination market.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Knowledge Center free?
Yes. Guides, checklists, calculators and the intelligence pages are public and free to use without an account. A free buyer account is only needed for the buyer portal.
Do the calculators give a binding price?
No. They produce estimates from the inputs you enter. They help you understand which costs exist and prepare better questions; final prices come from supplier proposals.
Will you connect me directly with a supplier?
No. Global B2B Group is supplier-neutral. Our project team reviews your RFQ and handles outreach to suppliers on your behalf, then helps you compare the proposals.
What size of project does the RFQ service handle?
Industrial projects typically from about USD 250,000. The learning resources are open to everyone regardless of project size.
How current is the Industry Intelligence page?
It is refreshed from official public sources, and each item shows its source and date. If a refresh fails, older items stay visible and are labelled as not current.
Editorial references
Our guides draw on recognised public frameworks. These are good starting points for further reading:
- Incoterms® rules — International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The official source for delivery terms.
- ISO 20400: Sustainable procurement — Guidance — ISO. International guidance on integrating sustainability into procurement.
- World Bank Procurement Framework — World Bank. Principles of value for money and fit-for-purpose procurement for large projects.
Start with the Knowledge Center
Open the guides and calculators for your next project. When your scope is clear, submit a structured RFQ and our team will take it from there.
This article is general information, not engineering, legal, tax or financial advice. Calculator results are estimates. Global B2B Group does not guarantee savings, supplier availability or outcomes.