Penny DeGraffenried, founder of DeGraffenried Purchasing International (DPI)

Posted in People on 14 August, 2017

DeGraffenried Purchasing International (DPI) specialises in procurement of loose furnishings (FF&E) and Operating Supplies (OS&E) for the hospitality sector. With more than 10 years’ experience in Europe and a proven methodology for managing purchases, company founder Penny DeGraffenried talks to SPACE editor Can Faik on how DPI can bring your project in on budget and on time without compromising quality…

Combining the latest Internet procurement technology with personalised service and local support, DeGraffenried Purchasing International (DPI) provides managed procurement services for the hospitality sector.

In creating DPI, company founder Penny DeGraffenried builds upon her 11-year track record managing the European office of one of the largest international procurement companies 15 years as project director for a French turn-key furniture and millwork manufacturer, and experience with some of the world’s top designers and top hoteliers.

DPI’s personalised procurement software has been developed in-house by DPI’S Senior Project Manager and is integral to its success. The software streamlines the purchasing process and makes it possible for a small team to manage large amounts of data efficiently and accurately. Data entry has been minimised by creating a feature to upload Excel spreadsheets directly into the database and the same feature allows all data to be exported into Excel, including photos and current status on each line item.

After 11 years of working on projects for one of the largest procurement firms in the world, DPI looked at where things got bogged down in the procurement process and created tools specific to those issues. The company streamlined the process of setting up the project information into its system making it possible to move quickly from budget set-up to tender.  The purchase orders contain detailed product descriptions so they added drop down menus for input of key information to ensure the team can enter data accurately and uniformly. Since the software is entirely designed and maintained in-house, DPI can make adjustments and add features for its clients if they need a specific report or purchase order format. DPI prepares detailed FF&E quantity matrices and provide detailed installation guides by room number. All orders, reports, vendor quotes, shop drawings and product warranties as well as designer specifications are available for clients to view online as an attachment to the purchase order. “The more we have integrated software solutions into our daily work, the more efficient and accurate we have become. Penny says: “We are not just another consultant. We are here to help clients find solutions to achieve the best possible and most cost-efficient strategy for their hospitality projects.”

degraffpurchase.com