One of the succesful experiences was by sourcing for granite stones for paving and cladding for a North-European Company.
Basic demand was “natural granite stone G603 and G654 in cubes and tiles for paving and cladding. Finishing: natural split and flamed for the cubes and bush hammered for the tiles “

Provided those specifics and a rough quantity, we begun our sourcing strategy:
-General global sourcing considering the final user
-Quality check
-Individuation of the potential suppliers
-Price inquiry and negotiation
-Price analysis
-Order and import support.
The general sourcing process produced about 40 possible provides from Europe and Asia, which after quality check was narrowed to 20 with high potential.
After the price negotiation and analysing the shipping times and cost the final negotiation was between 2 European suppliers and 3 Chinese ones.
Thanks to a deeper study and consultation on price+quality+shipping+delivery and time schedule, the final contact for the project was signed by the main company with a Chinese supplier.

Was it worth?
Well given the old record of paid prices for the same commodity and the final negotiated price, the overall saving was 17,3% which over a delivery of over 300 00€ made a big impact in term of savings.