March 13, 1995
Subject: Suggestion No. 9214420144
Dear Ms. Frieberg:
As we discussed on the telephone last Thursday, March 9, 1995, attached is a summary of the significant communications between me, the IBM Suggestion Department and suggestion evaluators in support of my position that the subject suggestion has been implemented and, therefore, I am entitled to an award under the terms of the IBM Suggestion Plan in effect at the time the suggestion was submitted.
Should you need copies of any information referenced in the attachment or have any further questions, please feel free to call me at work or home.
In an effort to come to closure on this matter in a timely manner, I would like to suggest that we have another telephone conversation on or before March 20, 1995, to discuss the status of your review and any questions you may have. Please advise.
Very truly yours,
Keith S. Gibby
SIGNIFICANT SUGGESTION COMMUNICATIONS
5/14/92 Suggestion to establish a centralized purchasing information repository submitted.
8/4/92 Suggestion reply: suggestion is PREDATED.
9/22/92 Suggestion reevaluation request: establish a centralized purchasing information repository.
11/13/92 Suggestion reevaluation reply: suggestion is PREDATED by team of Endicott Purchasing people.
NOTE:
1. The suggestion has been implemented.
2. My suggestion provides the earliest documented statement of the problem and solution to IBM (p. 16) and was accepted for evaluation by the Suggestion Department.
3. "Predates" have to be under "active consideration". My suggestion is dated 5/92. Endicott effort initiated 1/91. Endicott Purchasing people effort was not a suggestion. Endicott was really Owego. Effort also was not Purchasing people. Effort was Programming people. Effort was also not one to establish a centralized purchasing information repository. Effort was a request to co-develop INFOVIEW, a customized program to provide access to electronic stored information (i.e., procedures) using a book metaphor. Effort was flatly rejected by Corporate Purchasing (Ann McGovern). "Active consideration" is invalid.
4. "Ideas on subjects periodically reexamined by management" also not applicable. My suggestion is not an idea which concerns "periodic or routine matters" (p. 15).
5. Subjects in the "maturing process" also does not apply to this suggestion. "Maturing" refers to aspects of the business that for a specified period of time are in a constant period of change (p.16).
6. In accordance with IBM Manager’s Manual reference 02-24, IBM Suggestion Plan, dated May 30, 1986, "A suggestion will remain eligible for an award even though the idea in the suggestion is implemented without the knowledge of the existence of the suggestion". Please note that 02-24 was in effect at the time the Suggestion was submitted.
7. A suggestion does not have to be an "original" idea (i.e., "extended" ideas). It just has to be the first one submitted in accordance with the terms of the Plan. My efforts and persistence with Purchasing management overcame their objections to implementing a centralized purchasing information repository.
8. Mr. George Greenstein was the executive signoff of my suggestion reevaluation rejection and is now the Integrated Procurement Solutions (IPS) General Manager.
11/16/92 Gibby telecon with Mike Birchard, Suggestion Department, re: flawed reevaluation. He indicated that I should discuss matter with evaluator directly.
11/16/92 Gibby PROFS to David Horton re: clarification on his evaluation of my suggestion.
11/16/92 Gibby telecon from David Horton re: clarification on his evaluation of my suggestion. He indicated that Ann McGovern was actually responsible for the evaluation.
12/8/92 Ann McGovern telecon to Gibby to discuss suggestion evaluation.
1/7/93 Gibby telecon with Ann McGovern re: centralized purchasing information repository. Her suggestion evaluation reference to Endicott Purchasing was really a reference to Owego Programming (not Purchasing at all). Owego was looking at Purchasing for funding (the application was not even developed at this point) and use with Corporate Purchasing procedures (ref: Glenn McCoy, 1/91). She has no documentation to support her discussions with Owego. She said Corporate Purchasing flatly rejected the effort out of a lack of need or interest.
Upon my review of the suggestion with Ann, she indicated that she had limited knowledge or understanding of what I had suggested. She asked me to provide her with additional information ("Create Procurement Conference Disk" sent).
1/7/93 Gibby telecon with Glenn McCoy, FSC Owego. Corporate Procurement indicated no interest in INFOVIEW, an FSC internal application. At the time of the contact (1/91), the effort was very early in the development process. Purchasing indicated that they had no interest in its concept or in funding its development.
1/19/93 Gibby electronically forwarded "Create an IBM Procurement Conference Disk" business case to Ann McGovern, David Horton and Mike Birchard.
1/28/93 Gibby telecon and demo with Ann McGovern re: a centralized purchasing information repository. I like the 1/19 materials you sent me. Implementation will greatly increase the dissemination of Purchasing information within the function.
3/15/93 Gibby telecon and demo with Gary Dauser re: a centralized purchasing information repository (ref: Introduction and Demonstration of IBM Computer Conferencing", dated 3/15/93). Dauser supports concept. He questions PREDATE as previously identified by Ann McGovern.
7/22/93 Gibby telecon with Gary Dauser re: a centralized purchasing information repository. "I’m calling because I didn’t want you to hear "back door" that we’ve implemented your suggestion (IPS/Corporate Purchasing)."
7/22/93 Gibby PROFS to Gary Dauser re: implementation of a centralized purchasing information repository. I am glad to see that something finally resulted from my suggestion and subsequent discussions with Ann McGovern.
8/31/93 NATBOARD CHQNEWS: IBM forms Integrated Procurement Solutions (IPS), George M. Greenstein named General Manager. Mr. Greenstein was IBM Director, Corporate Procurement.
9/23/93 Gibby PROFS to Gary Dauser re: implementation of a centralized purchasing information repository and savings algorithm.
11/16/93 Gibby PROFS to Guy Allis, Manager, Suggestion Department. Suggestion has been implemented.
12/21/93 "National IPSWOW Implementation" Plan, Wendy Neuberger, re: implementation of a company-wide, centralized purchasing information repository (note: implemented using 1987 technology).
1/11/94 Gibby PROFS to Gary Meaden re: a centralized purchasing information repository is no different than other functional information repositories (Traffic & Distribution, MKTTOOLS, Engineering, SPC, ASLoB, ID (Info Dev), RECD, Quality etc.).
1/26/94 Gibby telecon with Terri Green, IPS. A company-wide, centralized purchasing information repository has been implemented (IPSWOW). Effort was initiated by George Greenstein, IPS General Manager, around July, 1993. There is no formal business case. The 12/21/93 "National IPSWOW Implementation" Plan is the business case. IPSWOW will shadow the Procurement Information Repository.
2/8/94 Terri Green PROFS to Wendy Neuberger to indicate that Gibby’s estimated savings resulting from the implementation of a centralized purchasing information repository are very conservative.
2/14/94 Wendy Neuberger, IS&I Data & Business Management, PROFS to Gibby re: estimated savings for a centralized purchasing information repository.
3/8/94 Gibby letter to Skip Karl re: the implementation of my suggestion via IPSWOW and all of its supporting IPS documentation.
5/16/94 Gibby PROFS to George Krawiec re: documentation supporting PREDATE.
5/18/94 Skip Karl PROFS to Gibby re: PREDATE. Karl used the original evaluations as the sole justification for the PREDATE and, therefore, rejection of my award.
5/18/94 Gibby PROFS to Skip Karl indicating NO PREDATE.
5/19/94 Gibby PROFS to Gary Dauser re: clarification that my suggestion is for a company-wide, centralized purchasing information repository. Endicott was not working on a company-wide, centralized purchasing information repository. And as I discussed with Wendy Neuberger and Terri Green, IPSWOW is a direct result of Purchasing management finally recognizing the need to have purchasing information located in a company-wide repository.
6/22/94 Skip Karl letter to Gibby re: no change in position that the suggestion is PREDATED.
6/30/94 Gibby letter to Skip Karl. You indicate that the suggestion is PREDATED. Why then are you unable to provide me with any substantive documentation?
10/10/94 Gibby letter to Mr. Donato Evangelista re: the IBM Suggestion Plan.
10/17/94 Dick Lynch letter to Gibby re: award rejection.
1/23/95 Gibby letter to Lynch re: suggestion is not PREDATED
3/9/95 Conference call with Peggy Frieberg, IBM-WFS Counsel, re: suggestion history (914/332-2777).