The use of vendor panels has been standard practice in business and government for some time; indeed, you probably don’t give it much thought. However, panels are grossly underutilized, despite receiving the highest “very satisfied” score with customers relative to sole sourcing (single suppliers) and head contracting (prime contractors with subcontractors). Explaining the poor utilization of panels is not so simple. There are a myriad of traps that organizations fall into. This Executive Update explains the common traps and provides the tricks to leverage your use of panels.