How To Build A Business Continuity Plan For Your Spend Category
Art of Procurement
August 18, 2021
If you expect your strategic suppliers to have a business continuity plan, doesn’t it make sense for procurement to have category continuity plans for the most critical spend?
A category continuity plan helps you proactively identify the risks and disruption mitigation steps associated with a category or a product or service. It is meant to be clear and actionable – not a 60 page manual.
There are six elements to the process of creating your plan:
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Leadership, Business Continuity
Cost Drivers – Warehousing & General Storage Category
Art of Procurement
August 06, 2021
The AOP Category Cost Drivers Series is a new content offering created in partnership with ProcurementIQ.
Today we will uncover the primary cost drivers impacting warehousing and storage providers.
Operating a warehouse requires a considerable number of employees to perform a range of tasks, including operating forklifts, managing warehouse space, and running operations. Suppliers in this market face significant overhead costs, including utilities, rent, depreciation of machinery and vehicles, and maintenance.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Management, Leadership
Unlocking A Treasure Trove Of Procurement Inspiration
Art of Procurement
August 02, 2021
Since we started Art of Procurement almost six years ago, a broad range of executives, practitioners, academics, and more have shared over 3.2M words of wisdom in our podcasts, webinars, virtual events, and long-form writing. They all share the singular goal of helping forward-thinking leaders change the game for procurement’s impact.
See publication
Tags: Innovation, Procurement, Leadership
How To Create Stronger Supplier Relationships
Art of Procurement
June 23, 2021
Creating stronger supplier relationships is an effort, and it has to be part of procurement culture and the values of the enterprise as a whole. As we learned in 2020, the time to invest in relationships is long before you have to lean on them.
We are often asked, “How do we create stronger relationships with our suppliers?” This week's blog post features Philip Ideson's best advice
See publication
Tags: Business Continuity, Procurement, Supply Chain
Will Automation Replace Procurement?
Art of Procurement
June 09, 2021
Automating professional activities is nothing new. You only need to look at the marketing function to see the impact that automation has had on a business function over the past 10 years.
Procurement isn’t exempt, we’re just slow to the party.
Think about the parts of your job as a procurement professional could be automated. Some of the more transactional activities may be the first to come to mind, as well broad elements of the procure to pay cycle. Or maybe guided buying, allowing technology to become the domain of commoditized products that are bought through catalogs or online marketplaces.
But a lot of what procurement does is strategic, right? It needs to be done by humans.
Not so fast.
See publication
Tags: AI, Digital Transformation, Procurement
Is Procurement Moving Away From Category Management?
Art of Procurement
May 05, 2021
When people ask Philip Ideson if procurement is moving away from category management, his answer is most often: “kind of.”
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Business Strategy
Turning Urgency Into Action For Top-Line Growth
Art of Procurement
April 21, 2021
There are many ways procurement can impact top-line growth. We can enable savings reinvestment and facilitate supplier-led innovations, or empower sales and marketing to overcome objections in the sales process and increase customer success. Without question, procurement’s ability to execute is limited more by our imagination, confidence, and willingness to take measured risks than it is by a lack of enabling technologies or skill shortages.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Securing Buy-In For Sustainability Initiatives
Art of Procurement
March 10, 2021
Sustainability initiatives have often had a PR problem when it comes to trying to get buy in, but #procurement has enough experience to get past this objection. The reality is that the best sustainability initiatives are good old demand management projects; they increase sustainability by reducing demand.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Sustainability
Connecting Procurement Performance With Company Growth
Art of Procurement
February 17, 2021
At AOP Mastermind LIVE in October, we asked CPOs about their top objectives heading into 2021. The number two objective named was company growth, something procurement has talked about a lot as a profession, but which we have struggled to actually achieve.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Digital Transformation, Procurement
How To Outsource Services In A Changing Economy
Art of Procurement
February 03, 2021
About five years ago, procurement outsourcing was all the rage. Companies would outsource sourcing and category management ‘en masse.’ It was sort of like selling procurement in a box.
Service providers would typically get really good initial results. They were able to take a fresh approach to spend that hadn’t been run through a formal procurement process before. Maybe they’d come across an organization that hadn’t previously utilized market intelligence, or one that just ran RFPs instead of building holistic category strategies. Having better insights and a more expansive bag of tricks really made a big difference – or so it seemed.
See publication
Tags: Future of Work, Procurement, Supply Chain
The Top 5 CPO Priorities At The Start Of 2021
Art of Procurement
January 20, 2021
Art of Procurement did some research as part of #MastermindLIVE in October. We asked registrants to share their objectives, priorities, and challenges heading into 2021. In this new blog, Philip Ideson shares those findings with a few additional comments of his own.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Leadership, Procurement
Getting And Keeping The A-Team
Art of Procurement
January 06, 2021
Anyone that has ever sourced professional services knows that one of the top concerns is having a firm bid – and potentially introduce you to – the ‘A-team’ to win your business. Then, once the contract is signed, they swap them out for the B-team (or the C-team) when it comes time to actually do the work.
Read 'Getting And Keeping The A-Team' on the AOP blog for tips and tactics you can use to get and KEEP the A-team!
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement
Heroes In Our Midst: Pivoting To The Potential Of 2021
Art of Procurement
December 08, 2020
For all the stories of stress and struggle we heard in 2020, there have also been some amazing examples of heroism and success. In this new blog post, Philip Ideson shares the stories of two particularly inspiring CPOs, Dan Symon is the Chief Procurement Officer of New York City and Sajid Kunnummal is the Vice President and CPO at Navistar
See publication
Tags: COVID19, Digital Transformation, Procurement
Procurement: Catalyst for Change in the ‘Next Normal’
LinkedIn
October 28, 2020
Over the past seven months, the opportunity for procurement to find different levers to drive growth and deliver value has intensified. For procurement leaders, this is a unique point in time. We are working to overcome immediate challenges while building innovative capabilities to position our companies for success in the near and long term.
See publication
Tags: Innovation, Procurement, Leadership
Caution! Category Dynamics Subject To Change
Art of Procurement
September 23, 2020
A couple of months ago on the pod we chatted with Arthur Piszczor, a Consultant at Corcentric, about the changes being seen in facilities services. He joined us as part of a monthly deep dive into the trends in one particular spend category.
Unsurprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant changes in the janitorial services market.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Change Management
Will Automation Replace Procurement?
Art of Procurement
September 16, 2020
The idea of automating professional activities is nothing new. You only need to look at marketing over the last 10 years to see an example of the impact automation has had on a business function. Honestly, procurement is just late to the party.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Leadership, RPA
The Six Critical Elements Of A Category Continuity Plan
Art of Procurement
September 09, 2020
If you expect your strategic suppliers to have a business continuity plan, doesn’t it make sense for procurement to have category continuity plans for the most critical spend?
A category continuity plan helps you proactively identify the risks and disruption mitigation steps associated with a category or a product or service. It is meant to be clear and actionable – not a 60 page manual.
See publication
Tags: Sustainability, Procurement, Business Continuity
Fine Lines: Walking Procurement’s Double-Edged Sword
Art of Procurement
June 08, 2020
As much of the world takes tentative steps to return to some type of normality in the shadow of COVID-19, procurement’s role is quickly evolving. The past three months have seen our profession help guide our organizations through uncharted waters, securing supply through unconventional means.
Now the dust is settling and our focus can shift to the medium and long term. For many companies (although not all), that means saving money.
See publication
Tags: Digital Disruption, Supply Chain, Procurement
Why In-Country Labor Arbitrage Will Shake Up The Procurement Hiring Market
Art of Procurement
May 24, 2020
In a recent Forbes article, Jack Kelly writes, “This could be an amazing consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies and workers will both have the choice of hiring or working for a company anywhere.”
I agree wholeheartedly with this idea. By leveraging the best talent worldwide, regardless of location, companies will be able to hire onshore or nearshore knowledge workers at a lower cost. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean moving all roles to the lowest-cost places on earth. For instance, the Outsource to Detroit program encouraged companies to relocate their IT operations to Detroit rather than offshoring them. The advantage of today’s circumstances and connectivity levels even alleviate the need for investments in physical infrastructure.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Management, Future of Work
Why Dual Sourcing As A Risk Mitigation Strategy May Not Be The Answer
Art of Procurement
May 11, 2020
The ‘word on the street’ about how procurement should respond to COVID-19 product and service supply problems is that going forward dual sourcing should be the default approach.
We’re certainly not against dual sourcing as a strategy. In fact, we encourage clients to have optionality in their category strategies.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Risk Management
319: Seizing the Opportunity for Quick Wins w/ Brian Seipel
Import from wordpress feed
May 04, 2020
“The real benefit of quick wins is to get the ball rolling. Procurement can take a small set of spend and turn around a good savings percentage within a month...
The post 319: Seizing the Opportunity for Quick Wins w/ Brian Seipel appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain
318: Partnering with the Business for Mutual Success w/ Canda Rozier
Import from wordpress feed
April 27, 2020
“The mark of achievement for myself, for my team members, and for the procurement function as a whole is to be viewed as a valued, trusted advisor and partner to...
The post 318: Partnering with the Business for Mutual Success w/ Canda Rozier appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
317: 7 Creative Ways to Kick-Start Your Program – Expense Management Special Series Part 5
Import from wordpress feed
April 24, 2020
Sustainable expense management programs should be managed to align outcomes with company objectives. Doing so amplifies their impact, strengthens stakeholder and supplier relationships, and provides real savings that can be...
The post 317: 7 Creative Ways to Kick-Start Your Program – Expense
See publication
Tags: Procurement
316: Demand and Category Management Expense Reduction Tactics – Expense Management Special Series Part 4
Import from wordpress feed
April 23, 2020
Sustainable expense management programs should be managed to align outcomes with company objectives. Doing so amplifies their impact, strengthens stakeholder and supplier relationships, and provides real savings that can be...
The post 316: Demand and Category Management Expense Reduction Tactics &#
See publication
Tags: Procurement
315: Tactics for Use when Sourcing and with Incumbent Suppliers – Expense Management Special Series Part 3
Import from wordpress feed
April 22, 2020
Sustainable expense management programs should be managed to align outcomes with company objectives. Doing so amplifies their impact, strengthens stakeholder and supplier relationships, and provides real savings that can be...
The post 315: Tactics for Use when Sourcing and with Incumbent Suppliers
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement
314: Avoiding Common Pitfalls – Expense Management Special Series Part 2
Import from wordpress feed
April 21, 2020
Sustainable expense management programs should be managed to align outcomes with company objectives. Doing so amplifies their impact, strengthens stakeholder and supplier relationships, and provides real savings that can be...
The post 314: Avoiding Common Pitfalls – Expense Management Special
See publication
Tags: Procurement
313: Building an Expense Management Program – Expense Management Special Series Part 1
Import from wordpress feed
April 20, 2020
Sustainable expense management programs should be managed to align outcomes with company objectives. Doing so amplifies their impact, strengthens stakeholder and supplier relationships, and provides real savings that can be...
The post 313: Building an Expense Management Program – Expense Mana
See publication
Tags: Procurement
312: How to Use AI-Powered Sourcing for Complex Services w/ Keith Hausmann
Import from wordpress feed
April 13, 2020
“When I look back at the last 30 years of how sourcing and contracting have been done, and how they are still done today, I think they are still significantly...
The post 312: How to Use AI-Powered Sourcing for Complex Services w/ Keith Hausmann appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Leadership
The Ultimate Guide to Expense Management: Achieving Cost Savings that Stick
Import from wordpress feed
April 06, 2020
Whether your company is in growth mode, protecting what they have on hand, or adapting to a new normal, responsible expense management is never far from an executive’s mind. This...
The post The Ultimate Guide to Expense Management: Achieving Cost Savings that Stick appeared first on Art of Procur
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Management, Leadership
311: Leading Procurement in an Economic Downturn w/ Joe Payne
Import from wordpress feed
April 06, 2020
“When you hit a recessionary period, the urgency goes way up. And so companies that maybe don’t always look to procurement as part of a cost reduction solution are now...
The post 311: Leading Procurement in an Economic Downturn w/ Joe Payne appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Management, Leadership
290: The Value of Digital Procurement in the Manufacturing Sector w/ Sundar Kamak
Import from wordpress feed
January 13, 2020
“We are in a very unique position right now, especially in the manufacturing world, that so much globalization has already happened. Every dollar saved is a dollar to the bottom...
The post 290: The Value of Digital Procurement in the Manufacturing Sector w/ Sundar Kamak appeared first on Art of P
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement
289: Integrating Blockchain into Procurement w/ Remko Van Hoek
Import from wordpress feed
January 06, 2020
“We are not looking to re-live the heyday of RFID when we were going around and saying, ‘this is going to solve all of your technology problems overnight’.” If 2019...
The post 289: Integrating Blockchain into Procurement w/ Remko Van Hoek appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement
2019 Annual Letter (Part 2): Art Of Procurement In Review
Art of Procurement
December 31, 2019
In our first annual letter last year, I wrote that “the first three-quarters of the year were the most difficult months of my professional career”. So did 2019 fare any better? The short answer – yes! Topline revenue increased 5X and we’re really excited about our plans for 2020. But it wasn’t all roses. 2019 also had an experience that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy!
See publication
Tags: Innovation, Management, Procurement
2019 Annual Letter #1: Procurement In Review
Art of Procurement
December 30, 2019
Last year, I wrote the first Art of Procurement annual letter, following the lead of the many companies who write annual letters to their investors. In a world of hyperbole and social media bluster, my intention is to pull back the curtains annually and share the highs and lows of building the Art of Procurement business as well as some big picture thoughts on the direction of the procurement function.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
2019 Annual Letter (Part 1): Procurement In Review
Import from wordpress feed
December 30, 2019
As someone who engages in Art of Procurement content, I see you as an investor in our community. You invest your time, your mind space and your creativity in your...
The post 2019 Annual Letter (Part 1): Procurement In Review appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement
288: Three Procurement Themes for 2020
Import from wordpress feed
December 23, 2019
As we begin to wind down for 2019, Art of Procurement host Philip Ideson shares the three themes that are at the forefront of his mind when considering the health...
The post 288: Three Procurement Themes for 2020 appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement
287: Best Practices for Managing Procurement Performance w/ Pierre Lapree and Jason Treida
Import from wordpress feed
December 16, 2019
“Stop the spreadsheet madness!” – Pierre Lapree, Founder of Per Angusta This week’s podcast is based on our recent AOP Live session with Pierre Lapree and Jason Treida. They joined...
The post 287: Best Practices for Managing Procurement Performance w/ Pierre Lapree and Jason Treid
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement
286: Defining and Delivering on Supplier Development w/ Amanda Prochaska & Jonathan Townsley
Import from wordpress feed
December 09, 2019
“If done correctly, supplier development reduces your total cost of ownership. It reduces risk, it increases innovation and it increases agility within your supply chains. It sounds like everything that...
The post 286: Defining and Delivering on Supplier Development w/ Amanda Prochaska & Jon
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement
285: A Procurement Compendium w/ Peter Smith
Import from wordpress feed
December 02, 2019
“The focus should be on doing a damn good job.” Having the opportunity to reflect back on a successful career in its entirety is a gift, and in “A Procurement...
The post 285: A Procurement Compendium w/ Peter Smith appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement
284: Escaping Your Traditional Environment – This Month in Procurement
Import from wordpress feed
November 25, 2019
In this episode, AOP Host Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner (General Manager of AOP and Owner of Buyers Meeting Point) discuss their major take-aways from November’s news, industry topics and...
The post 284: Escaping Your Traditional Environment – This Month in Procurement appeared first on Ar
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement
Data Quality: Critical But Overlooked?
Art of Procurement
November 21, 2019
In the latest edition of our AOP Live series, I had the opportunity to speak to Joe Yacura on the importance of data quality – not only as part of procurement digitization, but for the future of procurement as a whole. Joe is a former CPO of organizations such as Fannie Mae, Bank of America and American Express, and the co-author of the 3rd Annual Data Quality and Governance Study in partnership with Dr. Rob Handfield and the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative (SCRC) at NC State.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
CPOs Unscripted: Advice on Talent and Transformation
linkedin
June 13, 2019
If procurement’s journey to this point has demonstrated anything, it is the importance of people and talent. A high-performing, cohesive procurement team can deliver unexpected results just as easily as an unmotivated, aloof one can do irreparable harm.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Art of Procurement Meets Art of Procurement
Import from wordpress feed
March 15, 2019
The procurement profession has grown by leaps and bounds, progress that would not have been possible without a constant focus on processes and data. Facts can – or should –...
The post Art of Procurement Meets Art of Procurement appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
When the B-Team Can Beat the A-Team
Import from wordpress feed
March 07, 2019
Those of you who follow me on Twitter will be all too aware of my frustrations with the football team that I love, Bradford City. For a look deep into...
The post When the B-Team Can Beat the A-Team appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Are We Focused on the Right Transformation Objectives?
Import from wordpress feed
February 20, 2019
In The Hackett Group’s 2019 CPO Agenda Report, titled Building Next- Generation Capabilities, there is clearly misalignment between what procurement is expected to do and what we are placing an...
The post Are We Focused on the Right Transformation Objectives? appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Combating Leadership Fatigue
Import from wordpress feed
February 05, 2019
If you are a regular visitor to Art of Procurement, congratulations! You recognized how important it is to have access to thought leadership. Youre not mired in the ways of...
The post Combating Leadership Fatigue appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Introducing AOP Live – Establishing Your Procurement AI Game Plan
Import from wordpress feed
January 31, 2019
Today we’re launching a new webinar series: AOP Live, where you drive the conversation and we ditch the slides! AOP Live was born out of my frustration with the traditional...
The post Introducing AOP Live – Establishing Your Procurement AI Game Plan appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Can An Information Amnesty Increase Your Procurement Results?
Import from wordpress feed
January 24, 2019
“Companies will perform better if employees are not cowed into silence,” says a recent article in The Economist (registration required). While we don’t often discuss fear in the context of...
The post Can An Information Amnesty Increase Your Procurement Results? appeared first on Art of Procur
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Is California Reinventing the RFP Process?
Import from wordpress feed
January 16, 2019
It isn’t often that a governmental Executive Order catches the eye for its potential impact on procurement. Last week, on his first day on the job, newly elected Governor of...
The post Is California Reinventing the RFP Process? appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Empathy, Alignment and Integration – Transforming the Procurement/IT Relationship
Import from wordpress feed
January 10, 2019
There are many challenges for young procurement departments in rapidly growing companies who are trying to build and scale their impact. One such challenge is integrating into existing IT environments...
The post Empathy, Alignment and Integration – Transforming the Procurement/IT Relationship app
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Art of Procurement: E Pluribus Unum
Import from wordpress feed
January 06, 2019
For small business owners – and this includes me – your brand is your word. AOP has been my brand identity since 2015 when I left my 9-5 job to...
The post Art of Procurement: E Pluribus Unum appeared first on Art of Procurement.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
AOP 2018 Annual Letter (Part 2): Art of Procurement in Review
Import from wordpress feed
December 28, 2018
The end of 2018 marks 3.5 years since I decided to “risk it all” as they say, leaving the confines of comfortable employment with a top tier firm to try and make a difference at scale. It has been an ongoing evolution: AOP1.0: Experiment: Is there a community of like-minded professionals dedicat
See publication
Tags: Procurement
AOP 2018 Annual Letter (Part 1): Procurement in Review
Import from wordpress feed
December 27, 2018
I have never written an annual letter to the Art of Procurement community before, but there is no time like the present. I see you as investors in our community. You invest your time, your mind space, and your creativity in your own development and the development of others. That comes with an oppor
See publication
Tags: Procurement
It’s Deja Vu All Over Again
Import from wordpress feed
September 08, 2018
I have spent a lot of time this summer thinking about the future of procurement. As part of our development of The CatalystCo Platform, we have been contemplating what skills will be critical for procurement professionals as the environment around us evolves; not just today, but over the next thr
See publication
Tags: Procurement
TWIP: “You Must Unlearn What You Have Learned” – Yoda
Import from wordpress feed
March 23, 2018
I spend a lot of time on Twitter. I set out to have a productive purpose (one can always hope!), rather than just go to commiserate with my fellow Bradford City supporters and debate the reasons behind our latest defeat. One of the things I love about traipsing through twitter, is the chance to happ
See publication
Tags: Procurement
TWIP: Plus ça Change, Plus C’est La Même Chose
Import from wordpress feed
March 16, 2018
Happy Friday! Earlier in the month, Deloitte released the results of their 2018 CPO Survey. I always look forward to this report: an interesting check on the pulse and general health of the procurement function. Those of you intrepid Art of Procurement listeners may recall me discussing the results
See publication
Tags: Procurement
BMP Radio: Survey Chair Commentary – The February 2018 ISM-New York Report on Business
Import from wordpress feed
March 02, 2018
The ISM-New York Report is a highly regarded indicator of business conditions in the New York Metro area including a six-month outlook, employment index, and current and expected revenues. For anyone new to either the ISM-New York Report on Business, or the national or other regional reports for tha
See publication
Tags: Procurement
TWIP: We’re Different
Import from wordpress feed
March 02, 2018
I recently read a book review by my Palambridge co-founder Kelly Barner that really caught my attention. The book in question was Expensive Sentences, by Jack Quarles. So, for this week’s This Week in Procurement, I invited Kelly to share her perspective on the opportunities that exist by ide
See publication
Tags: Procurement
TWIP: Somewhere Over the Gulf of Mexico…
Import from wordpress feed
February 23, 2018
As I write this week’s newsletter, I am en-route home from a productive ProcureCon Indirect East conference in Florida. One of the reasons I started Art of Procurement was to share the experiences, perspectives and lessons learned from events like ProcureCon. Thank you to the team at WBR for their
See publication
Tags: Procurement
BMP Radio: Survey Chair Commentary – The January 2018 ISM-New York Report on Business
Import from wordpress feed
February 04, 2018
The ISM-New York Report is a highly regarded indicator of business conditions in the New York Metro area including a six-month outlook, employment index, and current and expected revenues. For anyone new to either the ISM-New York Report on Business, or the national or other regional reports for tha
See publication
Tags: Procurement
TWIP: Being a Catalyst – Making Choices. Leaving a Mark. Generating Fulfillment.
Import from wordpress feed
February 02, 2018
Dear Catalysts, Happy Friday! This week was a big week for the team at Art of Procurement. Over the past few weeks, both on the pod and here on the pages of TWiP, I have hinted at the continuing evolution of Art of Procurement (AKA AOP 3.0). (Watch this space for upcoming design changes to […]
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Taking on the “Simplicity Challenge”
Import from wordpress feed
January 19, 2018
Dear Catalysts, Happy Friday, from the cold but vibrant Canadian city of Montreal, where I have been spending time with a procurement organization assisting in their long term strategic planning. Being invited to Montreal to participate in catalyzing efforts to enhance the procurement team’s impac
See publication
Tags: Procurement
You Spoke, We Listened
Import from wordpress feed
January 12, 2018
Dear Catalysts, Happy Friday! We were thrilled with your response to our newsletter last week. Thank you! Your feedback reinforces our belief that Procurement Professionals are passionate about being catalysts and see themselves as central to the health and wellbeing of their organizations. As we m
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Summing it Up and Moving it Forward
Import from wordpress feed
January 05, 2018
Making Choices, Leaving a Mark, and Generating Fulfillment Much like red blood cells carry oxygen to all the other cells in the body, Procurement is primed and perfectly placed to aid in the transfer and sharing of knowledge across the entire organization. No other group of professionals touch every
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Tapping into Start-Up Ecosystems for Supplier Enabled Innovation
linkedin
December 16, 2017
I was recently working with a client and reflecting on the ways in which procurement leaders can keep their finger on the pulse of supply market innovation - particularly as it relates to innovation from outside the circle of their existing supply base.
See publication
Tags: Innovation, Procurement, Ecosystems
10 Procurement Sins & the Actions you can Take to Avoid Them
linkedin
December 01, 2016
I am currently in Las Vegas at the ISM Inside Indirect 2016 Conference, and with Las Vegas also known as Sin City, I thought it would be fun to take a step back and consider a number of "sins" of procurement. What do we do that we really shouldn't?
See publication
Tags: Procurement
20 Must Ask Questions for Procurement Revolutionaries
linkedin
October 07, 2016
Over the course of 5 days in September 2016, 40 Revolutionaries from inside and outside of the procurement profession joined together to deliver 5 live webinars and over 50 unique pieces of audio, video, and written content. This collective effort was all focused on being able to answer one central question: how can we challenge the status quo to elevate the role of procurement?
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Five of the Best: Procurement Thought Leader Interviews
linkedin
September 19, 2016
I am often asked by listeners who find the Art of Procurement for the first time to recommend a number of my "favorite" interviews as good places to start.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Going for Gold - Procurement's Role in Delivering the Olympic Games
linkedin
August 11, 2016
As the floodlights were dimmed, and the Opening Ceremony of the Rio Olympic Games got underway, I couldn't help myself but to think of the scale of the procurement efforts that would have been necessary to get to the startling line of the Games.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Leadership
Kate Vitasek shares the Art, Science & Practice of Crafting Strategic Supplier Relationships
linkedin
July 25, 2016
When you say you want innovation, when you say you want strategic partners, these deals have to be crafted differently than you're buying a pen, or a widget.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
6 (+1) Ways to Develop Your Career Through Low Cost Self-Education
linkedin
July 19, 2016
I host a weekly podcast aimed at procurement professionals called the Art of Procurement. However, I often find that the guidance shared by guests transcends procurement, and is relevant across professions. This was definitely the case with a piece of advice shared in today's show by Mark Pollack, the Vice President of SIG University.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
5 Steps to Break Free from a Stalled Procurement Career
linkedin
July 14, 2016
Be honest. Has your procurement career stalled? If you have experienced nothing but a consistent upward career trajectory, congratulations! From my experience, you are on the path least traveled.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Leadership
Brexit: A Chaotic Road to Nowhere?
linkedin
July 01, 2016
As you already know by now, the UK electorate opted in a referendum last Thursday to leave the European Union.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Announcing the Art of Procurement Executive Advisory Board
linkedin
June 16, 2016
Today marks an important milestone in the Art of Procurement journey. I am delighted today to announce the formation of the Art of Procurement Executive Advisory Board and welcome the inaugural members John P. (Jack) Miles and Bill Michels.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Resolving to Escape the Restraints of Savings in 2022 w/ Greg Anderson and David Clevenger
Philip Ideson
January 24, 2022
Historically, procurement has focused too much on savings and not enough on revenue and growth - the true heartbeat of any competitive enterprise. Rather than trying to reposition savings as top line impact, procurement needs to insist upon more suitable performance metrics.
This insistence has to be backed by concrete examples of the spend categories procurement believes they can manage in such a way that it fuels corporate growth. If these categories have been ‘off limits’ in the past, procurement is going to have to make a results-driven pitch for access, followed by the delivery of measurable outcomes.
In this episode, based on an AOP Live session run in late 2021, Host Philip Ideson speaks with Greg Anderson and David Clevenger about what procurement needs to do differently in 2022 and beyond:
-The importance of user experience, improved by breaking free from legacy thinking and out-of-date business models
-How procurement can connect company-wide value drivers with strategic supplier relationships to support sustained growth
-Why there may be more of an opportunity to move away from savings as the key procurement performance metric than we think
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Driving the Purpose-driven Procurement Movement w/ Peter Smith and Mark Perera
Philip Ideson
January 17, 2022
Climate change, habitat loss, and plastic waste threaten our environment. Social issues such as modern slavery, inequality, and discrimination blight the lives of millions of people. As procurement professionals, we have the ability to use our buying power to help address these issues and drive change around the world. But how?
In this episode, Host Philip Ideson welcomes back two repeat guests, Mark Perera, CEO at Vizibl, and Peter Smith, Managing Director at Procurement Excellence, to discuss their new book: Procurement with Purpose. And yet, this is more than a book - this is an opportunity to have conversations with purpose-led procurement organizations and leaders all over the world.
They use this conversation to share their perspective on:
-How purpose-driven procurement is spreading around the world and leading to scope and focus changes for many Chief Procurement Officers
-The differences between corporate approaches to sustainability and government or NGO approaches to the same initiatives
-What procurement can do to help our stakeholders make decisions that are not only good for business, but for the environment and social causes as well
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Debating the Big Bets Made to Spur Procurement Innovation w/ BT Sourced
Philip Ideson
January 10, 2022
Entrepreneurs have a unique way of looking at the world. They identify gaps that need to be solved, and develop solutions so strong they create a brand new competitive advantage. This is even more true of ‘serial entrepreneurs,’ because they have perfected the ability to spot the opportunities to revolutionize how we live and work.
In 2021, Art of Procurement collaborated with BT Sourced, the procurement services group of BT, to produce a hybrid in-person and virtual event called Dare to Discover: Reaching New Heights for Procurement. This episode of the podcast is one of two panel sessions recorded at that event - the other recorded session will be published soon.
The panel was brought together to discuss (and debate!) some of the ‘big bets’ that have been made to spur procurement innovation. Charlie Clark founded Rosslyn Data Technologies and Darkbeam, Ulf Zetterberg founded Seal Software and Time is Ltd.; and Chirag Shah founded MarketMaker4 and is now Executive Chairman at Simfoni. Towards the end of the discussion, they pulled Adam Brown, Head of the Procurement Digital Garage at BT Sourced, up out of the audience to add in his perspective.
During this one-hour session, Moderator Philip Ideson asks the guests:
-About at least one big bet they are willing to make about the future of procurement innovation and the personal perspective or philosophy underpinning that bet
-The difference between enabling technology and infrastructure technology in terms of ROI and in what level of engagement is asked of users and beneficiaries
-The responsibility that employees and employers now have to protect corporate assets against the risks of the digital economy
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Day 1 for Procurement w/ Philip Ideson
Philip Ideson
January 03, 2022
This time of year provides a natural opportunity to pause and reflect; standing on the boundary line between old and new, past and future. After skipping the tradition of writing a pair of annual letters in 2020 - because what was there to say that hadn’t already been said? - Philip Ideson uses this week’s episode to consider the foundational philosophy of the AOP team as we head into 2022.
In addition to sharing his reflections on 2021, Philip elaborates on the importance of mindset and culture in the face of what would seem to be never-ending disruption:
-The difference between a ‘Day 1’ and ‘Day 2’ mentality, and what each means for procurement
-Why leading teams will need to drive results through experience, outcomes, and insight to continue fueling their transformational journeys
-The activities that will NOT pave a new path for procurement, despite continuing to be table stakes
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Listening to the Voice of the Business w/ Chet Patel and Cyril Pourrat
Philip Ideson
December 29, 2021
We often refer to “the business” when we are trying to ensure that we take a larger perspective on procurement’s work. But at the end of the day, “the business” is made up of many individuals, each one of them is a different type of procurement stakeholder. We want to share more stakeholder voices because procurement is always at risk of misunderstanding or misinterpreting what they really need from us.
At Mastermind LIVE Fall 2021, Philip Ideson moderated a session with Chet Patel, Chief Commercial Officer and President of the Americas at BT, and Cyril Pourrat, CPO at BT Sourced, BT’s procurement services company.
Art of Procurement has had a front row seat to watch the transformation of teh BT Sourced enterprise procurement team, one that we believe is setting the standard for the future of procurement. In this session, focused on stakeholder collaboration, we got to hear:
-What a procurement digital transformation journey looks and feels like to stakeholders observing from the outside
-How closely related partnership with the business and partnership with suppliers are for procurement
-How procurement can establish themselves as a trusted advisor to the business - even when that means telling them ‘no’
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Making the Most of Procurement Data w/ Betsy Pancik, Joe Adamski and Nick Buitrago
Philip Ideson
December 28, 2021
Data was a major topic in 2021, whether the focus was on quality, access, or analytics. There always seems to be too much data, not enough data, or trust issues from procurement and/or the business to make our decision-making processes as data-driven as we would like.
At Categorypalooza 2021, Betsy Pancik, Joe Adamski, and Nick Buitrago from ProcureAbility considered the challenge of getting accurate data to inform procurement’s buying strategies and offer their personal tips on how to overcome those challenges.
Betsy Pancik moderated the session, which included deep dives on topics such as:
-The impact that procurement’s data problems have on the business and what we can do about them
-How much time procurement should spend digging into their data versus building relationships (for instance)
-What leading procurement organizations are doing with (or about) their data and what others can learn from them
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Is a Category-Led Organizational Structure Still Fit for Purpose? w/ Nancy Nicoll and Jaime Robles
Philip Ideson
December 27, 2021
In 2021, we facilitated a lot of discussions about category management. Is it still fit for purpose or does this 25-year old business process need to evolve faster to keep up with the ways procurement continues to change?
At Mastermind LIVE Spring 2021, Nancy Nicoll, VP of Indirect Sourcing Center of Excellence at Retail Business Services, and Jaime Robles, CPO of Caseys General Stores, joined Philip Ideson for a panel session to discuss procurement operating models - specifically, whether category management is 'dead' or 'alive' and if procurement should pursue a relational or expertise-based model for working with the business.
They answered questions such as:
-What are some of the challenges that a category management-driven procurement structure brings and how can we overcome them?
-How might procurement’s approach to category management affect their relationship with the business?
-Where should procurement get category expertise from if it doesn't reside in the person running the sourcing process?
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Making a Business Case for Supplier Experience Management w/ HICX and Friends
Philip Ideson
December 20, 2021
Supplier experience management is a new area of focus for most procurement teams, even though we often serve as the primary point of contact for suppliers. We just haven’t thought about it before. If we want to improve the supplier experience, becoming customers of choice in the process, we are going to need to revisit many of our policies, processes, and programs.
In an effort to better understand the supplier experience and the opportunity associated with improving it, we partnered with HICX to run a three-part AOP Live series. We were joined by leading practitioners to answer audience questions on three topics:
-Making a Business Case for Supplier Experience Management
-Looking at the present and future of Supplier Experience Management in Practice, and
-Articulating the ROI associated with World Class Supplier Experience Management
The three hours of conversation were full of insights and inspiration, and we’ve edited the best portions of them into this podcast.
In the first session, Charlotte Anabelle de Brabandt and Ramit Mahajan talked about the benefits associated with creating a good enough supplier experience to be seen as a customer of choice - what that looks like in practice and whether the disruptions of the last two years have impacted how executive leadership regards that objective.
In part 2, Adam Brown and Costas Xyloyiannis talked about the misalignment between how highly procurement would rate themselves as a partner and what the supplier experience is actually like in practice.
In the final installment of the series, Robert Bonnar and Mary Beth Lang explored the meaning of supplier experience management and how it connects to other types of value and initiatives that procurement is already leading.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Driving ESG With a Holistic View w/ Vanessa Pepperell
Philip Ideson
December 15, 2021
Leading procurement organizations are constantly reimagining their processes and operating models, but in today’s unpredictable and fast-changing world they are under more pressure than ever to deliver a high-level roadmap to building the procurement function of tomorrow.
In TRANSFORM - a thought-provoking new podcast series from Art of Procurement in partnership with Globality - we spotlight the agenda-setting procurement leaders and companies who are changing the game and redefining the Future of Procurement.
In the third episode in the series, host Philip Ideson talks with Vanessa Pepperell, Global COO and Strategy Procurement Vice President of Aquanima, the procurement company of Santander. Their two decades’ worth of expertise now allows them to support external clients as well.
In this interview, Vanessa explains how Aquanima is driving digital transformation in services procurement:
-How investing in ESG can help companies build brand value and ward off risk
-Why strategic partnerships require transparency, but they also require development from the buy-side organization
-The change management effort that will be required over time to account for the fact that sustainable supply chains are often more expensive
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Roadmap to Savings: Partnering with the Business to Drive Progress w/ Dave Quillin and Joe Payne
Philip Ideson
December 13, 2021
There are multiple ways for procurement to achieve savings - and some are more collaborative than others. The more planful we can be about the overall process, the more opportunities we are creating to work arm-in-arm with the business in pursuit of those savings.
Art of Procurement recently hosted an AOP Live webinar with Joe Payne, SVP of Source-to-Pay at Corcentric, and Dave Quillan, Senior Manager of Procurement at Alliant Credit Union (ACU) to discuss how procurement should discuss savings with the business and what incentives can be used to ensure the business feels rewarded by the process.
Dave and Joe share their experiences and points of view to these topics and more:
-How procurement can work with leadership to incentivize savings and minimize compliance problems at the same time
-Partnership oriented ways for procurement to increase their category-specific credibility with the business without stepping on their toes
-The critical step of defining - or potentially redefining - addressable spend before developing strategies to deliver savings
-How to build and execute a sourcing roadmap to ensure annual savings targets are met and the resources that can help procurement reach their savings goals
See publication
Tags: Procurement
AOP Live: Resolving to Escape the Restraints of Savings in 2022 w/ WNS Denali
Philip Ideson
December 07, 2021
Historically, procurement has not been elevated internally because they have focused on savings rather than revenue and growth - the true heartbeat of any competitive enterprise. Rather than repackaging savings in an effort to resemble top line impact, procurement needs to fight for new performance metrics. No one outside of procurement cares about a percentage increase year over year in ‘spend under management.’
Preparing to have an honest conversation with corporate leadership requires procurement to identify the growth-related spend categories that they haven’t yet been able to influence and take a hard look at how they can tie every effort back to business outcomes. This is the only way to drive actual change and position procurement as an enabler for growth.
In this AOP Live session, Greg Anderson and David Clevenger will engage with our live audience for an ‘anything but typical’ discussion of what procurement needs to do differently in 2022 and beyond:
-How unimaginative, stereotypical ‘vision statements’ are limiting procurement potential and mitigating their impact
-Examples of the types of growth and value-oriented projects procurement can not only contribute to, but lead
-True stories of procurement teams that have broken the bonds of savings and are contributing to broader organizational goals
See publication
Tags: Procurement
[Pod] Partnership as a Service: Driving Change & Delivering Unconventional Returns at UMass
Philip Ideson
December 06, 2021
Each change journey is unique - and yet - can benefit from embracing proven best practices that have been formalized by specialists with equally unique expertise. The benefits of taking such a journey are becoming clear at the University of Massachusetts, as they bring their print, marketing, and branded merchandise spend under management through a partnership with SupplyLogic.
David Cho is the Chief Procurement Officer and Managing Director at the University of Massachusetts. His team began their change journey with an investment in their partnerships (both internal and external), technology, and data that helped them achieve a deeper understanding of their marketing and print services spend. They worked at the category level to inform strategies and decisions that would have a lasting impact and deliver multiple forms of ROI for the university.
In this episode, based on an AOP Live session, David is joined by Phil Schoonmaker, CEO of SupplyLogic, and Host Philip Ideson to answer live audience questions about what he and his team have learned on their change journey:
-The importance of centralizing procurement so that there can be one ‘attack plan’ for managing large numbers of suppliers and transactions and one approach to influencing stakeholders
-When and why to leverage experts outside of the organization to advance the partnerships being built internally
-Insights and intelligence that can be used to advance corporate social responsibility in the form of local, diversity-owned, and environmentally friendly supplier partnerships
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Learning to Succeed Despite Uncertain Market Dynamics w/ Sherri Barnes and Kristen Rellihan
Philip Ideson
November 29, 2021
In 2021, 62% of the companies in the S&P 1500 index did not provide an annual forecast - some even stated that there is just too much uncertainty for them to be accurate (WSJ, 9/22/21). This is a reality that all companies in all industries worldwide have accepted; market conditions will remain uncertain for the foreseeable future.
In this episode, based on an AOP Live session, host Philip Ideson talks with Sherri Barnes, Director of Market Intelligence Services at ProcureAbility, and Kristen Rellihan, Senior Manager of Advisory at ProcureAbility. They discuss how procurement can develop strong buying strategies despite the certainty of uncertainty in the market and what tactics may be best suited in our current inflationary environment.
Sherri and Kristen also answer live audience questions about:
-The current state of the economy and how long ProcureAbility expects the uncertainty to last
-What economic information sources procurement may want to consult, and how we can turn what we learn into actionable insights
-How to bring market information into conversations with internal stakeholders, especially when the news is not positive
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Procurement Transformation in the Oil and Gas Industry w/ Ferhat Eryurt and Artem Sherekh
Philip Ideson
November 22, 2021
Usually the transformation journeys we hear about are focused on a single company, but there are instances of industry wide transformation efforts as well. The oil and gas industry is a perfect example. These companies are looking to evolve into broader chemical and energy organizations for the sake of sustainability, and procurement has the opportunity to become a strategic partner in this transformation.
In this episode, host Philip Ideson gets a look into the role of procurement transformation in the oil and gas industry by interviewing Artem Sherekh, the Global Oil and Gas Practice Lead at SAP, and Ferhat Eryurt, a partner at apsolut Group. Headquartered in Germany, apsolut Group is an SAP and SAP Ariba consulting partner that delivers on-premise cloud and hybrid procurement solutions.
After shining a light on the role of procurement in the oil and gas industry, Artem and Ferhat talk about:
-How companies are overcoming the cost-based hurdles associated with transitioning from conventional oil and gas to more expensive but sustainable renewable energy sources
-Ways for procurement to reevaluate their value proposition to the company as conditions change, and how that should guide their activities
-Why high quality, centralized data is an absolute must, even in fast-paced, regulated organizations going through a lot of M&A activity
See publication
Tags: Procurement
The Greatest Time to Be In Procurement is Now w/ Dr Elouise Epstein
Philip Ideson
November 17, 2021
Leading procurement organizations are constantly reimagining their processes and operating models, but in today’s unpredictable and fast-changing world they are under more pressure than ever to deliver a high-level roadmap to building the procurement function of tomorrow.
In TRANSFORM - a thought-provoking new podcast series from Art of Procurement in partnership with Globality - we spotlight the agenda-setting procurement leaders and companies who are changing the game and redefining the Future of Procurement.
For the first episode in this special series, host Philip Ideson talks with Dr. Elouise Epstein, a partner at Kearney and the acclaimed author of Trade Wars, Pandemics, and Chaos: How Digital Procurement Enables Business Success in a Disordered World. She is surely at the forefront of driving the procurement profession to an elevated future.
Dr. Elouise shares her honest perspectives on:
-How she thinks most procurement leaders need to change their thinking about the profession
-How technologies like AI can enable companies to achieve their ESG goals and tap into new sources of innovation, growth and enterprise value
-The traits that distinguish the companies that have best positioned themselves for long term success
See publication
Tags: AI, Procurement
The State of the Procurement Profession in 2021 w/ Dr. Marcell Vollmer and Christoph Bode
Philip Ideson
November 15, 2021
The State of the Procurement Profession report, one of the largest studies of the profession, is now in its fourth year. Among the key takeaways is data that suggests cost-related objectives remain dominant, with sustainability initiatives far down the list of priorities, despite discussions and content that suggest more progress has already been made. The silver lining is that the entrepreneurial procurement movement seems to be taking hold, and may usher in a time of accelerated change.
In this episode, host Philip Ideson is joined by Dr. Marcell Vollmer, Partner and Director at Boston Consulting Group, and Christoph Bode, Professor at the Business School of the University of Mannheim and Endowed Chair of Procurement. They recently collaborated, with the assistance of ISM, to survey the procurement profession, and have published their findings in the newly released report “State of the Procurement Profession 2021.”
The key findings of the research focus on entrepreneurial orientation, digitization, and ESG, as well as considering procurement reporting structures:
-Early indications that the first ‘big wave’ of procurement digitalization may be coming to an end
-Why recent concerns about supply chain risk are changing how companies approach sustainability, and why this shift plays to procurement’s strengths
-The mindset and risk tolerance that are observed in entrepreneurial procurement teams - who also appear to be outperforming their peers
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Preserving the Actionability and Immediacy of Market Intelligence w/ Ashley Cruz and Thomas Larson
Philip Ideson
November 08, 2021
In a recent Art of Procurement survey, access to market insights was cited as the second most pressing challenge for procurement professionals. Even when procurement is able to access the insights they need, they still have to ensure that they are up-to-date, harder than ever given the level of uncertainty and unpredictability in today’s business climate.
In this week’s episode, Host Philip Ideson is joined by Ashley Cruz, Manager of Client Services at ProcurementIQ, and Thomas Lawson, their Product Development Manager. Starting by providing an honest look at procurement’s legacy relationship with market intelligence, they share some of their best tips for making insights actionable and provide a behind the scenes look into how ProcurementIQ builds their market intelligence reports.
In particular, Ashley and Thomas answer questions about:
-Why the time has come (or passed) for procurement’s market intelligence to move beyond supplier discovery and cost/price benchmarking
-The value of incorporating market trends and dynamics as well as models into the negotiation and bid review process
-The most frequently asked questions they hear from procurement teams when it comes to accessing and acting upon market insights and intelligence
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Creating Tail Spend ROI Through an Improved Buyer Experience w/ Jean-Baptiste Anne & Vishal Patel
Philip Ideson
November 04, 2021
The high number of low-cost transactions is just the beginning of the challenges with tail spend management. Spend often finds its way into the tail through multiple ‘wrong turns,’ each of which requires a different approach by procurement and a correspondingly different resolution. There is no one ‘cause’ of tail spend and therefore there is no one solution.
In this episode, which is based on an AOP Live session, host Philip Ideson speaks with Jean-Baptiste Anne, Head of Enterprise Sales and Professional Services Teams for Amazon Business, and Vishal Patel, VP of Product Marketing at Ivalua about all things tail spend.
How do they define it, how to integrate self-service models, and ways to look at the ROI of your tail spend program.
Jean-Baptiste Anne and Vishal Patel answer audience questions about:
-The differences between a dedicated tail spend solution and integrating that same capability into a platform
-How to know that you are making the right investment to deliver a tail spend ROI for your company
-The criticality of understanding what is in your tail spend to being able to direct it through self-guided buying options such as Amazon Business, new procurement-led sourcing projects, or incorporation into existing contracts
See publication
Tags: Procurement
The Impact of the ‘Great Resignation’ on Service Categories w/ Amy Fong
Philip Ideson
November 01, 2021
Procurement has been working hard to expand our value proposition beyond savings for a long time, and the current conditions in service-based industries may provide a perfect opportunity. Many service and people-based industries are being hit hard by what is being called ‘The Great Resignation.’ Managing these categories on cost alone will definitely not be enough.
In this episode, host Philip Ideson speaks with Amy Fong, Vice President of Sourcing and Vendor Management at Everest Group. Amy has had a front row seat to procurement transformation as both practitioner and an advisor, and she is currently focused on services categories. This interview was recorded as part of PASA’s (Procurement and Supply Australasia) ninth annual PASA Premier Confex.
Amy answers service-specific questions about:
-The roles and industries where labor shortages are the greatest - and therefore the potential price increases are the highest
-Evidence that companies may be pre-buying digital services the way they were hoarding toilet paper in 2020
-The trends she sees with regard to service providers integrating technology and automation into their delivery models
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement
Applying Cognitive Technology to Procurement w/ Melissa Drew
Philip Ideson
October 25, 2021
We have observed a huge surge in investment in procurement technology startups over the last 12 months, and many of them are leveraging new ‘cognitive’ technologies to be smarter and more intuitive than the procurement technology of years past. In order to truly understand the value proposition of these solutions, procurement needs to have a solid grasp of what cognitive technology is and how its introduction will impact current technology, processes, and talent.
In this episode, host Philip Ideson speaks with Melissa Drew, an Associate Partner at IBM. Melissa has 27 years of procurement and supply chain experience, from both an industry and consulting perspective. She collaborates with organizations to reimagine how companies should look in order to remain competitive and was recently recognized as a global leader in consulting in the ‘Excellence in Influence’ category.
Since most procurement organizations are in the early stages of thinking about cognitive technology, Philip asks Melissa questions about:
-What is cognitive technology really versus what we might read and hear in ‘hyped’ product marketing literature?
-Where should companies be looking to apply the advantages of cognitive technology to their current procurement processes?
-The critical need for procurement leaders to invest in the data literacy of their organization
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Taking a BOLD and Focused Approach to Transforming Indirect P2P at Clorox w/ Kathy Thrasher and Mike Caldron
Philip Ideson
October 18, 2021
Everyone who works for the Clorox Company is encouraged to lead ‘with their head, heart and guts.’ For procurement, this meant boldly accepting - and even driving - change by reimagining their indirect procurement operating model.
Art of Procurement was recently joined by Kathy Thrasher, a Senior Procurement Manager at The Clorox Company, and Mike Caldron, Senior Group Manager at WNS Denali, for an AOP Live session all about their transformation journey. When asked what made the greatest difference in their success, Kathy knows the answer offhand, “Communicate, communicate, communicate.”
Clorox transformed their indirect P2P - half of their total spend as a company - in the middle of the pandemic, during a time when they were ‘all hands on deck’ trying to support the global spike in demand for antibacterial products. They were able to move from operating without any purchasing system to empowering distributed buyers and suppliers to meet their own transaction and information needs.
In this episode, host Philip Ideson speaks with Kathy and Mike about:
-The role of IT in the transformation of Clorox’s indirect procurement
-How the team revisited their talent and staffing to ensure that skills and system-related changes were addressed
-The investments they made to improve the supplier experience, enabling their external partners in very challenging business conditions
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Responding to Supplier Price Increase Requests w/ Philip Ideson
Philip Ideson
October 11, 2021
News of supply shortages and price increases seem to be everywhere. For consumers, that means their dollar doesn’t buy quite as much as it used to, but for procurement, it means every supplier email or call is likely to be a request for a price increase. What is procurement to do?
In this crossover episode from The Sourcing Hero podcast, produced in partnership with Una, Host Kelly Barner flips the tables to interview AOP Founder and Managing Director Philip Ideson. His advice on how to address supplier price increase requests is timely - as is his input on how procurement can avoid being ‘re-pigeonholed’ as a cost-only team.
If you enjoy this interview, subscribe to The Sourcing Hero podcast for weekly conversations on topics of interest to procurement with a wide-ranging group of guests.
In this conversation, Phil shares his perspective on:
How procurement should respond to a supplier that reached out with a request for a price increase
What options procurement has for mitigating the increase once it has been determined to be a valid request from the supplier
If procurement needs to worry about getting TOO GOOD at protecting the bottom line in challenging times
See publication
Tags: Procurement
A Sales Perspective on Software Pricing and the RFP Process w/ Chris Mele
Philip Ideson
October 04, 2021
It isn’t often that procurement has the opportunity to hear the sales perspective on our work, but that is precisely what we bring you in this episode of the Art of Procurement podcast.
Chris Mele is the Managing Partner of Software Pricing Partners. In this interview, he provides an outsider’s perspective on two topics that are important to procurement:
-How pricing works in the software industry: whether suppliers are being fair and how to negotiate when you feel like you’re examining a ‘black box,’ because the pricing is value-based rather than input cost-based
-What the typical RFP process looks like to sales reps. You won’t just hear Chris’ perspective on RFPs - he solicited input from other sales professionals as well.
Before hitting play, we would like to offer a special listener’s caution on this conversation...
There are two ways to listen to this episode. You can either hear a salesperson advocating for process changes that might make his job easier (not recommended), or you can hear honest input that will help you design your sourcing strategy to better deliver what the business needs from its supply partners. Which way you listen is entirely up to you.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Sales
Seeking Alignment Between Procurement, AP, and Treasury During Procurement Transformation
Philip Ideson
September 27, 2021
Procurement, treasury and accounts payable have one set of shared objectives when it comes to supplier engagement and management, but all too often they operate in silos. This complicates supplier management and does little to improve their experience while working with a company. Restructuring how these groups work together through procurement transformation can create opportunities to support each other’s goals and therefore better deliver against business expectations.
In this episode, Host Philip Ideson is joined by Joe Payne, SVP, Source-to-Pay at Corcentric, and Jennifer Ulrich, Senior Director of Advisory at Corcentric. They are both return guests on Art of Procurement and are two of four authors of the recently released book: Managing Indirect Spend.
This conversation is based on a recent AOP Live webinar titled, “Bridging the Gap Between Procurement, AP, and Treasury through Procurement Transformation.”
In that session Joe and Jennifer answered questions from a live Art of Procurement audience about:
-Where procurement, treasury, and accounts payable tend to fall out of sync and why
-How fragmented processes not only negatively impact suppliers, but reduce the ROI to the company from those relationships
-The additional benefits - such as reduced overall effort and improved data quality - that result when all three groups work collaboratively
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Designing Procurement to Accelerate Success in a High Growth Business
Philip Ideson
September 20, 2021
Many procurement leaders have been tasked with building the first procurement organization at their company. It is always a challenging journey, with many unexpected twists and turns. For fast-growth companies with a global footprint, establishing formal procurement is absolutely critical, but it has to be done in a way that does not impede the growth trajectory.
Sarah Kaye is the Director of Procurement at Spin, a part of Ford Mobility, an electric scooter and bike-share company. She is combining her passion for marketing with the procurement experience she gained working at organizations such as Target, Radisson Hotel Group, and WeWork.
Sarah’s responsibilities at Spin began at the beginning; building and growing the company’s very first procurement team.
In this conversation, Host Philip Ideson and Sarah discuss how she is building procurement capabilities that truly align with the needs of the business, and how she is leveraging her marketing skills to build and sell the procurement value proposition:
-The level of sophistication she is able to bring to procurement’s internal relationships by making personal connections aimed at delivering long term value
-Why the best problem she has is too many contracts to negotiate and execute
-The importance of procurement taking programs like diversity and inclusion or sustainability and moving beyond tracking and reporting to full advocacy with the business
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Pandemic Pressures: 4 Key Pillars to Evaluate in Your Corporate Travel Program - Part 4: Integrating Sustainability into Your Business Travel Program
Philip Ideson
September 16, 2021
Corporate travel is one of the most complex spend categories that procurement has management responsibility for. For almost two years now, business travel has been in a state of flux resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic, leaving most companies and procurement teams with a whole series of unanswered questions:
How should your corporate travel policy change to reflect new realities? How do you negotiate deals when volumes are uncertain? How do you account for traveler safety? And how do you integrate sustainability into your travel program?
In this four-part special series brought to you in partnership with Egencia, the world’s business travel platform, we will cover all of these pressing issues and more.
In the final episode of the series, host Philip Ideson speaks with Kristina Zdrilic Siljedahl, Global Account Manager and Sustainability Ambassador at Egencia, to discuss the tactics and metrics that companies can use to integrate sustainability into their travel program.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Sustainability
Pandemic Pressures: 4 Key Pillars to Evaluate in Your Corporate Travel Program – Part 3: Traveler Safety
Philip Ideson
September 15, 2021
Corporate travel is one of the most complex spend categories that procurement has management responsibility for. For almost two years now, business travel has been in a state of flux resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic, leaving most companies and procurement teams with a whole series of unanswered questions:
How should your corporate travel policy change to reflect new realities? How do you negotiate deals when volumes are uncertain? How do you account for traveler safety? And how do you integrate sustainability into your travel program?
In this four-part special series brought to you in partnership with Egencia, the world’s business travel platform, we will cover all of these pressing issues and more.
In the third episode of the series, host Philip Ideson speaks with Caitlin Deegan, Senior Director of Strategy at Egencia, to discuss the elevated responsibility organizations have to protect traveler safety, and what actions they can take to minimize risk as much as possible.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Risk Management
Pandemic Pressures: 4 Key Pillars to Evaluate in Your Corporate Travel Program – Part 2: Negotiating Deals with Uncertain Volumes
Philip Ideson
September 14, 2021
Corporate travel is one of the most complex spend categories that procurement has management responsibility for. For almost two years now, business travel has been in a state of flux resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic, leaving most companies and procurement teams with a whole series of unanswered questions:
How should your corporate travel policy change to reflect new realities? How do you negotiate deals when volumes are uncertain? How do you account for traveler safety? And how do you integrate sustainability into your travel program?
In this four-part special series brought to you in partnership with Egencia, the world’s business travel platform, we will cover all of these pressing issues and more.
In the second episode of the series, host Philip Ideson speaks with Delphine Boulton, Director of Consulting at Egencia, to discuss different approaches procurement teams can take to negotiate travel deals when traveler demand is uncertain.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Pandemic Pressures: 4 Key Pillars to Evaluate in Your Corporate Travel Program – Part 1: Policy
Philip Ideson
September 13, 2021
Corporate travel is one of the most complex spend categories that procurement has management responsibility for. For almost two years now, business travel has been in a state of flux resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic, leaving most companies and procurement teams with a whole series of unanswered questions:
How should your corporate travel policy change to reflect new realities? How do you negotiate deals when volumes are uncertain? How do you account for traveler safety? And how do you integrate sustainability into your travel program?
In this four-part special series brought to you in partnership with Egencia, the world’s business travel platform, we will cover all of these pressing issues and more.
In this first episode of the series, host Philip Ideson speaks with Ann Dery, Director of Global Travel at S&P Global, and Rob Fodor, Global Account Manager at Egencia, about the changes companies are making to their travel policies in the short term and their perspective on when different types of travel will resume.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Risk Management
The Value of Having an Audit Clause in Certain Contracts w/ Ben Evans
Philip Ideson
September 06, 2021
Anyone who has worked in procurement for more than a year or two has probably found themselves in a situation where they suspect that they are overpaying on a supplier contract. How can you be sure and what should you do if you uncover overpayment? In some cases overpayment issues are based on billing errors, and in other cases, agreed upon contract terms are not being adhered to by suppliers. Either way, third-party compliance audits can be essential.
Ben Evans is the President at Auditech Solutions, a company that provides accounts payable and contract compliance audits to help companies determine whether they are overpaying on invoices. He points out that not only may audits need to be done when a company suspects something is wrong with a set of invoices, but that it may be advantageous to include an audit clause in certain contracts
See publication
Tags: Procurement
What is an Integrated Business Network and What Does It Do?
Philip Ideson
August 30, 2021
Each procurement process connects to other enterprise processes, functions, and systems. The more integrated all of those components are, the better positioned the company is to respond to disruption and seize competitive advantage.
In this week’s podcast, Tony Harris, Global Vice President, Global Business Network Solutions at SAP, shares what integrated business networks are and what use cases he has seen
See publication
Tags: Procurement
Reflections, Vision, and Plans for the Rest of 2021 w/ Philip Ideson
Procurement
August 23, 2021
“We’re hearing from CPOs many supply markets are still in a state of flux, a lot of creaking supply chains are really at their limits. Because of all these things, conditions still necessitate an ongoing high presence for procurement within the organization on a category by category basis.” – Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director of Art of Procurement
See publication
Tags: Leadership, Management, Procurement
Taking Control Of Procurement’s Brand w/ Steve Wills
Philip Ideson
August 16, 2021
Procurement professionals are always plagued by the fact that no one seems to understand what we do. While this is often blamed on language barriers and the fact that procurement is always evolving, at the end of the day it comes down to one harsh reality - procurement does not have a well-established, recognisable brand.
In this week's podcast, Steve Wills, Founder and Managing Director of Procurement Central, talks about why it is important for procurement to take control of their brand identity through communication and leadership.
See publication
Tags: Leadership, Management
Improving Internal Perception of Procurement from Intake to Procure
Philip Ideson
August 02, 2021
Every time someone interacts with procurement’s people, processes, or technology, it influences what that person thinks of procurement. This perception determines how early procurement is brought into a sourcing decision, if they are approached about a new business need, and how willingly stakeholders participate in procurement-led projects.
In this week’s podcast, which is based on an AOP Live session, Liem Hua, Michael Denari, and Rujul Zaparde answer Art of Procurement community questions about the connection between the intake-to-procure process and procurement’s internal reputation.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement
Seven ‘Next Generation’ Procurement Skills W/ Christoph Flöthmann
Art of Procurement
July 26, 2021
Procurement has been focused on digital transformation for so long that we accept the change it will have on our work and team structures. That said, none of us is certain how emerging technologies such as RPA and AI will be incorporated into existing platforms, where we should start the process of automating procurement tasks, and what the future implications will be. To find out, akirolabs worked with Cognitive Corporate Consulting to apply the scientific method to different types of procurement tasks to capture the efficiency impact of automation.
Christoph Flöthmann is one of four co-founders at akirolabs, a new and growing procurement collaboration tool focused on helping procurement professionals develop and execute more impactful supply and category strategies. His experience includes time at organizations such as Bayer, The World Bank, DB Schenker, and KPMG.
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Supply Chain
Digital Transformation As A Foundational Requirement For Data-Driven Procurement
Art of Procurement
July 05, 2021
Over the last four months, we have shared a number of industry perspectives with you through our procurement special series: Deep-dive into Procurement Data Ecosystems. Through executive interviews, we brought forward leading insights on procurement analytics, sustainability, risk management, diversity and inclusion and procure-to-pay.
In this final piece of the series, produced in partnership with Sievo, Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner discuss the major take-aways from each interview and point out the connecting opportunities that bring them all together into one cohesive vision for data-driven procurement.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Contracting in the New Economy W/ Kate Vitasek, Author, educator and architect of the Vested business model
Art of Procurement
June 28, 2021
As ‘Vested’ architect Kate Vitasek explains in this week’s podcast, “lawyers like contracts and business people don’t.” So what do business people do? We sign the contract, stick it in a drawer and move on to building a relationship. Unfortunately, those relationships are not always enough to protect everyone through corporate change or turbulent times. A better answer is a relational contract - an approach she addresses in her new book and in this interview.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Risk Management, Supply Chain
Deloitte 2021 CPO Study – Throwing Complexity Into Overdrive W/ Ryan Flynn
Art of Procurement
June 14, 2021
In 2019, Deloitte’s CPO survey and report were focused on mastering complexity. With the updated 2021 report now available, we are not only getting our first look at how well procurement did with the complexity of 2020, but how some CPOs are demonstrating complexity mastery - continuing to support operational efficiency and contributing to top line impact at the same time.
In this week’s episode, Ryan Flynn, a Principal at Deloitte, joins Philip Ideson to discuss the survey findings as well as his opinions about what they mean for procurement going forward.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Leadership, Procurement
Envisioning The Procurement Operating Model Of The Future W/ Conrad Snover And Betsy Pancik
Art of Procurement
May 31, 2021
Procurement has been swept up in non-stop change for the last two decades - and yet - we continue to talk about the need for transformation.
In this podcast, based on a recent AOP Live session, Conrad Snover and Elizabeth (Betsy) Pancik from ProcureAbility answer live audience questions about which transformational concerns can be addressed – and even advanced – by selecting the right procurement operating model.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Management, Procurement
A Conversation With The Authors Of ‘Profit From Procurement’
Art of Procurement
May 17, 2021
Alex Klein, Simon Whatson, and Jose Oliveira of procurement consultancy Efficio have co-authored a new book: “Profit from Procurement: How to Add 30% to Your Bottom Line by Breaking Down Silos.” In this podcast conversation, they discuss the key themes of the book, including how to increase corporate profitability through the levers of strategic procurement.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Digital Transformation, Procurement
Rethinking Procurement’s Approach To Marketing Operations Spend W/ Phil Schoonmaker, CEO of SupplyLogic
Art of Procurement
May 03, 2021
Marketing has always been a difficult category for procurement to bring under management. In the earliest days, it was placed beyond our scope, and more recently, the lack of alignment with the business around ‘value’ versus savings has created an impasse. As a result, marketing operations spend (including branded merchandise, print, and point of sale) have fallen victim to fragmentation, maverick spending, and underdeveloped category strategies.
In this episode, which is based on a recent AOP Live session with Phil Schoonmaker, CEO of SupplyLogic, we discuss the current state of the marketing supply chain and how procurement can assess their baseline environment using both quantitative and qualitative data.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Marketing, Procurement
Procurement As The Master And Beneficiary Of Data Ecosystems W/ Sammeli Sammalkorpi, CEO and Co-Founder of Sievo
Art of Procurement
April 26, 2021
In this episode, Philip Ideson and Sievo Co-Founder and CEO Sammeli Sammalkorpi discuss procurement’s expanding mandate from the business and how – with the help of quality data and analytics – they can deliver above and beyond expectations.
See publication
Tags: Analytics, Ecosystems, Procurement
Why Procurement Leaders Must Seize The Moment And Transform Their Function – A Mastermind LIVE Spring Panel Discussion
Art of Procurement
April 19, 2021
At Mastermind LIVE Spring 2021, Art of Procurement had the opportunity to bring together a visionary panel of procurement leaders to discuss the urgency of the present moment and what can and should be done to support corporate growth. The panel included:
- Adam Brown, Senior Manager of Procurement Transformation & Head of the Procurement Garage at BT
- Amy Fong, Vice President, Sourcing and Vendor Management for Everest Group
- Keith Browning, Managing Director, Supply Chain Management at Delta Air Lines
- Keith Hausmann, Globality’s Chief Revenue Officer
- Reunan Varene, Global Head of Procurement at Dropbox
Facilitated by Philip Ideson, this discussion-based session was focused on procurement’s sense of urgency as we pursue a growth agenda, the need for supplier collaboration and mutually beneficial third-party relationships, and the strategies and technology that will empower procurement to scale. While we heard some reflection on the challenges of the past year, most of the discussion was forward looking, taking procurement’s capabilities today and building on them.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Elevating Procurement’s Impact In A Distributed Organization
Art of Procurement
April 12, 2021
Procurement’s organizational structure is as important as the processes and technology they use. Their operational model has to position them to deliver what the company needs most – requirements that may not remain fixed. When the business needs something different from procurement, their structure will have to evolve as well. Hear more from Robert Bonnar in this week's podcast: Elevating Procurement’s Impact In A Distributed Organization
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Supply Chain
Pulse Check: Are You Enabling True Stakeholder Alignment?
Art of Procurement
April 05, 2021
According to the Procurement 2021 Pulse Check by WNS Denali and ProcureCon Europe, only 9% of CPOs are satisfied with the current level of stakeholder alignment in their organization.
Anecdotes from WNS Denali and ProcureCon Europe’s face-to-face interviews suggest that the biggest problem is not necessarily alignment on one-off projects, but staying engaged beyond individual projects. It is the old reactive vs. proactive conundrum; how do we proactively align our capabilities with the needs of the business WITHOUT being subservient to them? A procurement team that does everything the business asks will be 100% aligned, but probably won’t deliver any savings or value. That is definitely not the goal. We’ve been handed a complex problem to be sure.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Digital Transformation, Procurement
The AOP Mastermind LIVE Spring Preview Show
Art of Procurement
March 31, 2021
In today’s fast-paced world, imagery is just as important for communicating meaning as the words we use. That is why the #MastermindLIVE Spring logo includes a clock with its hands set at 5 minutes until midnight...
In this special podcast episode, Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner are joined by Gravitas Detroit President and Founder Jan Griffiths, who will be the MC for Mastermind LIVE Spring on April 13th and 14th from 10am – 1pm ET.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Innovation, Procurement
How Telecom Giant BT Drives The Bottom Line And Corporate Resiliency W/ Adam Brown
Art of Procurement
March 29, 2021
Procurement is no longer just a cost center. With the right tools and methodology, we can maximize every dollar of profit and discover every dollar of cost savings, positioning them to be critical drivers of the bottom line today – and into the future. Find out how with Adam Brown, Head of the Digital Garage at BT Procurement and a Senior Transformation Manager, in this podcast based on an AOP Live session produced in partnership with Suplari, Inc.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Digital Transformation, Procurement
Collaboration Or Competition: Cost Transparency Settles The Debate W/ Rod Sherkin
Art of Procurement
March 08, 2021
According to ProPurchaser.com president Rod Sherkin, by focusing on primary cost drivers and using should cost modeling, it is possible to have fact-based pricing discussions with suppliers. Procurement can keep their prices in line with supplier costs and preserve the relationship by acknowledging the need to allow them overhead/gross margin and building both into the model.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Procurement, Supply Chain
A Practical Guide To E-Auctions For Procurement W/ Jacob Gorm Larsen
Art of Procurement
March 01, 2021
If you are relatively new to the field of procurement, there is a good chance you’ve never experienced an auction first-hand. And while they aren't as widely used as they once were, that doesn't mean they aren't the right tool for the job in some cases. In this week's #podcast, Jacob Gorm Larsen and Philip Ideson discuss his new book: A Practical Guide To E-Auctions For Procurement
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Driving A Growth Agenda Part 3 – Walking The Line: Balancing Risk Versus Growth W/ Alex Saric
Art of Procurement
February 24, 2021
The pandemic has caused a rethink of many past assumptions, from just in time inventory to offshored supply chains. Moving forward, leaders need to avoid jumping from one extreme to the other. Traditionally accepted priorities such as efficiency and cost containment suddenly must be assessed against the risk involved. Success will increasingly depend on how well organizations strike the optimal balance among such priorities.
This podcast is the third in a 4-part series focused on how procurement can contribute to efforts to restore corporate growth. In this episode we welcome Alex Saric, Ivalua’s Chief Marketing Executive. For over 15 years he has evangelized spend management, shaping its evolution and working closely with hundreds of customers to support their digital transformation journeys.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Procurement, Risk Management
Driving A Growth Agenda Part 2 – The Role Of Suppliers In Restoring Growth W/ Vishal Patel
Art of Procurement
February 23, 2021
As organizations look beyond Covid-19, restoring growth is top of mind for many. Specific strategies vary by industry and company, but suppliers often play an integral role. This is especially true as organizations have become more dependent on the supply chain than ever before and their innovation is increasingly key to growth and success.
This podcast is the second in a 4-part series focused on how procurement can contribute to efforts to restore corporate growth. In this episode we welcome Vishal Patel, VP of Product Marketing at Ivalua, where he is focused on ensuring product – market fit, understanding customer needs and driving market trends.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, COVID19, Procurement
Driving A Growth Agenda Part 1 – How Procurement Can Help Restore Growth Through Cross-Functional Collaboration W/ Sylvie Noel
Art of Procurement
February 22, 2021
This week we are rolling out a special podcast series produced in partnership with Ivalua focused on how procurement can drive a growth agenda. In Part 1, we welcome Sylvie NOEL to share her point of view on how procurement can help restore growth through cross-functional collaboration.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Digital Transformation, Procurement
Procurement’s Role In Managing Risk & Driving Resilience W/ Canda Rozier
Art of Procurement
February 15, 2021
Canda Rozier is a multiple-time CPO with experience working across a number of leading global organizations and the President and founder of Collabra Consulting. In this week's #podcast, she talks about why risk management is an important part of the supplier life cycle - one that has risen in both priority and prominence since the start of 2020.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Risk Management, Supply Chain
Using Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) For Sourcing Creative Services W/ Leah Power
Art of Procurement
February 08, 2021
Marketing is just one of the functions that procurement has a somewhat ‘rocky’ history of past relationships with. When you extend that existing internal friction into the relationship with creative agencies, the problems and disconnects seem to compound. In this week's #podcast, Leah Power, EVP, Strategic Operations Consultant at ICA - Institute of Communication Agencies, provides much needed advice to help procurement make headway in this critical category.
See publication
Tags: Customer Experience, Marketing, Procurement
Getting A Grip On Your Long Tail Spend W/ Thomas J. Cicale, Jr. C.P.M. and Sameer Sharma
Art of Procurement
February 01, 2021
Despite the fact that the need to manage tail spend is hardly a new idea in procurement, it continues to be one of the greatest challenges we face. Tail spend is messy, risky, hard to analyze, and – if you take the wrong approach – very costly to address.
This podcast is based on an AOP Live session that one attendee described as “the most impactful webinar I have ever been on in my entire career...”
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Risk Management, Supply Chain
Leadership, Engagement, And Burnout In A Virtual Workforce W/ Tom Graham
Art of Procurement
January 18, 2021
In the spring and summer of 2020, there were plenty of stories about professionals and teams rallying to get their jobs done while working remotely, in some cases even going above and beyond to achieve levels of performance that no one would have thought possible. As the pandemic stretches on, and reaches a second wave or additional shutdowns, widespread fatigue is starting to set in. Leaders see the symptoms of this fatigue in their team and feel it in themselves.
See publication
Tags: Leadership, Mental Health, Procurement
Building World Class Procurement From Scratch W/ Jaime Robles - VP, Sourcing & Procurement at Casey's General Stores
Art of Procurement
January 11, 2021
Casey’s General Stores is the 5th largest convenience store chain in the United States and owns one of the largest pizza brands in the nation. With 2,200 locations in 16 midwestern states, they have $10 Billion in revenue and a double-digit growth rate. What wasn’t going well for Casey’s? They had no procurement team.
When a new CEO came in, one of the first things he did was to bring in Jaime Robles as his Vice President of Procurement and Sourcing. With a career of successes in procurement team building and transformation, he was uniquely qualified to build Casey’s brand new procurement organization from scratch.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Retail, Supply Chain
How Procurement Can Use Customer Experience (CX) Best Practices W/ Stephanie Thum, CCXP
Art of Procurement
December 28, 2020
We are all customers in our personal lives, and most of us can easily distinguish between a good customer experience and a poor one. But can procurement create a positive customer experience in a B2B setting for all of our different stakeholder groups consistently and at scale? Absolutely – but we have to set the right expectations and priorities first.
This interview, based on one of the most popular sessions from AOP Mastermind LIVE 2020, features Stephanie Thum, CCXP, Founding Principal of Practical CX, discussing the fundamental principles of customer experience with Art of Procurement General Manager Kelly Barner.
See publication
Tags: Customer Experience, Leadership, Procurement
How Procurement Has Become The Catalyst For Enterprise Transformation
Art of Procurement
December 21, 2020
After years of investment in talent and technology, procurement has become a catalyst for enterprise transformation. No other function is in a better position to lead disruptive change and reinvention than procurement. But if we want to thrive in the ‘next normal,’ we must be able to go let go of the past, be bold, and embrace intelligent risks.
In this week's podcast, based on one of the most popular sessions from AOP Mastermind LIVE 2020, Chris Sawchuk, Principal and Global Procurement Advisory Practice Leader at The Hackett Group, and Keith Hausmann, Chief Revenue Officer at Globality, Inc., share their thoughts on how procurement has become the catalyst for enterprise transformation.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Innovation, Procurement
How Procurement Can Build Supply Chain Resilience W/ Tom Kieley And Go Kamiyama
Art of Procurement
December 14, 2020
To meet today’s challenges in supply chain spend management, we must embrace automation. Gone are the days of being able to throw bodies at a problem. Systemic inefficiency not only creates unsustainable processes, it creates enormous waste and revenue risk. Now is the time for procurement to lead through change.
In this podcast, Tom Kieley and Go Kamiyama discuss How Procurement Can Build Supply Chain Resilience in an AOP Live replay https://artofprocurement.com/episode363/ SourceDay NetSuite
See publication
Tags: Business Continuity, Procurement, Supply Chain
The Current State Of Financial Services Spend W/ Diego De La Garza
Art of Procurement
December 07, 2020
Financial services spend has never been what you might consider ‘low hanging fruit,’ but many procurement organizations are getting to the point where they are not only ready to manage it, the organization needs them to bring consistency and transparency to these critical supplier relationships and operational requirements.
Diego De la Garza, Senior Director Global Services & Delivery at Corcentric, brings over a decade of industry experience to the table to address this complex spend category. Whether the company is B2B or B2C, the increasing role of technology in global business is increasing the range of financial services requirements most companies have and raising the bar on what current partners need to be capable of.
See publication
Tags: Fintech, Procurement, Risk Management
A CEOs View On The Opportunity For Procurement W/ Tony Uphoff
Art of Procurement
November 30, 2020
In the current moment, companies are finding themselves at the intersection of digital transformation and the varied but extreme pressures of the pandemic. And who is positioned to address the opportunities and challenges of this intersection? Procurement.
Tony Uphoff is the President & CEO at Thomas – formerly ThomasNet. He has enjoyed a successful career leading and growing media and information businesses such as The Hollywood Reporter, UBM TechWeb, and business.com.
See publication
Tags: COVID19, Procurement, Supply Chain
5th Anniversary Q&A Series – How Do We Create Stronger Relationships With Our Suppliers?
Art of Procurement
November 27, 2020
So today we’re going to have a little fun. A question that we often get asked is “how do we create stronger relationships with our suppliers”.
Last Christmas, we created an infographic that became on of our most viewed pieces of content of the year! It was called “5 Years to Give Your Suppliers a Merry Christmas This Year”
And so I’m just going to share the 5 ways that we wrote about in that infographic…. Along with one more to add.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain
5th Anniversary Q&A Series – Will Automation Replace Procurement?
Art of Procurement
November 25, 2020
Automating professional activities is nothing new. You only need to look at the marketing function to see the impact that automation has had on a business function over the past 10 years. It’s just that procurement has been slow to the party.
See publication
Tags: AI, Digital Transformation, Procurement
5th Anniversary Q&A Series: Is Procurement Moving Away From Category Management?
Art of Procurement
November 23, 2020
Category Management has been one of the foundational pillars of the growth of procurement over the past 20 years. Some companies have gone 'all in' and fully integrated stakeholders and suppliers into what has become a tool to enable collaboration. Some implemented Category Management in name only. They brought in tools and templates, but use category management more as a 1-way communication tool - building strategies in isolation and then submitting to the stakeholder for approval. Many others are still on the ground floor and haven’t yet been able to implement category management. So, 20-years later, is procurement moving away from category management?
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain
5th Anniversary Q&A podcast series: How to get buy-in for sustainability initiatives
Art of Procurement
November 19, 2020
Sustainability is a value lever procurement has been talking about for a long time. Ultimately, we are spending someone else's money, and a number of sustainability initiatives have not hit the mark because they were framed as good practice vs. impacting the bottom line. But the reality is that the best sustainability initiatives are really just good old demand management.
See publication
Tags: CSR, Procurement, Sustainability
5th Anniversary Q&A Series – How To Connect Procurement Performance With Company Growth
Art of Procurement
November 17, 2020
Art of Procurement is running a special series that will extend through the rest of November. For the next three weeks, there will be a daily 5-minute show that answers one of the most interesting and frequently-asked questions we have received from listeners.
See publication
Tags: Procurement
5th Anniversary Q&A podcast series: How Can Companies Leverage Procurement Services?
Art of Procurement
November 13, 2020
Art of Procurement's 5th Anniversary Q&A podcast series continues on day 5 with Host Philip Ideson's answer to, "How Can Companies Leverage Procurement Services?"
See publication
Tags: Procurement
What Are The Top 5 CPO Priorities?
Art of Procurement
November 11, 2020
What Are The Top 5 CPO Priorities? That question is asked and answered by Host Philip Ideson in day 3 of the AOP 5th Anniversary Q&A podcast series
See publication
Tags: Procurement
5th Anniversary Q&A Series – Getting The A-Team On Your Account
Art of Procurement
November 09, 2020
On November 4, 2005, the Art of Procurement podcast officially launched. In 5 years, we’ve released 345 episodes and surpassed 500,000 listens. We’ve gone from being a new, unproven idea to being a trusted voice in the community and the #1 weekly podcast in all of procurement.
To celebrate this occasion, we are running a special series that will extend through the rest of November. For the next three weeks, there will be a daily 5-minute show that answers one of the most interesting and frequently-asked questions we have received from listeners. The questions will be answered alternately by AOP Founder and Host Philip Ideson and AOP General Manager Kelly Barner. (Fun fact: Kelly was AOP podcast guest #6.)
Thank you for joining us for this series and for being part of the AOP community – whether you have been with us since episode #1 or not!
See publication
Tags: Procurement
The Current State Of MRO Spend W/ Mike Croasdale
Art of Procurement
November 02, 2020
MRO – or Maintenance, Repair, and Operations - spend is one of those categories that procurement has managed, and managed, and managed again… but don’t make the mistake of thinking there is no value left to realize.
In this week's podcast, Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner speak with Mike Croasdale, Director of GPO Operations at Corcentric, about opportunities for complex analytics, operational understanding, and competitive advantage in the MRO category – if procurement knows where to look.
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Supply Chain
2021: Post-Crisis Procurement W/ Chris Sawchuk And Vishal Patel
Art of Procurement
October 26, 2020
Regardless of how you might choose to describe your journey through 2020, it is finally coming to an end. And while some of its effects will be with us for a long time, we have reached the point where it is not just appropriate to start thinking forward to 2021, it is absolutely necessary.
Chris Sawchuk, Principal and Global Procurement Advisory Practice Leader at The Hackett Group, and Vishal Patel, VP of Product Marketing at Ivalua, joined us for an AOP Live session on September 15th.
As they pointed out during the live event, the preparations procurement originations make now will determine their readiness to succeed in the ‘next normal.’ Making good decisions now about digital transformation, agility, and supply chain risk will pay dividends later on.
See publication
Tags: COVID19, Digital Transformation, Procurement
AOP Mastermind LIVE 2020 Recap: A New Day For Procurement
Art of Procurement
October 19, 2020
After months of planning, weeks of preparation, and days of sleepless nights, #MastermindLIVE 2020 is officially in the books. We had set an extremely high bar for ourselves: to run the most unique and meaningful event in procurement. From the session engagement and participant feedback, we believe we achieved our goal. Get behind the scenes details, key take aways, and a surprise announcement! from Philip Ideson in this week's solo podcast.
See publication
Tags: Digital Disruption, Digital Transformation, Procurement
Bad Buying – Tales Of Waste Billions W/ Peter Smith
Art of Procurement
October 12, 2020
For many years, Peter Smith wanted to write a book that was fundamentally about procurement but would appeal to a wider business audience, One that would peel back the onion on the role of procurement, with tales of what happens when good buying practices are not followed. Following a career as a practitioner, and most latterly leading Spend Matters in the UK, Peter got to work. The result: Bad Buying – how organizations waste billions through failures, frauds and fk-ups.
See publication
Tags: Innovation, Leadership, Procurement
The Current State Of Telecom Spend W/ David Pastore
Art of Procurement
October 05, 2020
Gone are the days when all that was needed to deliver significant #telecom savings was an audit. Today, most organizations are looking for new efficiencies in a category that is not only evolving, it is also encroaching on other categories of spend.
Corcentric Senior Director of Sourcing Operations David Pastore specializes in telecom spend, and he joins Art of Procurement Co-hosts Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner to discuss in this week's podcast.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Management, Procurement
Developing Procurement’s Unique Selling Proposition W/ Juergen Scherer
Art of Procurement
September 28, 2020
AOP Host Philip Ideson starts each interview with a question about what brought that particular guest to procurement. With this week’s guest, business consultant and coach Juergen Scherer, it might have been better to ask what brought him THROUGH procurement, because he has held influential roles across procurement, supply chain, sales, and operations.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Procurement, Sales
How To Use Sales Techniques To Ace The Stakeholder Introduction Meeting
Art of Procurement
September 21, 2020
Although procurement doesn't usually think of ourselves as making ‘cold calls,’ we do it all the time. If you’ve ever sat down with a stakeholder for the first time and immediately realized they either don’t understand procurement’s role or don’t particularly care for our processes, you’ve survived a cold call.
In this week's podcast, Host Philip Ideson discusses how to master this type of first meeting using an approach that sales professionals use – and have no doubt used on you – called the discovery call.
See publication
Tags: Customer Experience, Procurement, Sales
Building Your Procurement Digital Roadmap W/ Christopher Eyerman And David Clevenger
Art of Procurement
September 14, 2020
We may not be doing what we expected to be working on as we approach the final quarter of 2020, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a strong appetite for procurement change, both at the executive level and within the procurement community. The difference is that we are now trying to lead transformation in the midst of a disrupted landscape without the benefit of any forward-looking certainty.
Christopher Eyerman is the Head of Procurement Innovation at Denali – A WNS Company and David Clevenger is their Director of Procurement and Operational Excellence. They are focused on the factors that influence digital maturity and readiness for change in the context of the entire procurement ecosystem.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Leadership, Procurement
The Current State Of IT Spend W/ Rene Mathis
Art of Procurement
September 07, 2020
Technology is an extremely broad spend category and it is expanding by the day because of our emphasis on digital transformation. Nearly every function and category has an IT software or services component to it. Technology truly forms the foundation, or “lifeblood” as Rene Mathis put it, of corporate initiatives.
Rene Mathis is an Associate Director at Corcentric where he specializes in technology category spend. He is currently working side by side with companies that are reevaluating their IT contracts, redefining their uptime definitions and service level agreements, and attempting to put plans in place – despite the fact that no one knows what the next 6-12 months will hold.
See publication
Tags: IoT, Management, Procurement
Overcoming The Procurement Language Barrier W/ Steve Wills
Art of Procurement
August 10, 2020
Steve Wills MBA, FCIPS is the founder and Managing Director of Procurement Central and formerly served as the Procurement Advisor to the 2012 London Olympic Games. In this week's podcast, he joins Philip Ideson to talk about the the ways procurement can use language and messaging to bridge the gap between ourselves and the other functions in the organization
See publication
Tags: Leadership, Procurement, Supply Chain
The Current State Of Marketing Spend Management W/ Corcentric Consultant Kathleen Jordan
Art of Procurement
August 03, 2020
Marketing is one of those spend categories that procurement often has a hard time breaking into. They are less concerned with cost than their counterparts in other functions, and most of the services they contract are not only complex, project-based efforts, they are usually evaluated from a highly subjective point of view.
Kathleen Jordan is an Associate Director at Source One, a Corcentric Company, where she has been focused on the marketing category for years. She is familiar with the opportunities in marketing spend as well as the common disconnects that may prevent procurement from bringing marketing spend under management and cost marketing professionals the ability to make their budgets go further.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Marketing, Procurement
Making The Case: The Business Of Supplier Diversity W/ Jamie Crump
Art of Procurement
July 27, 2020
Although supplier diversity programs are well-intentioned, they also have to be good for business, and as Jamie Crump, President of The Richmond Group, points out to Host Philip Ideson, there substantial research highlighting the correlations between a more diverse supply base and quantitative business improvement.
See publication
Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, Procurement, Supply Chain
Applying The Flywheel Effect To Procurement (Part 2)
Art of Procurement
July 20, 2020
In last week’s podcast, Host Philip Ideson described the concept of the flywheel, a consistent pattern of small but deliberate actions designed to build momentum and deliver business results described in the book Good to Great by author Jim Collins.
This week, we apply that idea to procurement directly to ensure our strategies and tactics become (and remain) aligned with the goals and objectives of the enterprise as a whole.
This focus has to permeate every effort we are involved in and the benefit can drive competitive advantage through cost optimization, risk mitigation, revenue growth, regulatory compliance, or operational agility.
See publication
Tags: Leadership, Management, Procurement
Applying The Flywheel Effect To Procurement (Part 1)
Art of Procurement
July 13, 2020
We believe that helping procurement teams effectively align their capabilities and outcomes with the goals of the businesses underpins the transformation of a team from transactional to strategic.
In this podcast, Philip Ideson discusses a concept that is a big part of our Procurement, Inc. approach and a core part of how we manage the Art of Procurement business itself: the flywheel.
See publication
Tags: Customer Loyalty, Procurement, Supply Chain
The Current State Of Facilities Services W/ Arthur Piszczor
Art of Procurement
July 06, 2020
Due to the risks posed by the coronavirus, procurement teams responsible for managing facilities services are currently experiencing quite a change. Services such as janitorial have quickly gone from transactional contracts established based upon cost to highly strategic relationships that must be in place and meet a new high standard for a facility to operate or even open.
Arthur Piszczor is a Consultant at Corcentric, where he has been helping organizations manage their facilities services spend since long before our current elevated requirements went into effect, and he has helped a number of clients manage not only the transition, but the process of planning for the future.
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Risk Management
Making The Business Case For Retaining Or Adding Procurement Headcount W/ Alexis Ryan
Art of Procurement
June 29, 2020
It is never easy to request additional headcount, so making sure the timing is right and having a solid business case are critical to protecting procurement's internal reputation and hopefully getting an affirmative response.
In this week's AOP podcast, Alexis Ryan provides her advice about how and when to request additional procurement headcount and how to increase the chances of the request being approved.
See publication
Tags: HR, Management, Procurement
How To Build A Simple Sourcing Governance Process To Align Procurement Impact With Business Needs
Art of Procurement
June 22, 2020
Governance process tend to be burdensome, create mountains of paperwork, and really slow down the process. No wonder stakeholders want to bypass procurement altogether! In this week's podcast, AOP Founder and Host Philip Ideson shares his easy 2-step governance process.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Risk Management, Supply Chain
How To Identify & Mitigate Risk With A Category Continuity Plan
Art of Procurement
June 15, 2020
For many procurement teams, risk management is now priority #1. If that sounds like your situation, how can you make sense of all the unknowns and ensure that each one of your category strategies is prepared to adapt to whatever may come your way?
In today’s solo show, AOP Founder and Host Philip Ideson shares one way you can balance risk and agility: by taking the business continuity and disaster recovery plans we often ask our suppliers to provide and applying the concept to your category strategy.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Risk Management, Supply Chain
Leadership & Planning In A Time Of Disruption W/ Tom Graham
Art of Procurement
June 08, 2020
As an Executive Search Consultant, Tom has naturally been focused on how procurement and supply chain’s exposure during the COVID-19 has impacted leaders, individual contributors, and entire teams. In this podcast, Tom tells Host Philip Ideson what he has heard from CPOs and Chief Supply Chain Officers and what he expects to see next as the world continues to adapt to the new normal.
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement, Leadership
AOP Podcast Episode 323: The Current State Of Logistics W/ Joe Lazzerini
Art of Procurement
June 01, 2020
In this week's AOP podcast, Joe Lazzerini, PMP, a Consultant at Corcentric, shares his point of view with Co-hosts Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner about how procurement should approach the #logistics category in today's highly disrupted business environment.
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement, Risk Management
AOP Episode 322: How To Navigate Zero-Based Budgeting & Apply Its Principles To Your Category Strategy W/ David Ward
Art of Procurement
May 25, 2020
According to Harvard Business Review, under Zero-based budgeting (ZBB), “Expenses must be justified for each new budget period based on demonstrable needs and costs, as opposed to the more common method of using last year’s budget as your starting point, then adjusting up or down. ZBB is a straightforward, intuitively simple way to aggressively strip out costs that cannot be rationally justified.”
Sounds wonderful, right? Well, as this week’s guest (and the HBR article referenced above) point out, there is no such thing as a ‘one-size fits-all’ silver bullet, even when it comes to aggressively cutting costs.
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement, Management
Art of Procurement podcast episode 321: Misused And Misunderstood: Reclaim The Power Of The RFP
Art of Procurement
May 18, 2020
Procurement's scope has grown significantly over the last decade, and yet we keep coming back to the ‘good old’ RFP. This one enabling tool often defines our reputation as a function, and not always in a good way. And yet, no other approach has been able to unseat the RFP, and it remains the best way to evaluate supplier costs and capabilities in a standardized and structured way.
Dave Hulsen, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of RFP360, joined us for an AOP Live session on March 31st. His topic – reclaiming the power of the RFP – clearly struck a chord with the procurement community, because we’ve never had so many excellent questions submitted by audience members before.
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Supply Chain
Episode 320: How To Hire And Be Hired In The Headwinds Of The New Economy W/ Mark Holyoake
Art of Procurement
May 11, 2020
There are a lot of very talented people today that suddenly find themselves un- or under- employed by no fault of their own and companies lift with critical vacancies. How can professionals and hiring managers continue to move careers and operations forward under the current business conditions?
Mark Holyoake is the founder of Holyoake Search, a US East-coast based procurement recruitment firm and someone who always has his finger on the pulse of the procurement recruitment market. The landscape for hiring and being hired in procurement has changed dramatically over the past couple of months, so what does that mean for anyone looking for a new role or for executives looking to hire their next rising star?
In this interview, Mark provides Host Philip Ideson with an honest overview of the current state of hiring, interviewing, and career building.
See publication
Tags: Business Continuity, Management, Procurement
Episode 319: Seizing The Opportunity For Quick Wins W/ Brian Seipel
Art of Procurement
May 04, 2020
“The real benefit of quick wins is to get the ball rolling. Procurement can take a small set of spend and turn around a good savings percentage within a month or two. Even if it’s a small dollar amount, we’re starting to build up credibility within our companies, paving the way for longer term opportunities.”
While the challenges of COVID-19 aren’t completely behind us, many organizations are starting to look ahead to what’s next. For many procurement teams, that means identifying and defining quick wins from a cost savings or expense reduction perspective.
Brian Seipel is a Consultant and Spend Analysis Lead at Corcentric, where he helps organizations perfect their strategic sourcing abilities, manage supplier relationships, and clear away process roadblocks. We asked him about his advice about getting quick wins (that are actually quick) without alienating suppliers or stakeholders.
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement, COVID19
Episode 310: A CIO’s Perspective On IT & Procurement During A Pandemic W/ Tim Crawford
Art of Procurement
April 01, 2020
“Where we are today, we just need to get the work done and we’ll figure out how to clean it up later. But right now let’s just help people get productive.” - Tim Crawford, former CIO, host of the “CIO in the Know” podcast
We had originally invited Tim to join Art of Procurement for a conversation about how procurement professionals can most effectively support our IT colleagues in the long term, but as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate headlines and agendas worldwide, we decided to pivot and take this opportunity to discuss some of the IT challenges that are top of mind under the current circumstances.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Management, COVID19
Episode 309: Procurement’s Response To COVID-19 Beyond The Next 2 Weeks W/ Christian Heinrich
Art of Procurement
March 30, 2020
“Strategic decisions will need to be made about when companies should try to ramp their production back up again – will it be in two or three or four weeks? Everybody is confronted by what is happening now, especially how we can find backup suppliers for the critical elements of their supply chain, but at some point, we have to look forward.”
As we run this podcast, the entire world is consumed with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Procurement teams have been hit directly in the form of uncertain supply chains and unstable suppliers. While we are naturally consumed with short term risk mitigation, at some point, we will emerge from this crisis. What will our companies face then?
Christian Heinrich is one of the industry professionals splitting his time between the short term and the longer-term view. He is the Co-Founder of scoutbee.com and a Professor of Digital Transformation at Quadriga Hochschule Berlin.
Christian took some time out to share with us what he is seeing on the ground. What tactics and strategies are they taking and how are they starting to scope and plan out the actions they need to take today to prepare for a return to some kind of normalcy once the pandemic is contained.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Supply Chain, Procurement, COVID19
Episode 308: How Procurement Can Help US-Based Suppliers Access Emergency Cash From The SBA W/ Amanda Prochaska
Art of Procurement
March 25, 2020
“Everyone has an opportunity to serve each other right now. If we can go out and serve the suppliers who are in need, we will have more robust relationships with them in the long term.”
Now that procurement professionals and organizations have absorbed the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are stable enough footing to start to serve others – including our suppliers.
Many of the programs procurement has put in place in recent years have incentives partnering with small, diverse businesses. Those disruptive companies are now at high risk of being disrupted by the pandemic, in some cases permanently.
Amanda Prochaska is a long time procurement leader, working for companies like the Kellogg Company, Kraft Heinz, and MGM Resorts International. In 2019, Amanda founded HPP, a company that specializes in helping companies of all sizes achieve operational excellence by supporting the performance of their key suppliers.
HPP has set up a Recovery Program to help suppliers take advantage of assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA).
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement, Business Continuity, COVID19
Episode 307: Category Spotlight – Uniforms W/ Richard Ham, CEO at Fine Tune
Art of Procurement
March 23, 2020
The uniform industry is valued at $16B annually, and 3 national players account for 55-60% of the revenue in the United States: Cintas, Aramark, and Unifirst. As regional and ‘mom and pop’ players in this industry are gradually being assimilated into the big three, procurement organizations are going to have to completely overhaul their approach to this category.
In this interview, Rich Ham provides insight into the unique approaches and opportunities associated with this specific ‘nuisance expense.’
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Management, Procurement
Episode 306: Leading In A Crisis W/ Jan Griffiths
Art of Procurement
March 16, 2020
“It is time for procurement to step up and lead.”
It is safe to say that we currently find ourselves in unprecedented times. Some of us will be impacted by the spread of the coronavirus more than others, but the likelihood is that it will affect all of us in some way.
At Art of Procurement, we are going to be at your side for the duration, helping you prepare for the ‘unknown unknowns’ with practical advice on how you can mitigate the worst of the impact and turn your response into a competitive advantage.
To that end, we arranged for a short-turnaround Sunday morning podcast recording with Jan Griffiths, President & Founder of Gravitas Detroit.
See publication
Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement, Leadership, COVID19
Episode 305: Powering Procurement’s Social Impact W/ Paul Polizzotto
Art of Procurement
March 09, 2020
Everyone wants to have a positive social impact on their community or industry, but doing so also has to be a sound business decision. That is something that Paul Polizzotto instinctively understands. It has fueled and inspired his 30+ years as a social entrepreneur. As the Founder and CEO of Givewith, Paul is combining his desire to have social impact with his knowledge of marketing and advertising to create value for buyers, suppliers, and the world.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Sustainability
Episode #304: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do – This Month In Procurement
Art of Procurement
March 02, 2020
In this episode, AOP Host Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner discuss their major take-aways from February’s podcast interviews. This month they also discuss how to manage a healthy ‘breakup’, managing relationships, responsibilities, and results at the end of a project.
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Supply Chain
Episode #303: How Cimpress Built A Procurement Team That Operates Like A Services Business W/ Evert Karsen
Art of Procurement
February 24, 2020
“We realize that when we negotiate with suppliers, the business is the end customer. We are the function that does the negotiation, but we are not competing with each other. We have different roles. At the end of the process we share the results.”
According to the Cimpress corporate website, “We manage our businesses in a decentralized, autonomous manner so as to ensure we remain close to our customers, focused and entrepreneurial.” Now go back and read that statement again – this time as a member of the procurement team supporting such a collection of businesses.
Evert Karsen is the Vice President of Global Procurement at Cimpress. From his office in Switzerland, he leads a team of procurement professionals that support Cimpress’ multiple autonomous brands, including Vistaprint, Easyflyer, and BuildASign.
They don’t have a mandate to lean on with internal stakeholders, but they don’t have a savings target either. That combination of conditions has made it possible for them to deliver a wide range of value types and build a services-oriented relationship with the business.
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Supply Chain
Episode #302: Unpacking The Standing Neutral W/ Kate Vitasek
Art of Procurement
February 17, 2020
A “standing neutral” is a form of alternative dispute resolution. It is different than the roles above in that a standing neutral is brought in before the conflict occurs; they are part of a contract’s governance structure. They are neutral, and mutually approved by the parties to the contract. In this week's interview, Kate provides background info and case examples from her recently released whitepaper on the standing neutral.
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Supply Chain
Episode 301: Mastering The Procurement Data Challenge W/ Joe Yacura
Art of Procurement
February 10, 2020
Procurement can no longer turn a blind eye to bad data. If we are going to leverage our data for advanced applications such as AI, machine learning, RPA, etc. we have to address data quality now – without spending more time or allowing it to become more fragmented.
Joe Yacura is a former CPO of organizations such as Fannie Mae, Bank of America and American Express, and is the co-author of the 3rd Annual Data Quality and Governance Study in partnership with Dr Rob Handfield and the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative (SCRC) at NC State.
In this podcast, which is based on an AOP Live session made possible by Ivalua, Joe provides insight on data quality-related topics.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Episode 300 – Introducing Procurement, Inc. – This Month In Procurement
Art of Procurement
February 03, 2020
Major milestone - Episode 300 of the Art of Procurement podcast!
In 'This Month in Procurement' Host Philip Ideson and GM Kelly Barner look back at January 2020, including interviews with Sundar Kamakshisundaram and Remko Van Hoek and the Special Startup Series.
Listen in and you'll also hear about Procurement, Inc., the brand new framework for strategic procurement teams and the redesigned AOP website!
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Episode 299: AOP Special Startup Series, featuring TraDove's Rowena Ludwig
Art of Procurement
January 31, 2020
In this podcast, we interview Rowena Bonnette, Chief Marketing Officer of TraDove, a social networking platform built to match and connect business buyers and sellers and blockchain payment solution provider.
Discussion highlights include:
- How blockchain tokens can be used to facilitate B2B payment transactions.
- The security and information storage implications of a B2B blockchain v. a traditional one.
- Why social network-based technology is the most efficient way for global buyers and sellers to connect.
See publication
Tags: Blockchain, Procurement, Startups
Episode 298: AOP Special Startup Series – Per Angusta W/ Pierre Lapree
Art of Procurement
January 30, 2020
In this podcast, we interview Pierre Laprée, Founder of Per Angusta, a procurement project pipeline and performance tracking tool founded in 2012.
Discussion highlights include:
- The importance of investing in – and building up – procurement’s internal credibility through detailed performance management tracking.
- An acknowledgment that procurement teams carry a heavy workload, often multiple projects at one time, including a wide range of task types and activities.
- Why the challenge of ‘savings’ needs to be addressed as a process by both procurement and finance, not as an issue with procurement’s value proposition.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Startups
Episode 297: AOP Special Startup Series – ProcurementFlow W/ Tarmo Saidla
Art of Procurement
January 29, 2020
“The procurement person, they shouldn’t really work in an office like a sales guy. Actually, the best procurement guys spend time meeting suppliers and building relationships, not fulfilling some administrative need.” - Tarmo Saidla, Co-Founder and CEO of ProcurementFlow.com
Discussion highlights include:
- The challenge of combining consistent purchase approvals and oversight with buyer convenience and speed
- While a lot has changed in procurement, the need for a centralized team and streamlined processes has not abated
- How, much like with Excel, companies are unlikely to ever get distributed buyers to stop relying on email for requests and approvals
See publication
Tags: Entrepreneurship, Procurement, Startups
Art of Procurement #podcast episode 296: AOP Special Startup Series – Tealbook W/ Stephany Lapierre
Art of Procurement
January 28, 2020
“There’s a huge data problem right now and it’s actually impacting the return on investment from all the dollars that are being poured into technology – and it’s not the software’s fault.”
In this podcast, we interview Stephany Lapierre, CEO of Tealbook, a master supplier data management platform founded in 2015.
Discussion highlights include:
- The glaring investment between procurement’s investment (to date) in technology versus the investment in the data that runs through that technology.
- How increasing the quality of supplier master data can actually reduce the friction associated with changing procurement software providers.
- Why machine learning may help procurement make the leap from understanding who their suppliers are to recognizing the total value those suppliers can offer.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Startups
Episode 295: AOP Special Startup Series – Bid Ops W/ Edmund Zagorin
Art of Procurement
January 27, 2020
“We’ve done a deep dive and found that the main differentiator between ‘peer class’ and ‘world class’ sourcing organizations is their ability to respond to changes in the market by running more sourcing processes.” - Edmund Zagorin
As we kick off week #2 of the 2020 AOP Special Startup Series, Philip Ideson is joined by Edmund Zagorin, the Founder of Bid Ops, a sourcing enablement platform founded in 2018.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Entrepreneurship, Procurement
AOP Podcast Episode 294: AOP Special Startup Series – Spendency W/ Nils Lundgren And Arvid Fredin
Art of Procurement
January 23, 2020
AOP 2020 Special Startup Series - Day 4! In this episode we welcome Spendency leadership team members Nils Lundgren & Arvid F. to tell us how we can advance the 'democratization' of data via spend analysis.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Entrepreneurship, Procurement
Podcast Episode 293: AOP Special Startup Series – Keelvar W/ Alan Holland
Art of Procurement
January 22, 2020
In this podcast, we interview Alan Holland, the Founder and CEO of Keelvar. Founded in 2012, Keelvar provides the automation procurement needs to achieve speed, while also increasing adherence to best practices.
Discussion highlights include:
- The power and resource efficiency of combining optimization and automation
- The critical differences between intelligent automation and robotic process automation (RPA)
- The business case for applying optimization technology to large or analytically complex spend categories
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Entrepreneurship, Procurement
AOP 2020 Startup Series Day 2: Provalido Ltd with Paul Gurr
Art of Procurement
January 21, 2020
The highlights of this conversation include:
- Whether it not it is feasible to take a ‘best of breed’ approach to building a procurement technology portfolio
- The continued need for procurement to emphasize and invest in clean, high quality data
- The direct connection between tracking and process/purchasing transparency
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Entrepreneurship, Procurement
AOP Special Startup Series - Kodiak Rating w/ Sam Jenks
Art of Procurement
January 20, 2020
In this podcast, we interview Sam Jenks, Chief Marketing Officer at Kodiak Rating, a supplier relationship management platform founded in 2015.
Discussion highlights include:
- Why supplier insight has to be based on both robust scorecards and data analytics.
- That (believe it or not) Excel continues to be Kodiak’s biggest competitor.
- How this is the time – even according to well-known consulting firms and CTOs – to be an early adopter and partner with a startup
See publication
Tags: Entrepreneurship, Procurement, Supply Chain
Art of Procurement Podcast Episode 290: The Value Of Digital Procurement In The Manufacturing Sector W/ Sundar Kamak
Art of Procurement
January 13, 2020
Larger manufacturers are starting to build significant momentum for procurement digitalization. As they do, there will no doubt be change to more than their systems.
In this week's podcast, Sundar Kamakshisundaram, Global Head of Manufacturing Solutions at Ivalua, shares his perspective on the move towards digital procurement in the manufacturing space as well as the overall trends he has observed.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Art of Procurement Episode 289: Integrating Blockchain Into Procurement W/ Remko Van Hoek
Art of Procurement
January 06, 2020
If 2019 was the year of emerging technology hype, then 2020 holds the potential to be the year that we turn our attention to the work that needs to be done to derive concrete value from that technology: blockchains included. In this podcast interview, Remko Van Hoek provides actionable insight and realistic use cases for blockchain in the supply chain.
See publication
Tags: Blockchain, Digital Transformation, Supply Chain
Art of Procurement podcast episode 288: Three Procurement Themes For 2020
Art of Procurement
December 23, 2019
As we begin to wind down for 2019, Art of Procurement host Philip Ideson shares the three themes that are at the forefront of his mind when considering the health of the procurement function and the opportunities that await in 2020.
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Supply Chain
Art of Procurement podcast episode 287: Best Practices For Managing Procurement Performance W/ Pierre Lapree And Jason Treida
Art of Procurement
December 16, 2019
This week’s podcast is based on our recent AOP Live session with Pierre Lapree and Jason Treida. They joined us last month to take live audience questions about how procurement can maximize the value potential of automation while ensuring that performance management is not lost in the ‘noise’ of technology.
Most of today’s technology focuses on either the transactional aspects of procurement (P2P) or shiny new toys (RPA/AI/Blockchain). It does not necessarily provide a holistic view our activity and performance. And yet, it is those activities and that performance that determine procurement’s impact and influence now and in the future.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Art of Procurement podcast episode 286: Defining And Delivering On Supplier Development W/ Amanda Prochaska & Jonathan Townsley
Art of Procurement
December 09, 2019
Whether you call it supplier performance management or supplier relationship management, procurement has always understood that we need supply partners at their best for us to realize the maximum ROI from each contract. Usually, however, that boils down to a meeting where we point out where they could be doing better or ask a bunch of questions that imply the same thing and send them on their way to figure out how they should improve. It basically amounts to procurement making a wish list and throwing it over the wall.
Needless to say, this delivers questionable results. Procurement doesn’t have the time required to follow up with as many suppliers as we should, and the suppliers don’t have an incentive to put more energy than absolutely necessary into a contract they have already signed. Besides, they’re often not sure exactly what we want from them.
In this disconnect, Amanda Prochaska, President and CEO of HPP Coach, and Jonathan Townsley, a Business Transformation and Supply Management Advisor, see an opportunity for procurement to meaningfully and sustainably change the way we manage our suppliers.
See publication
Tags: Procurement, Risk Management, Supply Chain
Art of Procurement podcast episode 285: A Procurement Compendium W/ Peter Smith
Art of Procurement
December 02, 2019
In this week's podcast, Philip Ideson interviews Peter Smith about his book, "A Procurement Compendium". Peter shares stories from his career that capture the things he’d done differently and the questions that still linger about the current state and future trajectory of the procurement profession. At the end of the day, however, it all really boils down to this one piece of simple advice: “The focus should be on doing a damn good job.”
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Supply Chain
Art of Procurement podcast episode 284: Escaping Your Traditional Environment – This Month In Procurement
Art of Procurement
November 25, 2019
In this episode, AOP Host Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner (General Manager of AOP and Owner of Buyers Meeting Point) discuss their major take-aways from November’s news, industry topics and podcast interviews.
In November, we heard Bill Michels, VP of Operations Americas for CIPS, discuss proactive recession planning, and then Procurement Leaders’ David Rae and Geraldine Craven connected the results of recent research to how CPOs should be planning for 2020.
Our discussion topic is getting away, or stepping away from your traditional environment to gain perspective and inspiration. We just spent two days in person planning out our strategies and actions for 2020, and it made all the difference in the world. Whether you have an upcoming team offsite or whether your holiday travels will carry you far from the office, remember to find ways to benefit from the objectivity that distance and reengagement offer.
See publication
Tags: Management, Procurement, Supply Chain
Art of Procurement podcast episode 283: A CPO’s Guide To Planning For 2020 W/ David Rae And Geraldine Craven
Art of Procurement
November 18, 2019
In this week’s podcast, Philip Ideson is joined by two members of the Procurement Leaders team, David Rae, their Chief Product Officer, and Geraldine Craven, Head of Research. They recently completed a study in cooperation with Bain Consulting to understand what is changing in advance of the arrival of 2020 and what remains the same.
See publication
Tags: Digital Transformation, Management, Procurement
Art of Procurement
Episode 25: How to be a Procurement All-Star
Out of the Mouth of Babes
Achieving Your Objectives W/ Jan Griffiths
Assessing Supply Chain Risk: Building a Program to Identify High Risk Sources of Supply
AOP Live: Making the Case for Diversity in Public Procurement
AOP Live: Partnership as a Service: Driving Change & Delivering Unconventional Returns at UMass
Mastermind Fall 2021 Event: Reinventing the Procurement Experience
AOP Live: Learning to Succeed Despite Uncertain Market Dynamics
AOP Live: Roadmap to Savings: Partnering with the Business to Drive Progress w/ Dave Quillin (Alliant Credit Union) and Joe Payne (Corcentric)
AOP Live: Creating Tail Spend ROI Through an Improved Buyer Experience w/ Jean-Baptiste Anne (Amazon Business) and Vishal Patel (Ivalua)
AOP Live: Supplier Diversity: Advancing Together at Ahold Delhaize w/ Nancy Nicoll (Retail Business Services) and Carl Freeman (Ahold Delhaize)
PAT Chat: Art of Procurement’s Phil Ideson on Elevating the Role of Procurement
