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Rich Sains
CEO at Acada
London, United Kingdom
CEO and founder of Acada - a procuretech firm with a mission to make life easier for procurement professionals.
Available For: Advising, Consulting, Speaking Travels From: London Speaking Topics: Digital Procurement, Procurement Transformation, Future of Procurement
Rich Sains
Points
Academic
0
Author
152
Influencer
109
Speaker
1
Entrepreneur
20
Total
282
Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.
Reduce Burnout with Guided Buying
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July 06, 2023
Too many Procurement professionals are on the verge of burning out. They are busier than ever, but in teams too short-staffed to deliver everything that is expected . Digital Procurement by Rich Sains is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a fr
Digitising Procurement: Overcoming Barriers
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June 30, 2023
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, digital procurement has emerged as a crucial driver of efficiency, cost savings, and strategic value. Digital Procurement by Rich Sains is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscr
Invite your friends to read Digital Procurement by Rich Sains
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June 23, 2023
Thank you for reading Digital Procurement by Rich Sains — your support allows me to keep doing this work. If you enjoy this Digital Procurement Substack, it would mean the world to me if you invited friends to subscribe and read with us. If you refer friends, you will receive benefits that giv
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Networking - a Procurement Superpower
LinkedIn
April 23, 2024
A procurement professional can only be effective if they are able to quickly develop strong relationships internally and externally - and then maintain this network.
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Lessons from 25 episodes
LinkedIn
February 15, 2024
The Procurement Conversation published its 25th episode this week on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and I thought I'd have a look back over the key learnings from the past series of "Big Conversations".
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Getting your Organisation to Invest More in Procurement
LinkedIn
January 26, 2024
Having a way of tracking everything that you work on, prioritising high value activity, and managing your precious resources onto the right projects is a key part of procurement leadership
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Productivity Hacks for Procurement
Linkedln
January 16, 2024
Reaching optimum productivity in Procurement can be an impossible goal to achieve.
We want to get as much done whilst we're in the office during the workday, but can get sidetracked by ‘urgent’ issues that arise.
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
CPO Conversations
LinkedIn
September 15, 2023
Over the last year, I've spoken to CPOs from M&S, Ocado, Santander UK, Amazon Fresh, Grant Thornton UK, Bibby Financial Services, Inmarsat and Proxima.
I've gained insights into the ways they lead and motivate their teams, where their focus is, what the future holds for procurement, their biggest mistakes, and how they attract talent their teams.
How Self Service Can Save Your Team From Burnout
LinkedIn
September 08, 2023
Too many Procurement professionals are overwhelmed by workload.
In today's fast-paced business environment, professionals find themselves walking a tightrope - the Procurement Paradox - where the demands on their time and expertise continue to increase, but without corresponding additional investment in heads, training and systems.
Becoming Excellent in Procurement
Procurement Weekly
August 18, 2023
This was the point when I knew that Acada's Procurement Performance Management software was delivering real value to clients.
Since then, we've grown to become a Procurement Experience Platform - measuring the stakeholder experience, ensuring process consistency and managing resource allocation to provide a software that helps Procurement leaders to effortlessly run their functions.
What the Best Procurement Teams Do
Procurement Weekly
July 14, 2023
The highest performing procurement teams are operating at a different level.
Deeply respected by their organisations, delivering twice as much value as the average function, and attracting the best people from the profession and the wider business.
Attracting the Best Talent to Procurement
Procurement Weekly
June 23, 2023
Procurement - a profession that many know little about until they fall into, and in love with, it.
Traditionally, this has appealed most to those of us who are more detail-oriented, analytical, organised and passionate about doing the right thing for our organisations by ensuring they are lean, mean and risk-free.
But with Procurement developing into a more strategic functi
Tags: Procurement, Business Strategy, Project Management
High Performance Teams
Procurement Weekly
June 16, 2023
In Procurement, effective teamwork is essential for achieving successful outcomes.
Being able to bring together cross-functional teams quickly, agree common objectives and function efficiently is a vital skill for procurement professionals.
Taking the Jargon Out of Procurement
Procurement Weekly
May 12, 2023
Procurement is often seen as a necessary evil by business teams. A slow, bureaucratic process that gets in the way of getting work done - but one they have to go through.
Whilst I'm passionate about technology - it's just not everything. In Procurement (indeed, all business) People, Process and Data come first when planning, buying and implementing new technology.
Where's the Creativity in Procurement?
Procurement Weekly
March 24, 2023
Creative Procurement people will make up 50% of the profession over the next few years according to McKinsey. But what are the attributes of these people and where can we find them?
How important do you think creativity is to Procurement?
Measuring More Than Savings
LinkedIn
February 24, 2023
Procurement cost savings have a bit of a bad reputation and often serve to alienate the function from wider business objectives. By reframing procurement to align with the wider organisations goals, we can become a strategic partner rather than a tactical cost-cutting function.
In this article, I look at some other metrics we can use, how to measure them, and a process to continuously review and improve.
Proactive Procurement Planning Prevents Poor Performance
LinkedIn
January 18, 2023
How we can get the most out of the procurement activity planning process?
Effective, continuous planning is one of the best ways to ensure your team is proactive, rather than reactive, and focussed on the most strategic activities.
How can you make your digital procurement programme a success?
LinkedIn
December 16, 2022
Digital procurement can bring significant benefits, including increased efficiency, reduced costs, and improved supplier relationships. However, implementing a successful digital procurement programme requires careful planning and execution.
Let's Make Everyone Procurement!
Procurement Weekly
August 19, 2022
Outside of Procurement, who really understands what Procurement does?
If we're honest, the dark arts of Procurement are only fully understood by practitioners.
Stakeholders switch off as soon as we talk in 'Procurement Speak'.
Unfortunately, this holds us back, meaning we aren't delivering the right level of value for our organisations.
The RFP is Dead – Long Live Agile Sourcing!
Acada
August 12, 2022
The RFP has been Procurement’s approach to managing complex sourcing for many years, providing comfort that a rigorous and objective process has been run to select a supplier.
Many months of effort on all sides go into writing lengthy sets of requirements, asking and answering questions, crafting beautiful documentation and scoring.
We talk about ‘what’ we want suppliers to do and ‘how’ we want them to do it, judging them on how close they come to our singular view of the world.
We rarely provide more than a paragraph of ‘why’ we need this or what we want to achieve.
But is an RFP the most effective way of choosing the right supplier for the job?
Realising Procurement's Potential
Procurement Weekly
July 29, 2022
Realising Procurement's Potential
Succeeding in the War for Talent
Digital Procurement - Putting People, Processes and Data First
Latest podcast episode with David Loseby
Doing more despite the talent shortage
Procurement Weekly
June 30, 2022
We're in the middle of a talent shortage, following on from two years of extremely hard work and whilst teams are under pressure to deliver inflation mitigation and more for their organisations.
How can we lighten the load, increase stakeholder satisfaction and focus on strategic priorities?
In this week's Procurement Weekly, I look at how self-service can help.
Inflation busting tips and self-service
LinkedIn
May 13, 2022
With double-digit inflation in some categories, having a strategic approach to mitigating the impact on your organisation is vital. By working through a structured process with all your existing supply base, you can simplify and speed up your review process.
Key Digital Skills, the Talent Shortage and Easy Reporting
Procurement Weekly
April 14, 2022
This week we cover:
Key Digital Skills Procurement must master
A LinkedIn Live on the Procurement Talent Shortage
How we can make Procurement reporting painless
Five digital insights from the EY CPO survey 2022
Helping Procurement teams save time so they deliver more. We've produced an innovative system for procurement people to manage their workload and give visibility to their leaders and stakeholders. Our consulting practice works with leaders to streamline processes, mitigate risks and eliminate waste
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Project Management
3 Media Interviews
Acada – Simplifying Procurement Excellence
ProcureScape
February 01, 2023
Rich Sains is the Founder and CEO of Acada. With over 20 years procurement experience and a significant portion of this focused on technology and IT, you could classify Rich as a procurement leader and digital enthusiast. With a desire to help procurement reach its potential as a strategic business function, Rich provides a small snapshot of Acada.
An Interview on Taking Procurement to the Next Level with Rich Sains
HICX
October 13, 2022
For this episode of Supplier Experience Live Podcast, we were joined by Rich Sains. Rich is a procurement practitioner who has spent over twenty years working in a number of organizations for various industries, including retail, hospitality, and FMCG. After gaining experience, Rich went on to establish his own business, Acada, which provides a procurement platform focused on performance, insights and analysis that helps procurement teams increase capacity and reduce time to value.
Increasing Day-to-Day Productivity - Richard Sains from Acada
James Meads Media & Consulting Ltd
September 02, 2020
How do we get Procurement working outside of inboxes and spreadsheets? One answer is to have a cloud-based SaaS app which shares project updates, stakeholder and supplier communication and delivery objectives all in one space.
That's what Richard Sains, my guest today, has developed. He's one of the growing contingent of former procurement professionals turned procuretech entrepreneurs!
Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Project Management
1 Panel
The Procurement Conversation
The Procurement Conversation
May 25, 2022
LinkedIn Live
Want to speed up your Procurement Processes?
The Procurement Conversation is joined by CIPS Award winner Mirko Kleiner (co-founder of Flowdays) to talk about speeding up Procurement using the Lean-Agile methodology.
Big Conversation: Talent Wars with Martin Smith and Ben Paynter
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January 13, 2024
This week we're talking about the Procurement Talent Wars - the battle for great talent within the function. I'm speaking to Ben Paynter, Procurement Director at Burberry and Martin Smith, owner and founder of the Talent Group and host of Talent Talks podcast to get their inside perspect
Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain
Digital Special: Your Digital A-Team with Joël Collin-Demers
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January 06, 2024
So you are starting a Procurement Technology implementation but you don't have a team?Which roles are vital for success, who are these people and where can we find the best?I speak to Joël Collin-Demers in a two-way interview about our experiences working with the best in the Procurement Techn
Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain
Big Conversation: The Gender Problem (part 2)
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December 10, 2023
Following on from part 1 of this episode, Sharon and I are joined by Mary Ann Sieghard, author of 'The Authority Gap - Why women are still taken less seriously than men and what we can do about it'.The book details the bias that is still pervasive in society and workplace, how this impacts
Tags: Leadership, Procurement, Supply Chain
Big Conversation - Procurement Super Skills
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December 03, 2023
This week we're covering 'soft' skills - but perhaps 'Super Skills' is a more appropriate name for how these skills can impact Procurement. The return on investment in developing these skills is massive on a personal, professional and organisational level.I talk to Barry Ho
Tags: Leadership, Procurement, Supply Chain
Big Conversation: The Gender Problem (part 1)
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November 25, 2023
Welcome to the first of our Big Conversation series. We're talking about the biggest topics currently facing procurement and the first one is a massive one.Why are only 25% of senior leaders in Procurement female? And why are those leaders paid 25% less than their male counterparts in the UK?
Tags: Leadership, Procurement, Supply Chain
CPO Conversation - Richard Jamison
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August 05, 2023
This week I speak to Richard Jamison, Head of Procurement and Property at Grant Thornton UK. We speak about:1. His journey transitioning from IT to procurement and how this background in IT influenced his approach to procurement.2. Starting up a greenfield procurement function.3. How he has built r
Tags: Leadership, Procurement, Supply Chain
CPO Conversation - Tim Snow
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April 21, 2023
This week I speak to Tim Snow, Vice President Procurement, Commercial Contracts, Insurance and Sustainability at Inmarsat.Given Tim has a wider commercial role including areas not traditionally in the procurement remit, I asked him:* How he balances his procurement responsibilities with a broader ro
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
CPO Conversation - Lauren Jones
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February 28, 2023
This week I spoke to Lauren Jones, CPO at Amazon Fresh. We covered:The one thing she wants her CEO to know about procHow she defines and measures success for her teamIf there is a talent shortage or is it an excuse What the future holds for procurementWhat's her biggest mistake and what she l
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
CPO Conversation - Lauren Richards
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February 28, 2023
This week I spoke to Lauren Richards, CPO at Amazon Fresh. We covered:The one thing she wants her CEO to know about procHow she defines and measures success for her teamIf there is a talent shortage or is it an excuse What the future holds for procurementWhat's her biggest mistake and what sh
Tags: Leadership, Procurement, Supply Chain
CPO Conversation - Roger Davies
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February 21, 2023
This week we're joined by Roger Davies, CPO from M&S, John Lewis and deliveroo - a great selection of British institutions.I spoke to Roger about:The most important thing he learnt in his careerHis leadership philosophyWhat skills we need for the future of procurementWhat does the future
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
CPO Conversation - Nick Jenkinson
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February 14, 2023
Nick Jenkinson is Santander's Interim CPO reaching the end of a 2-year transformation programme. In this episode we talk about:* His approach to making sure new tech lands* His main objectives in his transformation programme* Why digital transformation is so difficult* How we get the right ba
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
CPO Conversation: Simon Geale
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November 14, 2022
This week I talk to Simon Geale, CPO of Proxima and we talk about:* Early jobs missing from his CV* What it's like being a CPO responsible for marketing* The biggest issues CPOs face right now* What Proxima is working on and what skills they are looking for* What Procurement needs to change to
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
CPO Conversation: Andrew Newnham
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November 02, 2022
This week I talk to Andrew Newnham, CPO of M&S and we cover:* How Procurement can drive strategy* What skills he looks for in his team* Balancing risk mitigation with getting stuff done* What he thinks the future holds for Procurement* The book that has most influenced his career
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
CPO Conversation: Tom Mills
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September 25, 2022
I talk to Tom Mills on his passion for Procurement, building a following on Social Media, his favourite Music and what the future holds for Procurement.Tom can be found:https://procurementprotagonist.substack.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-mills-procurement/
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
CPO Conversation: Peter Smith
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September 11, 2022
This week I'm joined by Peter Smith, author of Bad Buying, co-author of Procurement with Purpose, Procurement Expert and former CPO. His books are excellent and available through all good bookstores.I asked Peter:Why Procurement?Is the interpersonal side of Procurement more or less important
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
What Should Procurement Stop Doing? With Tom Mills.
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June 08, 2022
Procurement has had a frantic couple of years, dealing with many challenges that we may have previously had to face once in a career, seemingly every few months. With many teams feeling the strain, something must give. So what should we stop doing?The Procurement Conversation panel is joined by Pr
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
How Can We Speed Up Procurement? With Mirko Kleiner.
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May 26, 2022
Want to speed up your Procurement Processes?Over the last couple of years business has been speeding up - but procurement is getting more and more bogged down with addition process work. Getting slower isn't an option, so how can we speed up procurement?That's the question we're tac
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
Why is Digitising Procurement so Hard? With Steve Day
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May 12, 2022
In this episode we ask 'Why is Digitising Procurement so Hard?'The secret is that it isn't really - but over many years we have invested much time and money in programmes which have been poorly adopted and haven't landed.What can we do differently to turn this around and realise
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
Episode 2: How Procurement Can Tackle Inflation
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May 09, 2022
Rising inflation is all over the news - how can we in procurement help our organisations to mitigate the impact of this on the bottom line? Our panel is joined by Tracey Giblin Kelly who is a chartered accountant and finance director of Kavita's business, Novo-K. Tracey gives the finance vi
Tags: Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Procurement
Refresh - Business Transformation Podcast
Refresh - Business Transformation
July 30, 2020
In today’s market, how can you keep your business relevant and one step ahead of the competition? We look at how you can transform your business to drive real growth and efficiency.
Tags: Business Strategy, Customer Experience, Digital Transformation
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Procurement Digital Transformation Consulting
Location: London, UK and Virtual Fees: 13500
Service Type: Service Offered
At Acada, we specialise in how to best develop a strategic plan for procurement transformation and execute this plan. We work with leaders to review capability, processes, systems and map out a clear plan to transform the function.
Join Thinkers360 for free! Are you a Reader/Writer, Thought Leader/Influencer (looking to increase your earnings), or an Enterprise User (looking to work with experts)?
Selling the True Value of Procurement
Getting your Organisation to Invest in Procurement
Speeding up Sourcing
How Self Service Can Save Your Procurement Team From Burnout | Acada's Procurement Blog
Top Ten Procurement Soft Skills | Acada's Procurement Blog
How the Best Procurement Teams Operate | Acada's Procurement Blog
The RFP is Dead - Long Live Agile Sourcing! | Acada's Procurement Blog
Attracting the best talent to Procurement | Acada's Procurement Blog
Realising Procurement's Potential | Acada's Procurement Blog
Procurement - stop doing these things! | Acada's Procurement Blog
Supercharge your Digital Transformation With These Top 3 Tips | Acada's Procurement Blog
Let's Target the Root Cause of Overwork: Poor Systems and Processes | Acada's Procurement Blog
Digital transformation is about people, not technology | Acada's Procurement Blog
How procurement can better engage the C-Suite post-pandemic | Acada's Procurement Blog
How's the 'Great Resignation' affecting Procurement? | Acada's Procurement Blog
8 steps to your Procurement Digital Roadmap | Acada's Procurement Blog
How to Provide an Exceptional Stakeholder Experience
Networking - a Procurement Superpower
Lessons from 25 episodes
Selling the Value of Procurement
Getting your Organisation to Invest More in Procurement
Productivity Hacks for Procurement
9 Procurement Priorities for 2024
CPO Conversations
How Self Service Can Save Your Team From Burnout
Becoming Excellent in Procurement
What the Best Procurement Teams Do
Attracting the Best Talent to Procurement
High Performance Teams
Taking the Jargon Out of Procurement
Why Technology Comes Last
Where's the Creativity in Procurement?
Measuring More Than Savings
Proactive Procurement Planning Prevents Poor Performance
How can you make your digital procurement programme a success?
Let's Make Everyone Procurement!
The RFP is Dead – Long Live Agile Sourcing!
Realising Procurement's Potential
Doing more despite the talent shortage
Inflation busting tips and self-service
Key Digital Skills, the Talent Shortage and Easy Reporting
Acada
Acada – Simplifying Procurement Excellence
An Interview on Taking Procurement to the Next Level with Rich Sains
Increasing Day-to-Day Productivity - Richard Sains from Acada
The Procurement Conversation
CPO Conversation - Tim Snow
CPO Conversation - Lauren Jones
CPO Conversation - Roger Davies
CPO Conversation - Nick Jenkinson
CPO Conversation: Simon Geale
CPO Conversation: Andrew Newnham
CPO Conversation: Tom Mills
CPO Conversation: Peter Smith
The People Side of Procurement Digital Transformation with David Loseby
Ensuring ethical labour in your supply chain with Alex Gosney
What Should Procurement Stop Doing? With Tom Mills.
How Can We Speed Up Procurement? With Mirko Kleiner.
Why is Digitising Procurement so Hard? With Steve Day
Episode 2: How Procurement Can Tackle Inflation
Episode 1: The Procurement Talent Shortage
