Art of Procurement

Recruiting and strategic sourcing actually have a lot in common – even beyond the role that risk appetites play in decision making. In both cases, the sooner you get a specialist or expert involved, the better stated your requirements will be, and the better the outcomes you can achieve. It can also be hard to break free from historical approaches to meeting needs, whether that means escaping the...

We're all positive that digital automation is the right way forward for procurement, but why? Are we pursuing progress for its own sake or to achieve an expanded range of procurement contributions? Put more simply, what do you plan to do with the time freed up by smart automation? I'm joined today by Jens Hentschel, Founder and CEO of THE FIVIS PARTNERSHIP, a consultancy and training company based...

This month, AOP revives and reimagines 'This Month in Procurement' as an informal monthly discussion of podcasts, news and trends. In this episode, AOP Host Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner (AOP Content Director and Owner of Buyers Meeting Point) share their secrets for surviving the unceasing onslaught of procurement content and discuss their major take-aways from the month's podcast episodes. In J...

We constantly read about disruptive change affecting companies and entire markets. The source of that disruption is always positioned as the hero - but what about the other characters in each of those stories? What if you are living through change that is not of your own making? I'm joined today by Joanna Martinez, Founder of Supply Chain Advisors, LLC and author of the new book, A Guide to Positi...

Entrepreneurship and innovation are highly prized in today's business environment, but has procurement managed to deliver its fair share of either? I'm joined today by Sarah Scudder, President of the Real Sourcing Network (RSN), a company that provides clients with print management software that allows them to manage the print category in-house. In our conversation we discuss a wide range of topic...

How can procurement leaders create the environment necessary to attract the next generation of talent into the profession - and help them fulfill their potential? I'm joined today by returning guest Charlotte de Brabandt - ISM's 2018 30 Under 30 Winner - and Yannick Blattler, the Managing Director of NeoViso, a consulting firm that helps companies more effectively engage with Gen Z. In our convers...

Are you ready for 2019?  In today's podcast - the last of 2018 - I reflect on what has changed for procurement this year, and what hasn't!  I then share a couple of predictions for 2019, including my recommendations for areas of technology investment next year.  Finally, I leave 2018 with three questions to consider over the holiday break that will help you kick-start your change journey in 2019. 

Out of the 232 podcasts to date, today is the first time that we dig into GPO's - or Group Purchasing Organizations. And as I planned out this topic, I invited today's guest, Jay Black, to join me. Jay is Vice President at Insight Sourcing Group and has significant experience in the GPO space, selling and operating services under a number of different GPO delivery models. I'll be honest and say th...

Today on the show I am joined by Mike Morsch. Mike is the Vice President of Global Procurement and Supply Chain at CDK Global. Mike shares more about CDK in our interview, but to give you some context, CDK Global is a $2B+ revenue company that provides technology and digital marketing solutions to the automotive dealership industry. They were formally the Dealer Services division of ADP before bei...

My guest is Edmund Zagorin.  Edmund in the founder and CEO of BidOps, and I hope he won't mind me saying, but a technology geek when it comes to procurement. Our conversation today focuses on the application of emerging technology to the sourcing process - particularly complex sourcing events - and the subsequent negotiation process. Of particular interest to me was Edmund's quest to automate the...

This week is Thanksgiving here in the US… a time when most people are thinking about spending time with their families rather than listening to a procurement podcast! So with that in mind, I thought I'd wait until next week to release another interview. I'm going to be spending a lot of my week planning for 2019; for Art of Procurement, and for our CatalystCo product and service roadmap. As I do t...

Today's episode was recorded last month at the SIG Fall Summit, with my good friend Antonio Humphreys. Antonio is Senior Manager of Global Procure to Pay at Adobe in San Jose, California. Antonio is a returnee to Art of Procurement, having previously joined me last year back on episode 157 when we discussed the Marketing category and general procurement organizational development. Today, we focuse...

Normal service is resumed on the podcast today, as we return to our weekly interview format! Today, I'm joined by one of my good friends, Alison Smith. Alison has a broad range of procurement experience - as a practitioner, service provider, trainer, facilitator, and coach! I was first introduced to Alison's work via her moniker of The Purchasing Coach. I really enjoyed reading her blog, and her p...

226: #TakeAction: 15-Minutes a Day I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the pod...

225: #TakeAction: Have an Opinion on the Future of Procurement I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know m...

224: #TakeAction: Increase Your "CQ" I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the p...

223: #TakeAction: Mind Your Language I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the p...

222: #TakeAction: Develop Optionality I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to the...

221: #TakeAction: Reputational Decision Making I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you liste...

220: #TakeAction: Show You Care (Pay Your Supplier) I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you...

219: #TakeAction: One Technology at a Time I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen to...

218: #TakeAction: Simplify Your Specification I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen...

217: #TakeAction: Overcome Your CEO's Apathy I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you listen...

216: #TakeAction: What Keeps Them Up At Night? I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you liste...

215: #TakeAction: Raise the Level of Your Game I do not have an interview for you today. In fact, for the month of October, we are going to do something completely different. I ask practitioners about their challenges where ever I go, and the single piece of feedback I get is that for all the great ideas they read and hear about, it is hard to put them into practice First, I know many of you liste...