Art of Procurement

The makeup of the workforce is changing rapidly.  Statistics show that organizations are looking to hire part-time, temporary words more than ever before, as they look to become more agile and reduce their fixed costs. At the same time, the service industry and enabling technology that underpins the flow of contingent workers is undergoing a revolution.  It feels like hardly a week goes by before I read about the launch of another platform, technology or partnership in the space. So how can we make sense of all these moving parts, and enable our organizations take advantage of the future of work? This is the topic of today’s show, with contingent workforce expert Terri Gallagher.  This is the third in a three part series on contingent labor and procurement, and definitely the most thought provoking! If you are a procurement professional with responsibility for shaping continent labor strategies, or a consultant who wants to learn how organizations will be buying your services in the future, today’s show is a must listen! For more information, visit http://artofprocurement.com/futureofwork  

David Hearn is on a mission to help forward thinking procurement leaders transform their procurement organizations from being tactical to strategic.  As a practitioner, he has led three different organizations - Juniper, Kaiser Permanente and Sun Microsystems, through this transformation journey.   In today's Art of Procurement, David shares what he has learned from his experiences to date - what works, and what does not - and he discusses the importance that technology plays in driving the changes that are necessary for a transformation program to be successful. For more information, visit http://artofprocurement.com/transformation  

A week has passed since the UK electorate shocked the world by voting to leave the EU.  In this episode, I share my personal feelings on the vote, and also explore both the short term impact and what I believe is the most likely long term outcome. In the short term, I believe that the Brexit vote provides an opportunity for procurement professionals and leaders to position themselves as the go-to contacts for the c-suite in managing the supply side volatility that is a natural consequence of the result.  So, for today's show, I immediately reached out to Susan Grelling. Susan is an economist, CPO and Risk Management executive who also has first hand experience of the impact of the Soviet Union breakup.  Susan is ideally positioned to provide guidance on how procurement can navigate volatility while minimizing risk to the benefit of our organizations. For more information, visit http://artofprocurement.com/brexitreaction 

In the second part of our Value Based Procurement series, I am joined today by former CPO & Founder of Supply Chain Advisors Joanna Martinez and Jordan Early of Old Street Labs.  Joanna, Jordan and I explore where to look to find opportunities to create value for our organizations.  We discuss a wide range of options, from supplier driven innovation to how to make a stakeholders experience with procurement more streamlined and user friendly. For more information, visit http://artofprocurement.com/procurementvalue 

Let's undermine the status quo. Stand Up. Speak Out. Drive Change. Today on the Art of Procurement, I am excited to launch a new procurement event in conjunction with Buyers Meeting Point and Kelly Barner: The Procurement Revolution. In today's show, Kelly and I explain the philosophy behind The Procurement Revolution, what it is, and how you can get involved! For more information, visit http://artofprocurement.com/TPRlaunch 

In my experience, e-auctions are often used and abused for the wrong reasons.  However, if you use them strategically, they can be a very powerful tool in your sourcing tool kit. In today's show, I explore the critical success factors that determine the successful of your next e-auction. Alun Rafique and Anya McKenna of Market Dojo explain the necessary steps you must take at all stages of an auction - from pre-event preparation to post-even communication. For more information, visit http://artofprocurement.com/auctiontips  

It has been a couple of months since I opened up the curtains and shared with you some updates about the Art of Procurement.  However, I have a couple of announcements to make that I am really excited about, and I cover these in today's Art of Procurement Friday show.

  Business acumen is an often cited skill needed to be successful in the "new" procurement.  But what exactly is it, and how does it apply to procurement? This was the topic of conversation in today's interview with Jim Barnes, the Managing Director of ISM Services.  Jim highlights 10 different traits that he sees - in his experience helping procurement leaders increase the capabilities of their teams - that collectively make up the concept of business acumen.  Jim also shares which he believes are the most important skills, and how leaders can begin to develop these capabilities in their teams. For more information, visit http://artofprocurement.com/acumen.  

Today's Friday Show is in response to a listener question: how can I get early engagement with my business stakeholders? In this episode, I take a look back at my experiences as a practitioner, and look at the key elements that differentiated the projects where I was able to engage early and those where I was nothing more than a rubber stamp. For more information, go to: http://artofprocurement.com/61  

We hear a lot about the changing procurement skill set, and the difficulty that CPO’s are experiencing in hiring the talent they require. However, what is the reality, and if so, how can procurement leaders adjust? And how can procurement professionals stand out from the crowd? My guest today on the Art of Procurement is Greg Tennyson, the Chief Procurement Officer of VSP Global. Greg explains why the talent shortage isn’t as black and white as it may seem, and he shares what he looks for when hiring and promoting procurement talent. For more information, visit http://artofprocurement.com/greg