Art of Procurement

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

This week's Friday Show is a little different. A recurring theme in my discussions with procurement thought leaders is the need to expand the value that we bring to being more than cost savings alone. With that in mind, I started working with Joanna Martinez (former CPO and Founder of Supply Chain Advisors) and Jordan Early (Head of Research at Old Street Labs) on a series of shows dedicated to the concept of value based procurement. Joanna, Jordan and I met earlier this week to start mapping out the series. I loved the points being raised so much that I asked Joanna and Jordan if I could hit the record button. What follows is a short conversation on what value based procurement is, and why it is so important to our future. For more information, visit http://artofprocurement.com/valueintro

How organizations use third party procurement services like outsourcing is evolving rapidly. While only a short time ago, procurement outsourcing was synonymous with job losses, it is now being used as an enabler for growth. In this episode of the Art of Procurement, Mike Jacobs, Chief Procurement Officer of Staples, explains how Staples uses procurement BPO to enable his internal team to focus on providing value to their stakeholders and elevating the role of procurement. For more information, go to http://artofprocurement.com/mikejacobs

This week, rather than publish my normal Friday solo show, I am going to share another great interview. Procurement consulting firm Advanced Purchasing Dynamics (APD) recently surveyed a cross section of President's, CEO's and CFO's across the manufacturing industry to understand how they perceived the role of procurement. To any procurement professional, regardless of industry, the results were both eye opening and alarming! Today's guest on the show is Jeoff Burris, the Founder of APD. Jeoff shares the key findings from APD's research, and how he believes that procurement leaders and professionals should react to build build stronger relationships and relevancy with the c-suite. For show notes, visit http://artofprocurement.com/ceo

Today's guest on the Art of Procurement is Tom Derry, CEO is ISM (Institute for Supply Management). Tom and I sat down at last week's ISM 2016 Conference to discuss his key takeaways from the event, and how ISM is evolving to meet the changing needs of its members. Tom then answered a number of quick fire questions, including a question asking if we are facing a talent deficit in procurement. Listen in to hear Tom's answer! For show notes, visit http://artofprocurement.com/ism2016