Rebuild Procurement Podcast

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement, with special guest Mike Brough from Starbucks, as they take a look at the captivating journey of how your favorite cup of coffee is sourced, from farm to cup. On this very first edition of "How It's Sourced, discover the critical role of procurement in the supply chain and the unseen efforts that guarantee quality and sustainability as Mike shares fascinating insights on sourcing ...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at Chinese tariff impacts on the procurement landscape. What is the essential art of driving procurement results beyond mere savings? Discover why aligning stakeholder expectations and communicating impact is the secret to procurement success. Explore the power of strategic category management paired with specialized execution teams to maximize value. Learn how tenacity a...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at the critical role of category management in driving procurement success. Discover how understanding stakeholder dynamics can elevate your procurement strategies and enhance organizational alignment. Explore the powerful Kraljic Matrix framework and its implications for effective spend management. Learn why balancing centralized and decentralized procurement is essentia...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they discuss the recent tariffs imposed by the U.S. government, exploring their implications for procurement teams within various sectors of the economy, particularly manufacturing and professional services. They delve into the concept of anchoring in negotiations, the need for reshoring manufacturing back to the U.S., and the potential impacts on the five largest industries in the countr...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at stakeholder experience, now considered the number one most important thing to focus on in procurement. They’ll dive into the importance of intake, implementation, and service levels, including real-world examples of procurement organizations. Discover how procurement can build strong relationships by operating as a customer service function and the value of viewing sta...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at the thrilling world of corporate espionage in the procurement space. Discover the shocking allegations surrounding Deal and Rippling that have sent ripples through the industry. Uncover the transformative strategies that procurement teams must adopt to stay ahead in an ever-evolving landscape. Explore the importance of stakeholder experience in making procurement a sea...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at the intriguing dynamics between merchandising and procurement at Costco. Discover how Costco's strategic shift from American Express to Visa reshaped their customer experience and financial model. Explore the critical role of procurement professionals in negotiating favorable terms that impact the bottom line. Learn about the unique skill sets required for merchan...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they build semi-sophisticated AI powered contract review app using a stack that features Replit, Google Notebook LM, and OpenAI. Learn how even non-coders can harness AI tools to create effective applications that reduce costs while evaluating how ChatGPT, Gemini, Deepseek, Grok, Claude, and others compare. Watch a real-world procurement SaaS developed using these powerful AI models. Unde...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at the current wave of layoffs sweeping through government and various industries. Discover the crucial role of networking while navigating career transitions during uncertain times, and how investing 10% of your week back into growing your professional network. Hear insights on crafting compelling resumes that stand out in a competitive job market. Understand the power o...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at the latest innovations transforming the procurement landscape. After Alan show's off his new face (grown in Idaho), he discusses his firsthand experience with the groundbreaking Ray-Ban Meta AI powered glasses and their potential impact on productivity. Uncover a few secrets behind building a robust information diet that fuels professional and personal growth. Ala...

Join Tom, and only Tom this week on Rebuild Procurement as he takes a look at the impactful legacy of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Discover the scandals that led to its creation and why it remains relevant today. Explore how corporate governance has evolved since the early 2000s and the lessons learned from past mistakes. Delve into the role of whistleblowers in shaping corporate accountability and transparency. Uncover the complexities...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at the evolving landscape of trade wars and tariffs. Discover the historical context behind the current U.S.-China trade tensions and why they matter. Explore how previous tariff acts, like Smoot-Hawley, shaped global trade dynamics and influenced economic downturns. Learn about the intricate relationship between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico amid ongoing negotiations and ...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at the game-changing AI model DeepSeek that’s shaking up the tech world. Dive into how a Chinese quant genius is rewriting the rules of generative AI with an open-source approach. Explore the potential fallout for tech giants like Nvidia and OpenAI as competition heats up. Uncover the surprising implications of running powerful AI models on everyday devices. Hear Tom’s fi...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at the whirlwind of executive orders from President Trump and their surprising impact on trade, energy, and the federal workforce. Explore the debate around remote work mandates and how executives plan to reshape office life in 2025. Discover how Netflix’s latest price hikes could offer clues for procurement professionals navigating pricing strategies. Dive into the intri...

Join Tom and Alan on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at the insurance policy apocalypse in California and all of the variables, risk, and calculations that go into different policies for business and for personal lines from a procurement perspective. Deep wisdom from Tom's progeny on building a stronger mind and body by practicing to use both sides of the body. Different takes from Alan and Tom on how to masterplan you...

Join Tom and Alan with special guest Paul Odell-Scott on Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at some intriguing predictions for 2025, and we gear up for a new year that promises to be more than rememberable. With many countries trending toward nationalism, will globalism continue to take hold? There are some big time beneficiaries of the rise in Bitcoin. US microchip manufacturing is poised to win big. The biggest winner in 202...

Join Tom and Alan on a special episode of Rebuild Procurement as they take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers in 2024 both in business and in procurement. Find out what procurement insiders think and are really saying about ZipHQ.com after seeing it operate first hand in a world class procurement org. $600M worth of pain for McKinsey, and the price the rest of the world paid for evil management consulting advice. Alan...

Join Tom and Alan on a special episode of Rebuild Procurement just in time for Christmas. On this latest show Tom gets festive, and Alan brings the Christmas gnome to your home.  They discuss the 2024 PNC Christmas Price Index (CPI) and highlight categories that have experienced more significant inflation for an average of 5.4% in 2024. On behalf of the entire Rebuild Procurement Podcast team, Summit Procurement and CostCutPro fami...

Join Tom and Alan on the latest episode of Rebuild Procurement as they discuss opportunity that exists in consolidated markets for innovation in defense and in banking. Have the 5 main suppliers in the DOD's supply base led to massive stagnation? Tom takes on a trip down memory lane in the financial sector. Who remembers Wachovia? This year instead of New Year's resolutions, let our hosts pontificate on why you should try...