Art of Procurement

Procurement doesn’t just have a measurement problem. It has a motivation problem.

Behind every misaligned target, every “savings” claim, and every missed opportunity is the same invisible culprit: incentives that quietly tell people to do the wrong things well.

In this episode of Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement, Jason Brown, accounting professor at Indiana University and longtime corpor...

“Everyone keeps talking about AI just for the sake of AI, but, ultimately, the only thing that matters is the outcome you can achieve.” - Baber Farooq, Senior Vice President, Market Strategy, Procurement Solutions at SAP

Procurement leaders have long felt the pinch: rising expectations, tight budgets, and platforms that struggle to keep up with user expectations. As AI shifts from a buzzword to true capabi...

“There is no stagnancy in a supply relationship. Continuous improvement is the basis for that.” - Neji Isaac, Global Category Manager, NOVA Chemicals

Procurement often measures success in cost savings and contract terms, but today's business environment demands more. 

As supplier markets consolidate and customer needs shift, procurement leaders must find new ways to bring value to the business...

In this Phil-Ins episode of “Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement,” Philip Ideson, Rich Ham, and Kelly Barner reflect on their conversations with Bayer CPO Thomas Udesen, franchise procurement leader Kristine Morton, and procurement entrepreneur Jason Busch.

Despite differences in scope, scale, and sector, the through-line is unmistakable: common sense. 

For example, Thomas showed how Bayer ...

“Play the long game, avoid myopic thinking and approaches to solve immediate problems as much as you can, and treat your suppliers as your customers or clients.” 
– Darshan Deshmukh, President at ProcureAbility

Procurement leaders are facing unpara...

“We’re in the business of change – selling change and then delivering it.” - Gordon Donovan, Vice President Research - Procurement & External Workforce, SAP 

In an era of overlapping crises, procurement faces fast-evolving challenges… and opportunities. 

Senior leaders are tasked with not only keeping the engine running but also building resilient, future-facing teams that thrive in complexity...

“We can all claim savings without necessarily achieving the result.” 

This stark observation from Jason Busch sums up decades of dysfunction in how procurement measures their impact and why AI may finally force a (much-needed) reckoning with reality.

In this episode of “Buy: The Way...To Purposeful Procurement,” Jason joins co-hosts Philip Ideson and Rich Ham to explore how artificial intellig...

“Procurement is going to be on the front lines, creating competitive advantage for the corporation.” - Vel Dhinagaravel, CEO at Beroe

AI isn’t just a buzzword anymore… it’s rapidly becoming procurement’s sharpest tool for staying ahead. 

Business leaders now demand more than “check-the-box” savings; they want real, data-driven competitiveness that puts their organizations at the front of the p...

“A decision abyss is the chasm that forms between critical supply chain functions… and that's what keeps and prevents organizations from making fast, cross-functional, well-informed data-driven decisions.” – Keith Hartley, CEO and Board Member at LevaData, CEO of The Abyss Group

In today’s hyper-connected supply chains, data is everywhere, but turning it into fast, confident decisions remains elusive. The ...

When Kristine Morton's was first introduced to the flawed incentive structures plaguing much of corporate procurement, she said, “That all sounds stupid."  Her blunt reaction reveals something profound: it is possible to build a procurement career without ever encountering the dysfunctional systems that dominate so many large organizations.

In this episode of "Buy: The Way...To Purposeful Procurement," Kri...

“ProcureTech100 is the voice of the user. It's the voice of the customer. We want the perspective of those who are using these solutions every day, who have done proof of concepts, and who have seen the ROI.” - Philip Ideson, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Art of Procurement

Today’s procurement leaders are surrounded by tech innovation and disruption, but separating real value from empty hype is more ...

"Business partnering is what sets apart good procurement teams from great procurement teams, especially in indirect procurement... Those who are good at partnering with the business, they actually are able to excel." - Sasha Sergeev, Director of Technical & Corporate Procurement, Nova Chemicals

Procurement must evolve beyond traditional cost-focused metrics to become true business partners that drive organ...

“Savings is completely self-invented and pointless because it's separated from the real P&L."

This assessment from Bayer Chief Procureme...

"I believe if you can define it, you can source it. And if you can source it, you can auction it." - Adam Collins, Head of Sales, Esker

Procurement teams are navigating unprecedented global disruptions, from tariffs and geopolitical tensions to supply chain instabilities that refuse to settle. 

What if these chaotic conditions actually present procurement's greatest opportunity to demonstrate ...

There is no template for transformation. You have to build transformation for the organization that you're in. Go and learn as much as you can about the organization and then pivot where you need to.” 
- Tanya Roach, Director of Procurement, Federated Co-operatives Limited

Building procurement from scratch is never easy… let alone within a 90-year-old organization, during a pandemic, and with business dema...

Halfway through their journey toward purposeful procurement, the co-hosts confront a fundamental question: if procurement drives value in so many ways beyond cost savings, why do incentive structures ignore virtually everything else?

In this episode of "Buy: The Way...To Purposeful Procurement," Philip Ideson, Rich Ham, and Kelly Barner discuss insights from their recent conversations with Martin Chilcott ...

“Deglobalization is a nice soundbite, but the reality is, we need more focus on risk management and mitigation.” – Philip Ideson, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Art of Procurement

Deglobalization is a hot topic right now, but behind the big headlines and boardroom buzzwords, real change is proving to be slow, complicated, and deeply influenced by geopolitics and regulation. 

Are companies r...

"I think we have hit a tipping point where procurement has become a pretty complicated practice. There's so many options and choices and optimizations with concepts that are just so alien to the typical user." - Jason Kim, Senior Director of Product Management, Coupa

The procurement technology landscape demands solutions that work for both power users and occasional requesters, yet many organizations strug...