Jon Hansen (PI Window on The World)

At the recent Long View Systems #ActivateDigital2018 Conference, I had the opportunity to meet with some of the most notable thought leaders from the high tech industry and beyond. In what is the first of eight podcast interviews I did with amazing individuals such as Microsoft’s new President Kevin Peesker, NetApp’s Jon Mellon, and HPE’s new Vice President and General Manager John Dathan about digital transformation and its impact on our world today. This week I sit down with Microsoft President Kevin Peesker.

At the recent Long View Systems #ActivateDigital2018 Conference, I had the opportunity to meet with some of the most notable thought leaders from the high tech industry and beyond to talk about digital transformation and its impact on everything from business, to the economy and even gender from the standpoint of the pressing need for more women in the STEM fields. In what is the first of eight podcast interviews I did with amazing individuals such as Microsoft’s new President Kevin Peesker, NetApp’s Jon Mellon, and HPE’s new Vice President and General Manager John Dathan

Back in April I welcomed Ivalua SVP Sales and Business Development Amol Joshi to the show to talk about the company's big win Arizona, as well as successes with Quebec Hydro, Toronto’s Cadillac Fairview, and other notable account wins including US Foods, Honeywell and Credit Suisse. To say that Ivalua is a company on the rise may be an understatement, especially given their recent acquisition of Directworks, a company who has cloud-based platform that provides supplier management and process automation solutions for the manufacturing sector. Joining me today to discuss the "business" implications of this news is Alex Saric. Alex is Ivalua's CMO, and we will be focusing on the following three discussion points; 1. In my April interview with Amol Joshi, I suggested that we are perhaps seeing "the dawn of a new era, where companies such as Ivalua will begin to dominate both the market and its traditional big players." He did not disagree. Within this context, and from a business and branding standpoint, how important is this acquisition? 2. One thing that stood out from my discussion with Amol is his comment that before now, companies like Ariba and COUPA never took Ivalua seriously. At the time he said that with the Arizona win, as well as the other new client additions, he believed that this would all change going forward. What message does the Directworks acquisition send to your competitors? 3. Is this the first of what could possibly be many "strategic" acquisitions? How does the company view the acquisition approach to gaining both technical superiority and increased market share? 

In October I had the privilege of moderating two panels featuring international industry experts discussing some of our industry's most pressing questions. I am pleased to provide you with this PI Window On The World exclusive broadcast of one of those discussions which were on supplier risk assessment and mitigation. INNOVATION TRACK (Lafitte Room)  The Evolution of Supplier Risk Assessment and Mitigation - A Panel Discussion  Panelists:  Bill Michel, CEO at Aripart Consulting, Business Advisor, Author, Professional Speaker Abdullatif Albastaki, Senior Vice President (Head - Retail Infrastructure and Automated Banking Services Retail Banking & Wealth Management), Emirates NBD  Gerard Smith, President, Global Risk Management Solutions (GRMS)  Moderator:  Jon Hansen, Writer and Speaker, Procurement Insights 

Okay, so I took some liberties with the famous Mark Twain, and Charles Dudley Warner joke about the weather and made it about risk. However, and different from the weather, procurement professionals can do something about risk, but for whatever reason choose not to. At least this is what one study reported when it was disclosed that while 80 percent of companies do background checks on their employees, just 20 percent screen their suppliers. Joining me today to talk about this disconnect is The Hackett Group's Chris Sawchuk, who's paper Emerging Options for Supply Chain Risk Management attempts to shed some light on what is a growing issue in the rapidly expanding global marketplace. I will be asking Chris these questions; Going back at least a decade, there has been the ready acknowledgment on the part of organizations that while risk exists not enough is being done to mitigate said risks. Why?In your recent paper, you state that the risk-management software tools that are currently available on the market "are still immature" when it comes to an integrated view of risk and that this leaves a lot of room for growth. To what degree does this limitation contribute to the current gap between recognition of risk and addressing it?Within an organization who should take ownership for managing and mitigating risk? 

On April 10th, 2017, I received a press release announcing that Spend Matters released its first SolutionMap, an essential tool for procurement executives and their teams to assess and understand vendor capability on an ongoing basis. In today's segment, I am joined by Spend Matters' Chief Research Officer Pierre Mitchell to talk about SolutionMap, including the just-released rankings focusing on the following four questions; To start, what was the inspiration behind SolutionMap, and how is it different from a Magic Quadrant?There is reference to “rankings (that) are based equally on demonstrated technology/solution capability as well as on customer input.” How large is the customer pool, and how do you correlate the two?Let's talk about the most current rankings. What stands out the most in terms the company's referenced? What is the best way for those accessing the reports to use the information?Looking ahead to the future, what is the long-term vision for the SolutionMap tool?

Okay, so I took some liberties with the famous Mark Twain, and Charles Dudley Warner joke about the weather and made it about risk. However, and different from the weather, procurement professionals can do something about risk, but for whatever reason choose not to. At least this is what one study reported when it was disclosed that while 80 percent of companies do background checks on their employees, just 20 percent screen their suppliers. Joining me today to talk about this disconnect is CreditRiskMonitor CEO Jerry Flum to try and shed some light on what is a growing issue in the rapidly expanding global marketplace. I will be asking Jerry these questions; Going back at least a decade, there has been the ready acknowledgment on the part of organizations that while risk exists not enough is being done to mitigate said risks. Why?In a recent Hackett Group paper, Chris Sawchuk stated that the risk-management software tools that are currently available on the market "are still immature" when it comes to an integrated view of risk and that this leaves a lot of room for growth. To what degree does this limitation contribute to the current gap between recognition of risk and addressing it?Within an organization who should take ownership of managing and mitigating risk?

The Procurious Big Ideas Summit that is scheduled to take place on September 28th in Chicago promises to bring across the pond the same energy and insights as last years event in the UK. To do this, the organizers have lined up an impressive array of speakers, one of whom will be joining me today. Over the next 30-minutes, I will be talking with IBM Vice President of Global Procurement Graham Wright, and we will be focusing on the following discussion points; 1. In your Procurious Big Ideas Summit, you will be talking about transformation being the "new norm" as organizations look for ways to respond to an "onslaught of shocks."  Right off the bat, to what shocks are you referring and, what future shocks can we expect? 2. You will also be talking about a "best-practice" approach or way to transform the procurement function. However, there is a difference between being aware and prepared, and taking meaningful action. How do you move companies from a state of inertia in the face of acknowledged risk and motivate them to transform their organizations? 3. What do organizations need to do, from a best practices standpoint, to respond and adapt to the shocks to which you are referring? Be sure to visit the Procurement Insights Blog, and share your opinions on this segment or for that matter any topic using the Procurement Insights Open Talk hashtag #PIOpenTalk

The Procurious Big Ideas Summit that is scheduled to take place on September 28th in Chicago promises to bring across the pond the same energy and insights as last years event in the UK. To do this, the organizers have lined up an impressive array of speakers, one of whom will be joining me today. Over the next 30-minutes, I will be talking with  American Blockchain Council Executive Director Jack Shaw, and we will be focusing on the following discussion points; 1. In a webinar last November I asked a procurement audience the following question by way of a poll; Are you familiar with Blockchain's role in the business world? Just a little more than 5 percent of those polled said yes. Two questions; do those numbers surprise you and, if we were to take the poll again a year later, would there be a notable difference regarding the response? 2. As it relates specifically to purchasing, what impact will Blockchain have on how procurement professionals do their jobs? How will Blockchain affect other professions? 3. What is the American Blockchain Council, and why is it an important organization? Be sure to visit the Procurement Insights Blog, and share your opinions on this segment or for that matter any topic using the Procurement Insights Open Talk hashtag #PIOpenTalk

The Procurious Big Ideas Summit that is scheduled to take place on September 28th in Chicago promises to bring across the pond the same energy and insights as last years event in the UK. To do this, the organizers have lined up an impressive array of speakers, one of whom will be joining me today. Over the next 30-minutes, I will be talking with Sibylline CEO Justin Crump, and we will be focusing on the following discussion points; 1. Your bio states that you are the CEO of Sibylline Ltd, which is an international intelligence and risk analysis consultancy based in the UK, and that you have a personal focus on international jihadist terrorism, strategic affairs, military evolution, and intelligence operations worldwide. While I did not see an immediate or direct connection with the procurement world, you will be discussing the disruptive forces headed toward procurement pros in 2017 at the Procurious Big Ideas Summit. So here is the question; how do you link or correlate expertise in jihadist terrorism with procurement? 2. In the past when the subject of disruptive forces and procurement came up, factors such as financial environments, political change, technological advances, socio-cultural change, and environmental fluctuations were usually cited as areas to watch. How do these align with your disruptive forces? 3. Asking the obvious question, what are the disruptive forces about which you will be talking at the Procurious Big Ideas Summit later this month, and what makes them unique to 2017 - or for that matter any particular year? Be sure to visit the Procurement Insights Blog, and share your opinions on this segment or for that matter any topic using the Procurement Insights Open Talk hashtag #PIOpenTalk

PROACTIS, the Wetherby-based provider of spend management solutions, recently completed the reverse takeover of US-based Perfect Commerce, LLC for an aggregate consideration of up to $132.5 million (approximately £102.4 million). It has been reported that the acquisition will significantly "accelerate PROACTIS’ growth strategy and its geographic footprint" through Perfect Commerce's "global reach" as the latter has operations in the US, UK, and Europe. But what does this expanded combined footprint really mean? Joining me today to talk about the new Proactis is CFO Tim Sykes. During this 30 minute interview, we will focus on the following three key points; Solution synergyThe new company cultureBiggest challenges and opportunities

Everycs, a data and software engineering company focused on product intelligence, has just joined forces with environmental consultant GreenDelta to connect their Makersite platform with the world's life-cycle data, augment it with other information, and enable faster, distributed collaboration for procurement professionals.  Joining me today to talk about what this means to the supply industry as a whole is Everycs CEO, Christoph Wilfert.  

Today I will be joined by Ivalua’s SVP Sales and Business Development Amol Joshi to talk about the upstart company's big win with the State of Arizona. Ironically, the use of the term upstart is somewhat deceiving, because Ivalua has been around for 15 years. The moniker, however, is appropriate because the win with Arizona as well as with Cadillac Fairview, US Foods, Honeywell and Credit Suisse are an indication of a seismic shift in the industry. In short, companies like Ivalua are taking the battle to the big boys such as CGI and coming out on top. During my discussion with Joshi you will learn why.

One top public sector procurement expert suggests that the additional $2 million that Santa Clara County is going to pay to KPMG to review its procurement practice makes absolutely no sense. Or as he put it, there is no amount of service or insight that KPMG – or any consulting firm for that matter, can provide that would come close to justifying not just the additional $2 million, but the total $3.3 million that the County will spend. In today's segment, I welcome Santa Clara County Executive Jeffrey Smith to talk about these and other concerns relating to the KPMG contract. 

The partnership between THOMASNET.com (formerly the Thomas Register), a company that is more than 100 years old, and Dun & Bradstreet (a company that is more than 150 years old) to protect supply chains against disruption due to unforeseen risks, is a potential game changer. Today I will be joined by THOMASNET President and CEO, Tony Uphoff, to talk about the new partnership focusing on the following three questions; 1. Given the length of time, your respective organizations have been in existence, why form a partnership now? 2. Studies consistently show that while executives acknowledge that their organizations have exposure in terms of supply chain risks, the vast majority have failed to take the appropriate measures to address said risks. Why is this, and how can the new partnership stimulate or facilitate needed executive action? 3. What reaction do you expect to receive from "the service provider" world, some of whom already have a supplier network as part of their offering?  

Procurement is a cornerstone of a sound supply chain and overall business strategy. Procurify recognizes the importance of innovation and excellence in the profession and is committed to rewarding those organizations and individuals showing leadership and dedication to driving it forward, impacting their teams, organizations, communities and the world at large. Today we talk with Procurify's John Rugamas about this new program. In the introduction to the Global procurement awards, reference is made to recognizing "the importance of innovation and excellence in the profession and is committed to rewarding those organizations and individuals showing leadership and dedication to driving it forward, impacting their teams, organizations, communities and the world at large." I would like to talk about each one of these elements individually. 1, Driving it forward . . . it seems like a fairly straight forward concept, but what does driving it forward actually mean and, how has the premise evolved over the years in terms of procurement's role? 2. From a generational standpoint are the up and coming pros better positioned to have a greater impact in terms of their teams and their organizations on a whole, than did their predecessors? Whether yes or no, please elaborate. 3. Regarding community impact and the world at large, are we talking about social and economic impact beyond the procurement pro's own organization? What skill sets are required to have this greater reach in today's world? 4. In terms of nominees, what are the demographics from which the winners are likely to come?  5. When everything is said and done, what do you hope will be the end result of The Global Procurement Awards Program? Are you hoping to make this an annual event?  

Last month I welcomed to the show Procurious' Tania Seary to talk about the state of our industry and the then upcoming Big Ideas Conference. Today, I am once again joined by Tania Seary, to not only revisit some of the questions we discussed last time, but to learn about any new revelations that resulted from the event, including their impact on the procurement world. During this 30 minute segment I will be asking her the following questions: 1. In the last segment we talked about the great generational divide in our profession. What if anything did you learn about how different generations view procurement? 2. Going into the Big Ideas Conference, what did you anticipate would be the top 3 or 4 "hot" topics? What were actually - if they were in fact different - the key discussion points and takeaways? 3. Were there any surprises? 4. Given the abundance of insights and perspectives that were presented and discussed, how can we now turn this information into meaningful action? 5. Will; there be a Big Ideas in 2017, and if there is, what if any changes will you make?

In this advanced briefing of their presentation at the upcoming ISM2016 conference titled "Why Buyers Find it Tough to Connect with SMB Suppliers and What They Can Do About It"?, I am happy to welcome to the show Tom Greco, vice president, THOMASNET.com, and Travis Sherbine, vice president, marketing and product management, THOMASNET.com.

Nicole Verkindt is a frequent commentator on Canadian news outlets CBC's Exchange, "The Round Up", and is a "Dragon" on CBC's "Next Gen Dragons Den" focused on investing in early stage technology start ups. She is also the founder of OMX (theomx.com), an online platform that helps organizations "buy local" by pushing out opportunities to organizations that match the requirements. The platform also manages and tracks total job creation and economic impact from large projects, primarily large government contracts in the defence, aerospace, energy and infrastructure sectors.  Today I will be talking with Nicole about OMX, and what it means in terms of public sector procurement.  

Today I am pleased to wlecome to the show this year's Top 30 Under 30 Megawatt Winner Amy Georgi to talk about not only her participation in the ThomasNet/ISM Top 30 Program, but also about a profession that is going through a major transformation, and the role GenerationNext professionals will play in shaping the future. In this regard, I am going to be focusing on the following three areas: Why did you chose to become procurement professionalsWhere do you see yourself headed in terms of the future, andWhat has being part of the 30 Under 30 program meant to you from both a personal and career standpoint. Also joining us will be ThomasNet's Kristin Carty, who will share some background information on the Top 30 Under 30 Program. To learn more about Amy and the other Top 30 Under 30 Winners visit http://30under30.thomasnet.com/   Lawsuit Update: A Campaign For Truth @ https://procureinsights.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/lawsuit-update-a-campaign-for-truth/

Back in 2013, our expert panel identified Market Dojo as one of the first New Wave Companies to watch. Here we are in 2016 and we want to know how the has company fared during a time of significant change and transformation. Today I will be joined by executives from Market Dojo as I ask them the following three questions: How has the company evolved since 2013 when our panel had first selected you as a New Wave Company to watch?What is your interpretation of where the industry is now at and where it is headed?Where does MarketDojo fit into the future equation . . . particular in the context of the advent of mobile/wearable devices and the GenerationNext procurement professional?  Lawsuit Update: A Campaign For Truth @ https://procureinsights.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/lawsuit-update-a-campaign-for-truth/

If knowledge is indeed power, is the ability to access people and information faster, cheaper and conveniently anytime, from anywhere, the definitive game changer in the procurement world? Joining me today to talk about her vision that became Procurious is Tania Seary. During this 30 minute segment I will be asking her the following questions: 1. In his latest book Dr. Robert Handfield talked about the definite and definitive break between older or past generation procurement professionals, and the new, emerging generation. If we accept Dr. Handfield's assessment, what impact has this had on the somewhat meteoric rise of the Procurious community? 2. Generally speaking, what impact has and will social media/networking have on the procurement profession as a whole? 3. IACCM CEO Tim Cummins made the statement that the traditional membership model based on the payment of annual fees no longer represents a sustainable or viable framework. He then went on to say that associations have to move to an al la carte model in which payment is received for specific services in which the value can be clearly demonstrated. What are your thoughts regarding Cummins' assessment? 4. While Procurious works closely with a number of associations, such as ISM and CIPS, given your growth and increasing market influence, what impact will Cummins' assessment have on these current relationships? 5. Where do you envision Procurious being in the next 5 years?   Lawsuit Update: A Campaign For Truth @ https://procureinsights.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/lawsuit-update-a-campaign-for-truth/

The Hackett Group's Chris Sawchuk joins me to talk about the agile procurement practice and why it is important in today's volatile market. In today's segment, we will focus on the following key points: In the upcoming Procurious' Big Ideas Summit on April 21, you are going to be talking about the need for procurement to be agile in a volatile market. Before we talk about agile procurement, I want to touch on your discussion from last year about the importance of customer-centricity and how it ties into the agility question.We obviously know what the work agility means from a general standpoint, but what does it mean in terms of procurement?You will also be talking about agility in the context of a volatile market. In what way is the market more volatile today than it was in years past, and why is agility perhaps more important now than ever before?In terms of your Big ideas Summit presentation, what do you hope are the key takeaways for the audience? Be sure to also check out Procurious' Big Ideas Summit 2016 at http://www.bigideassummit.com/     #BIGIDEAS2016 Lawsuit Update: A Campaign For Truth @ https://procureinsights.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/lawsuit-update-a-campaign-for-truth/

“I’m literally trying to think through and just imagine what the possible justification for this could be. First of all, to do tens of millions of dollars in contracts without shopping around to get the best deal, and then secondly to keep that a secret. What possible justification can there be for that?” – Todd MacKay, Canadian Taxpayers Federation  Above is just one of the many responses to Manitoba Hydro's recent decision to award a contract to a supplier through the utilization of what is known has an EOI or Expression of Interest. This of course raises the much larger question are single source and/or sole source contracts necessarily a bad thing, in which the taxpayer ends up paying a premium for services that would hjave been otherwise far less costly through a competitive bid process? Today we discuss, and maybe even answer that question. Lawsuit Update: A Campaign For Truth @ https://procureinsights.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/lawsuit-update-a-campaign-for-truth/

Joining me today to talk about this year's Top 30 Under 30 Awards Program - which acknowledges the up and coming young superstars of the procurement world, are M.L. Peck Senior Vice President, Program and Product Development at ISM and, Donna Cicale, Director of Audience Development from ThomasNet. During this segment we will be focusing on the following five points: 1.    How was this year's Top 30 Under 30 program different from last year? 2.    Given the tremendous success of the first Top 30, was it a hard act to follow - re it was like winning the championship in your first season as a rookie, as well as being selected as league MVP . . . it is hard to top that. 3.    In what way if any did the candidates differ this year from last? 4.    Looking ahead - and presuming that you will be doing a Top 30 Under 30 every year, what can we expect? 5.    Finally, why is the Top 30 Under 30 important to procurement professionals? How about the profession as a whole?   Lawsuit Update: A Campaign For Truth @ https://procureinsights.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/lawsuit-update-a-campaign-for-truth/

Procurement and social media . . . is it a pairing made in heaven or the other place? In this month's Point - Counterpoint discussion, Kelly Barner and Jon Hansen talk about the impact that social media has (and ultimately will) have on our profession.

It is that time of year again, when the chill in the air and the warmth in our hearts lead to the lifelong memories of Christmas lights and sugar cookies, stockings hung and the excitement of Santa's imminent arrival. So kids of all ages, both young and old, take a seat by the fire and the twinkling lights of your tree as we celebrate the Festive Season together. Joining us to add something special is author Melinda Elmore who will read an excerpt from her marvelous book Journey To Christmas Creek. We will also be serenaded by Chef John who's music will capture the magic of the Holiday Season.  (Please Note: As this is a Holiday replay the phone lines are not open)

It is no secret that press releases about new contract wins, and bold proclamations of increasing market share stir up the media. That said, there is there is a world of difference between winning a contract and actually delivering the expected outcome. The problem is that rarely do we hear about the latter with has much fanfare as the former. In this month's Point - Counterpoint discussion, Kelly Barner and Jon Hansen go where all other media generally fears to tread by slashing through the hyperbole to focus on the importance of outcomes.  

This week our guest audio excerpt is from an unusually entertaining video from Next Level Purchasing Association President Charles Dominick on traditional vs non traditional approaches to recruiting. The video was posted to YouTube on November 9th, so here is what I'm guessing happened. Right after the NLPA Halloween party, Charles found a box of leftover costumes and a case of Red Bull before going into a planning session on procurement recruiting. The result is an absolutely hysterical video featuring Charles and his two alter egos – 'traditional man' who looks like a cross between Albert Einstein and Mr. Rodgers and 'radical man' who wears glasses and a hoodie – hood up. Here is the link to the full 11 minute YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9ktmHBpdsA  

This week's guest audio excerpt is from a recent ProcureChange webinar on 'Applying Outsourcing Best Practices to Improve the Performance of your Internal Procurement Group.' In this event, ProcureChange founder Phil Ideson walked through ten best practices, but he focused in depth on three: putting formal statement's of work in place, investing in governance, and working through stakeholder level planning. Fortunately for the webinar attendees, Ideson's governance is not the starched itchy collar you might be thinking of. It is a highly strategic, actionable part of the procurement program. The full webinar is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssFkr3LLti4&feature=youtu.be

According to an October 8th, 2015 article in the Portland Business Journal, The Oregon Supreme Court “sided with the state and denied Oracle America’s attempt to dismiss its top brass as defendants in the state’s lawsuit.” In today's segment I am joined by Buyers Meeting Point's Kelly Barner to talk about the consequences of this seminal decision and what it may mean for vendors and end-user clients going forward. You can access the full story and comment on the Procurement Insights Blog through the following link: https://procureinsights.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/should-vendor-executives-be-held-personally-liable-for-failed-implementations-by-jon-hansen/

This week's guest audio excerpt features Rita Gunther McGrath, the author of The End of Competitive Advantage. She was interviewed by CREW Network CEO Gail Ayers before speaking at their 2015 Network Convention and Marketplace. The whole interview is only 10 minutes long, and covers a number of topics including advanced strategic planning, challenges for female executives in today's competitive climate, and how CEOs can manage their workloads through better priority setting. You can watch it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFREurlszMY In the two minute excerpt I have selected to share, McGrath talks about the opportunities she sees in the marketplace and how leaders and companies can prepare to handle the changes they will usher in. For procurement, the trend that will have the greatest impact is what McGrath calls dematerialization.

  Today our guest audio excerpt comes from a recent Procurify webinar featuring Procurious Founder Tania Seary. The event, titled 'Global Networks and Disruptors in Procurement' addressed everything from innovation to the war for talent, and of course, social media. The webinar is available on demand here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_swIQIz8QA   In this brief excerpt, Seary talks about the role social media should be allowed to play in the development of competitive procurement teams.

In this week's guest audio, BCG Consulting's Robert Tevelson offers up three ways procurement can drive value for the business. Tevelson has headed up BCG's procurement practice for the last ten years, and prior to that he was a Vice President at A.T. Kearney. In this two-minute excerpt, we'll hear two lists of three. The first list of three is the trends or forces in the larger business climate that are driving the need for change in procurement. The second list of three is what procurement can do in response to these forces to make the most of the opportunities presented to us. The full video can be seen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuhUNvl2-Xo

This week's guest audio takes on the topic of collaboration, including why it is becoming more prevalent than it has been in the past. The video this comes from – and which is available on YouTube, was produced by NEC Contracts, a provider of product and service contract frameworks used primarily by the Construction industry in the UK. The conversation involves Peter Higgins, Chairman of the NEC panel, and Rob Gerrard, Secretary of the NEC Users' Group discussing how natural collaboration is when compared to other approaches. The full conversation can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbz2ePtVUUQ

Jon Hansen and Kelly Barner are the co-authors of ‘Procurement at a Crossroads: Career Impacting Insights into a Rapidly Changing Industry’ (November 2015) takes a close look at the field of procurement during a time of extraordinary transition. In the book, the authors identify nine key questions critical to those in the profession and then present multiple perspectives on each. The topics include changing professional demographics, technology, media coverage, public vs private sector, and finance without shying away from traditionally taboo subjects or points of view. In this webinar, the authors will review the nine questions and discuss what today’s ambitious procurement professionals need to do to seize the opportunity represented by our current time of change.

In this week's guest audio, we look at procurement from a particularly illuminating perspective – and that is the sales perspective. Elliot Epstein is the CEO of Salient Communications and as a sales professional he has partnered with CIPS to bring sales and procurement professionals to better understand each other. In this excerpt he addresses what sales professionals should do about procurement's 'rules of engagement' as well as when they realize their solution is new to the prospective customer in question.   This audio is an excerpt from a YouTube interview called Dealing with the Rising Power of Procurement, which can be viewed in its entirety here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DloHv9jL7zw

This week's guest audio touches on the dark side of collaborative business relationships – the fallout for all parties if and when they fail. It was recently reported that Suzuki and Volkswagen have finally completed their 'divorce' or the breakup of their 2009 partnership that was supposed to bring market, manufacturing, and technical expertise together for the benefit of both parties. But does this real life cautionary tale demonstrate what not to do or should it discourage other companies from attempting similar relationships? It all depends on the mindset of their leaders.

This week's guest audio comes from Dustin Mattison. His Future of Supply Chain podcast series offers weekly interviews with leading supply chain thought leaders. The podcasts can be seen on YouTube and his blog is part of the Kinaxis Supply Chain Expert Community. In this podcast Mattison interviews Julio Franca, a Director at the global, boutique management consulting firm Spin Consulting. The excerpt we are about to hear is the first question of the podcast and in it Franca addresses where procurement should report in the organization relative to supply chain. The full podcast can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJd051IPYbw

Panel Discussion on The Politics of Procurement   This week's guest audio comes from a panel discussion moderated by Code for America. They create open source solutions and facilitate a collaborative community around their use. Code for America also hosts an annual summit that brings together public sector innovators and the organizations that collaborate with them – and that is where this particular recording was made: at a 2014 summit panel on public sector procurement.  In this exchange, the panel responds to an audience question about the politics of procurement and facilitating cross-functional communication for the sake of gaining buy in. The full video – Procurement for the 21st Century - is available on their YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vPf6cUb614

This week our guest audio comes from Acquire Procurement Services, a consultancy based in Australia specializing in establishing and re-negotiating contracts across sectors. Their video is titled 'Why do we treat employees and suppliers differently?' and is available on their YouTube channel.In it, they draw a contrast between the information companies share with their employees and how they handle information sharing with suppliers who might perform the same or similar functions on their behalf.

While part of ISM2015 is celebrating the past 100 years, it’s more about focusing on the 100 years ahead. Thomas W. Derry, ISM CEO, made that focus front and center during his press conference to launch the ISM Mastery Model. The ISM Mastery Model is a major step forward in training practitioners and growing the profession. Joining me today to talk about this new program is Lara Nichols. Lara is Senior Vice President, Procurement of NFP You can learn more about the ISM Mastery Model through the following link: http://magazine.ism.ws/succeed-with-ism-mastery-model/#sthash.yhFX9xdI.dpuf

Procurement Career Development - Is MBA vs. Certification a False Choice? This week our audio comes from a Financial Times conversation with Ian Clarke, Dean of the University of Edinburgh Business School. The core question in the discussion is whether MBA programs provide professionals with the skills and knowledge they need to have competitive careers in today's business environment or whether they are too technical. The full video can be viewed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nrqsFnvYXA If you have any comments or feedback on this episode, you can reach Kelly on Twitter @BuyersMeetPoint, on LinkedIn, or by visiting BuyersMeetingPoint.com.

Since January, we have been airing a series of what you could call informal, off the cuff interviews with a number of executives and experts from various areas of the procurement world, regarding what I would consider to be the three most important questions in our industry for 2015. While there are certainly more questions regarding the procurement world than the ones I will be posing to our guest today, these three have been the most prominant for my listeners and readers. Here are the three questions: 1. In his latest book Dr. Robert Handfield talked about the definite and definitive break between older or past generation procurement professionals and the new, emerging generation. In short, he indicates that everything that has been done and learned in the past will not be useful to this next generation of procurement pros? 2. The emergence of eCommerce and the mobile supply chain - what does it mean in terms of technology, practice and ultimately impact and influence? 3. Is there a difference between the public and private sector procurement practice in this brave new world? Joining me today is Unimarket CEO Peter Kane

With sources indicating that trouble is brewing with the Government of Ontario's implementation of the Bravo Tendering platform, the company's VP Dan Warn joins us up close to set the record straight. About the show's up close format: My up close series follows a casual format - there isn't even my usual intro music. It is in essence a real heart-to-heart discussion on a breraking news event involving one or more of the primary figures.

In this Procurement Perspectives Podcast, Kelly Barner shares guest audio from the ThomasNet and ISM 30 Under 30 supply chain rising stars program. They hosted a panel-style interview and discussion with some of the 2014 award recipients at this year's ISM conference. The excerpt I am going to share now starts with a question from Supply Chain Management Review's Editorial Director, Bob Trebilcock, and he asks how these rising stars ended up in supply chain.  The full panel discussion can be found on Sound Cloud here:  https://soundcloud.com/thomasnet/the-30-under-30-supplychainstars-speak-out

In this Procurement Perspectives Podcast, Kelly Barner shares guest audio from Tim Cummins, CEO of ISM, speaking at a recent NEC seminar. In it, he talks about the changes in approach companies will need to make to how they facilitate collaboration through contracts given the increases in complexity and uncertainty. The full interview can be viewed on YouTube here:      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMXP2OGSoOM   You can comment here or by following Kelly on Twitter: @BuyersMeetPoint

In this Procurement Perspectives podcast, Kelly Barner shares guest audio from the Cranfield School of Management featuring Rob Maguire, a partner at Maguire Izzat. In it, he talks about the skills vs. results paradox that is affecting both sales and procurement organizations today. The full interview can be viewed on YouTube here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g78NZq447ow You can comment here or by following Kelly on Twitter: @BuyersMeetPoint

In this Procurement Perspectives podcast, Kelly Barner shares guest audio from a recent CBS Evening News broadcast about the Lumber Liquidators laminate flooring scandal involving their overseas suppliers. The sudden resignation of their CEO last week serves as an interesting case example of Proxima Group's recent research findings about consumer reactions to companies involved in supplier scandals. You can comment here or by following Kelly on Twitter: @BuyersMeetPoint

In this Procurement Perspectives podcast, Kelly Barner shares guest audio from Marie Meliksetian, CEO of Reliance Solution Services, from a recent Procurement Unplugged interview. In this excerpt she talks about how every part of our approach (mindset, skillset, and processes) need to change in order for us to become truly collaborative. If you want to hear the full interview, you can access it here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jon-hansen/2015/05/21/pre-recorded-procurement-unplugged-marie-m You can comment here or by following Kelly on Twitter: @BuyersMeetPoint 

Since January, we have been airing a series of what you could call informal, off the cuff interviews with a number of executives and experts from various areas of the procurement world, regarding what I would consider to be the three most important questions in our industry for 2015. While there are certainly more questions regarding the procurement world than the ones I will be posing to our guest today, these three have been the most prominant for my listeners and readers. Here are the three questions: 1. In his latest book Dr. Robert Handfield talked about the definite and definitive break between older or past generation procurement professionals and the new, emerging generation. In short, he indicates that everything that has been done and learned in the past will not be useful to this next generation of procurement pros? 2. The emergence of eCommerce and the mobile supply chain - what does it mean in terms of technology, practice and ultimately impact and influence? 3. Is there a difference between the public and private sector procurement practice in this brave new world? Joining me today is Marie Meliksetian CEO of Reliance Solutions Services, LLC.