Rich Sains

Acada

Working with a number of FTSE100 and large enterprises such as M&S, Canon, Boots, Diageo, Costa Coffee, Premier Inn, ASOS, Janus Henderson, Dentsu and Value Retail to transform their IT and procurement functions.

Managing Consultant

The Procurement Conversation

Host of The Procurement Conversation Podcast - speaking to Procurement leaders and industry experts about the biggest topics facing the profession. 

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube

Podcast Host

Marks and Spencer

Head of IT procurement

IT and Ecommerce Procurement Manager

buyingTeam

Working with O2, Reuters, Man Group, Countryside, Universal Music and others to optimise their procurement of IT.

Solutions Developer - IT and Telecoms

Touchbase

Head of Procurement and Logistics

The Procurement Conversation Podcast Host | Elevating Procurement | Procurement Leader | 10x Procurement |

My mission is to increase the love for Procurement. I want our people to love the job and stakeholders and suppliers to love working with us.

I do this through:

1) Acada: Software that prioritises strategic activity, measures the impact we have on our businesses, and facilitates self service for low value, low risk buying.

2) Elevate: An online learning experience to develop our peoples 'Procurement EQ' and the Procurement Lounge community to support this learning.

3) Advisory: Strategy development, transformation, benchmarking and process re-engineering.

I also host the Procurement Conversation podcast and write the Procurement Weekly Newsletter where we share insights and best practices on procurement topics and trends. 

If you are interested in working with us or learning more about our products and services, please feel free to contact me at rich@acadatech.com.

Founder

We help procurement leaders to solve many of the challenges they face in today's complex environment and manage their teams more effectively and objectively.

James Meads

Procurement Software

I founded ProcurementSoftware.site to fill a gap in the market. 

I looked around to find a simple, easy to use software directory that was a) not a pay-per-click sponsored content operation or b) didn't cost thousands of dollars for a subscription, meaning only large enterprise users could access it. 

I concluded that nothing out there satisfied both of these criteria. So, I democratised access to this data.

Our profession urgently needs to modernise and become more outward-looking. Procurement pros in smaller teams and mid-market businesses need to understand what tech is out there too. Plenty of solutions now serve this market.

The front end of the website will always be free for users on the buy side to search, find and shortlist procurement tech solutions which match their basic requirements.

For specialist users with more advanced search needs, our annual subscriptions to the back end database provide access to a near-infinite number of search criteria. We've made the cost within reach of the average senior procurement pro, even if their employers are too cheap to pay for the subscription 😄.

We've simplified and removed the barriers to scouting for the right procurement software. And we've done this transparently. We clearly label any sponsored content that we produce, and transparently show who we work with as software partners.

Our pledge: No software solution will ever pay us to be listed in our Software Finder directory.

James Meads Consulting

Providing consultancy and advisory services to procurement tech startups. I help procuretechs with their product and marketing strategy to optimise their position in the market, and to grow their partnerships & alliances channel.

Book an intro call ➡️ https://calendly.com/jamesmeads/30-minutes-procuretechs

Helping procurement leaders and boutique procurement consultancies to understand the digital procurement space. I provide expertise around the different procurement tech solutions that are out there which could be the best technical fit for your requirements. Download the PDF attachment for more info of how my team and I can help.

Book an intro call ➡️ https://calendly.com/jamesmeads/30-minutes-consultancy

Independent Consultant

Efficio

Interim Consultant supporting client consulting project to optimise capital machinery, equipment and spare parts spend of ca. $50 million across Efficio's client's sites in Europe, Middle East, Africa and the USA.

Interim Management Consultant

Kimberly-Clark

Responsibility for all logistics procurement (air/ocean freight, road transportation, warehousing, brokerage & forwarding) across the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Focus on South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. Working remotely from Germany, I delivered $1.3 million in hard savings (-18% PPV) on bulk road transport in South Africa, $0.3 million on ocean freight & customs brokerage and $0.5 million on overflow warehousing.

Procurement Manager Sub-Saharan Africa Logistics

3 month secondment to troubleshoot, deep-dive and orchestrate transformation of procurement operations in recently opened Lagos production facility. Included audit readiness, coaching, training and mentoring of local buyer, being an ambassador for procurement function in a production site with no senior procurement staff. Tendering and implementing 3PL solution (outsourcing of transportation & warehousing); identifying and addressing any non-compliant spend; implementation of integrated supply for European origin OEM parts. $0.75m savings identified during assignment on $5 million spend.

Cross Border Assignment, Procurement Consulting

Strategic management of MRO commodity across 19 sites in the EMEA region, driving the strategy for 8 Regional / Country Managers. Supplier rationalisation, automation, increasing use of e-procurement. Key project: Implementation of an MRO integrator across 3 sites in the UK for non-strategic tail spend, driving hard & soft savings of $1.2 million over contract lifetime. Managing strategic capital equipment purchase projects from RFQ through contract negotiation and execution to installation, commissioning and final acceptance. Predominantly in the UK and W. Europe.

EMEA Procurement Manager - Capex & MRO

Identifying and delivering savings across Indirect Commodities in 2 sites in Germany and Switzerland, as well as providing support on P2P initiatives and functionally managing 2 BPO Tactical Buyers in Romania. Supplier rationalisation, transactional efficiency improvements, contract management, local stakeholder alignment for roll-out of regional strategies.
Key achievements: Savings of 15-20% on MRO spare parts, 10% on copiers, 10% on waste mgmt. Category strategy presented and aligned with BUs. Total Spend: ca. EUR 15 million.

Procurement Manager Germany & Switzerland

Essity (formerly SCA Hygiene Products)

Developing and executing cost reduction activity on Non-Production Materials & Services across the most important sourcing supply streams. 
Key responsibilities: 
Identification and roll-out of best practices. Driving change, standardising sourcing strategies and priorities in a predominantly decentralised organisation. Sourcing representative for energy & material conservation site audit team. Strong focus on Total Cost of Operation. 
Key achievements:
Development of key KPIs to track total cost and P&L savings. Improving spend transparency: Development of tools with Business IT and Controlling to track this. Engineering Stores Spare Parts classification and harmonisation: 10% savings through common material classification system enabling pan-European tenders and bundling of requirements.
Main categories: Facility Services, MRO, Waste Management, Forklift Trucks Fleet. 38 sites in 13 European countries. Total spend of ca. EUR 125 million

Strategic Sourcing Manager

Federal-Mogul

First role (10.2006 - 08.2008):
Strategic position, securing and purchasing non-ferrous metals for all EMEA plants.
Main responsibilities: Developing and executing a commodity strategy, negotiating long-term supply agreementsm cost reduction activity. Increasing price transparency through moving from spot to monthly average pricing and separating market commodity price from conversion cost. Negotiation of contracts for selling scrap.
Second role (09.2008 - 08.2010):
Stragetic position purchasing Stampings and Brake Components for EMEA plants. 
Main responsibilities: Stark consolidation of the supply base, implementing LCC suppliers on Aftermarket spend, developing consignment stock / kanban systems with main suppliers, cross-functional VAVE projects. 12 plants in 6 countries. Total spend of ca. EUR 70 million

Commodity Manager - Global Purchasing

Triplex Components Machining

Strategic and Operational Purchasing of Castings and Purchased Parts for a Tier 1 Automotive Supplier.
LCC Sourcing, Supplier consolidation, Developing new suppliers, Supplier rating and development.
3 sites in the UK
Total spend ca. EUR 20 million

Commodity Manager

Jaguar Land Rover

Strategic and Operational Purchasing of Stampings and Presswork.
New model sourcing, VAVE, supplier consolidation, cost transparency, cross-brand vehicle platforms.
Total spend ca. EUR 25 million

Buyer

Hi, I'm James 👋

I'm here to help procurement tech providers, enabling them to market their product, and understand how to stand out from their competitors.

I created ProcurementSoftware.site to offer an easy-to-use, free resource for practitioners and solution providers alike.

✔️ Search, filter and find all digital procurement tools in one place
✔️ Completely free
✔️ Individually researched
✔️ Not scraped or aggregated from a third party source

We also have subscription packages for boutique consulting firms, CoE Managers, and freelance consultants.

Head to store.prorcurementsoftware.site to purchase (or just DM me for a short demo!)

I aldo work as an independent consultant and advisor, helping procurement tech startups with:

▶️ Product and marketing strategy
▶️ Building a network of partnerships & alliances.
▶️ Sales enablement and coaching of product, sales and marketing teams

I've read over 400 solution providers' websites. Honestly, most are pretty bad: stuffed full of keywords by marketers to game Google, and they don't properly explain what the product does.

Practitioners: Don't saddle your stakeholders and team with clunky, expensive software that's horrible to use.

I can help you avoid this costly mistake.

Languages:

🇬🇧 Native | 🇩🇪 Fluent / bilingual | 🇪🇸 Good working knowledge
 
Check out our weekly podcast: "The Procurement Software Podcast"
🎧 https://procuretechpodcast.captivate.fm/listen 🎧

Digital procurement made simple. Find the right procurement software solution for your business in less time than it takes to boil an egg.

We've revolutionised the process of scouting for the right procurement software and completely democratised access to this information. And we've done this transparently, clearly labelling any sponsored content as such.

100% free to use for buyers. No pay-to-play model for sellers. We list everyone in our Software Finder directory who has a relevant solution in the procurement technology space.

Our New MID-MARKET TECH MAP is here! 🦄🔥

Refreshed and completely updated to reflect the huge changes this year.

This is the most exciting time for procuretech since I put the first one together 2 years ago.

Links are embedded in the downloadable high-res PDF version. This is available as a FREE download in our Store. 

The only Tech Map for Digital Procurement tools that serve Mid-Market businesses. That's why enterprise software isn't on here 😉

We define this as businesses with between $50m and $1 billion in revenue.

One thing I always hear is "there are too many solutions, I'm confused". 

I completely understand. Solution provider websites and marketing materials are often confusing.

This will give you the first step towards understanding who's out there.

Of course, we've not done analyst level due diligence on these solutions. 

We'd have to charge for that. 

And the whole point of doing these is to democratise access to who's out there.

Remember: the best solutions for YOUR specific use case probably aren't the ones with huge marketing budgets...

Use this as a self-help tool to get a broad overview of all of the different solutions.

--> Need 1:1 support? We can help you narrow down your choices. Get in touch, would love to hear your unique challenges.

--> If you have a solution that we've not listed and think should be on here, leave a comment or DM me. 

NOTE: We don't list pre-revenue companies, services businesses, or companies with no full English-language website.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
👋 Hi, I'm James. I'm passionate about modernising our profession through a more visionary, entrepreneurial approach to procurement.

🦄 Confused about procurement tech? Grab our FREE Tech Maps (see top of profile)

Helping CFOs & small procurement teams WIN with user-friendly, easy-to-implement tools. Podcaster | Content Creator | Speaker

infographic showing a tech map with logos for mid-market procurement software

Is the typical Category Manager job description facing extinction?

We've spent too long obsessing over savings, risk aversion, and compliance.

But the future will demand a totally different toolkit and mindset.

I look at where things are heading, and all I see are job descriptions harking back to 2015.

We don't need more people to send out 50-page RFPs.

We don't need PPT category strategy slide decks that never get looked at once that box has been ticked.

- We need builders. Not bloated software that takes a year to implement.
- We need 'Directors of Agentic Operations' to manage the AI agents that will soon do all our operational work.
- We need agility. Not bureaucracy and work for work's sake.
- We need 'Internal Comms Managers' to finally translate procurement-speak into what the business actually wants to hear.
- And most of all, we need 'Entrepreneurs in Residence' to challenge conventional thinking and the default mode of technocracy.

With the vision of an early mover:

- You'll leave your competitors for dust.
- Attract world class talent.
- Prevent your best people from leaving.
- Future-proof your organisation from fading into insignificance.
- Get several times more productivity from your existing team size.

It is about strategic orchestration that goes beyond siloed category-based thinking. 

Because business doesn't think in categories and 7-step sourcing processes.

Don't hire the procurement team of the past.

These 5 roles will define the next decade. 

The question is: which one would you hire first?

It's time to join the entrepreneurial procurement revolution.

*****************************************************************************
👋 Hi, I'm James. I'm passionate about modernising our profession with a visionary, entrepreneurial approach to procurement.
🦄 Confused about procurement tech? See top of profile for FREE resources

5 procurement roles for the future

Something different / algo diferente!

I did a podcast. In Spanish.

We often talk about getting out of our comfort zones. Well, aside from cold outbound prospecting, this was definitely it!

Spanish is my third language. 

And, it's safe to say, I'm still very much in learning mode 😄

But, it was too great an opportunity to pass up, and I accepted Ricardo Mattenet 's invitation with pleasure.

I make the case for a more entrepreneurial approach to procurement, and talk about how Latin American procurement leaders can leverage technology to modernise and elevate the function.

Tech is more accessible than ever. We just need the vision, the right people, the mindset, and the communication skills to make it happen.

Thank you Oscar Fernández for pushing me to do it.

➡️ Link to the show here: https://lnkd.in/eagS2avQ

P.S. I'll never replace my té negro con leche with yerba mate. That corner of my morning routine will be forever English.

What if you could get crowdsourced supplier performance data?

And even better, what if you, as the buyer, didn't have to pay?

That's the concept that Matthew Spencer has pioneered with his startup FlockScore.

He's a procurement practitioner who sought out a practical solution to the difficulty of getting reliable hard and soft KPIs from wider industry sources.

I love innovation, and I think this is a really cool concept.

Is this something you'd find valuable too?
   
Online Player: https://lnkd.in/efT4EkSU
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eM_Vugwr 
Apple: https://lnkd.in/ejbEWkzK
Youtube music: https://lnkd.in/e3PWfjkw

---------------------------------------------------------

👋 Hi, I'm James. I'm passionate about modernising our profession, and promoting a more entrepreneurial approach to procurement.

🦄 Confused about procurement tech? Grab our FREE Tech Maps (see top profile)

How to spot an AI-written comment...

Once you see them, you can't unsee them. 

There's one prolific type of comment that I consistently see on my posts, and those of other fellow procurement content creators too.

"Here's a one sentence, sometimes two sentences, summary of the post you've written. Usually quite generic, containing no opinion or counter point of view. At the end a comma and a tag, James Meads" 

There are so many more intuitive ways to use AI to help brainstorm and create content. Especially around graphics and visuals.

Automated comments are the equivalent of email spam.

Please, stop.

Anyone else spotted these?

I'm curious whether the bot this person is using will comment on this post 😂

******************************************************************
👋 Hi, I'm James. I'm passionate about modernising our profession with a visionary, entrepreneurial approach to procurement.

🦄 Confused about procurement tech? Grab our FREE resources (see top of profile)

Your biggest budget killer isn't a strategic supplier.

It is the "unmanaged" spend hiding in plain sight.

Traditional procurement focuses on the top 20% of suppliers. 

We optimise contracts and negotiate high profile spend to death. Until the supplier can't cut any more margin, so starts cutting quality or service levels instead.

But while we're doing that, the other 80% of vendors are effectively ignored.
This is the Wild West.

It's not that we don't care. We just often can't agree on what we actually mean when we use the term "tail spend".

If you ask three different CPOs to define it, you'll get three different answers. And none of them are wrong.

- It’s the random software subscriptions on credit cards. 
- It’s the marketing agency hired by a VP over lunch. 
- It’s the urgent maintenance fix that bypassed the system.

Here are four ways you can slice the data:

1. The Pareto Principle: The classic 80/20 rule. Good for fragmented supplier bases.
2. Spend Thresholds: Everything under $50k. Great for clear financial boundaries.
3. Category-Based: Lumping in tricky categories like Print & Promotional Items, Travel, or MRO.
4. Managed vs. Unmanaged: My personal favourite. If procurement isn't driving who we buy from and how it's purchased, then it's tail spend.
 
Entrepreneurial procurement means taking ownership of the chaos, not just the tidy contracts.

Don't just manage the spend you can see. 

Build a process of how you plan to handle the spend you'll otherwise never have the bandwidth to deal with.

That's where tech and automation comes in. 
It's how we work smarter rather than harder.

All while giving stakeholders the feeling they're able to buy something 
without us slowing them down.

How would you define tail spend?

*****************************************************************************
👋 Hi, I'm James. I'm passionate about modernising our profession with a visionary, entrepreneurial approach to procurement.
🦄 Confused about procurement tech? Grab our FREE resources (see top of profile)

"The procurement tech market is confusing. I don't understand what makes each of the vendors different."

Something along those lines I hear all the time.

And what makes it worse?

When respected industry publications with a huge following pump out articles that are just clickbait.

Watch the video to see what I'm referring to.

And if you really want to know who are the best providers for YOUR 

- Business
- Organisational maturity
- Industry sector
- Size
- Geographical footprint

...etc

Then talk to me.

I can almost guarantee they're not on any sponsored Top 10 list.

Book a call here: https://lnkd.in/eqHWPCQ9

taplio

The Battle

Rich Sains

James Meads

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taplio

The Battle

Rich Sains

James Meads

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}James Meads's LinkedIn Performance

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