Pure Procurement

At Pure Procurement, I help clients translate their procurement strategy and objectives into technology roadmaps, supporting them in design, software vendor selection, implementation and operationalization.

I specialize in helping organizations integrate and optimize the following procurement technology categories:

• Enterprise ERP Systems such as SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards, Banner, etc.
• Source-to-Pay Suites such as SAP Ariba, Coupa, Ivalua, GEP, Jaggaer, Basware, Zycus, etc.
• "Best of Breed" Applications such as Axiom, Sievo, Fairmarkit, Tealbook, Sirion Labs, Archer, etc.
• Intake & Orchestration Tools such as Tonkean, Focal Point, Zip, ORO Labs, Tropic, etc.

Successfully harmonizing these platforms requires a deep understanding of procurement processes, operating models, innovative technologies, and the challenges of integration.

I deliver solutions tailored to your context that ensure seamless system alignment, streamlined workflows, and measurable business outcomes for your business.

Key Services:

• Procurement transformation advisory
• Procurement software vendor evaluation and strategy
• ProcureTech implementation services
• Advisory for ProcureTech software vendors (product-market fit, marketing, etc.)

Get in touch to discuss how I can help you succeed with procurement technology.

Consulting Principal

IBM Global Business Services

SAP Procurement Practice Leader, IBM Canada

Responsibilities:

• People Manager for SAP procurement practice employees

• Canadian sales pursuit leader for all things SAP procurement (SAP ECC, S4/HANA, Ariba)

• Delivery Executive for concurrent SAP ECC, S4/HANA & Ariba implementations

• Transformation roadmap architect

Senior Managing Consultant

• People Manager for Consulting by Degrees graduate program (see video)

• Project Manager for Ariba Buying and Invoicing modules implementation. Responsible for coordinating all activities related to supplier enablement, integration with ERP & upstream Ariba modules, functional configuration and development in Ariba and ECC.

• Functional MM/Ariba Architect & Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Canada, participating in go to market and sales activities

Managing Consultant

•  MM Consultant responsible for blueprint, configuration, testing and delivery of purchasing and inventory management functionality during Plant Maintenance module implementation.

• Development coordinator (ABAP) for a team of 5 near shore developers completing 20 deliverables spanning 4 SAP modules (FI/CO, PM, MM, PS)

• Functional lead for blueprint and implementation of Ariba Spend Visibility, Sourcing & Contract Management modules and integration with existing SAP ECC / MM infrastructure.

• Project Manager for pilot Change Request Management (ChaRM) implementation project.

Senior Consultant

• Team leadership Procure-to-Pay (Material Management) team (2 reports) over the course of 5 ERP implementation cycles while executing configuration, functional specification design for ABAP development, test planning & test execution activities.

• MM Consultant responsible for blueprint, configuration, testing and delivery of purchasing and inventory management processes during Plant Maintenance module implementation (see video)

Consultant

Leonardo Consulting

• Functional Design, development, implementation and operation of event management application for firm's annual conference

• Business Process Modeling (EPC notation) and review in OBPA/ARIS based on client requirements

• Market analysis of Business Process Management Suites (BPMS) used to help determine strategic direction of company in this space.

Process Optimization Intern

Your Digital Procurement Mentor | I help thousands of readers discover how top Procurement teams use technology to deliver results for their business. Join them for free below 👇

The key to a successful Procurement function is ensuring you have the appropriate people, processes and systems in place to enable you to reach your business objectives. As the “translator” between Procurement and IT, that’s where I come in.

Over the past decade, I’ve delivered 20+ large-scale Procurement system implementation projects across 9 industries and in most processes supported by the Procurement function (Spend Analysis, Sourcing, Contract Management, Purchasing, Accounts Payable & Supplier Relationship Management)

⚡ To help my clients be successful, I adapt my language, communication and presentation style to my audience. I can present business cases to the C-Suite. I can help managers identify and address root causes that hinder team performance. I can sit with a team of developers and figure out application integration issues.

This puts me in a unique position to generate value for you as I can optimize discreet processes but will also identify and mitigate the dependencies and potential impacts of changes on the rest of the procurement function.

👉 Here are the processes I can help you with:

▪ Procurement Department Org. Design & Policy Development
▪ Spend Analysis
▪ Sourcing
▪ Contract Management
▪ Operational Procurement
↳ Catalog Management
↳ Requisitioning
↳ Purchasing Approvals
↳ Purchase Order / Scheduling Agreement Processing
↳ Goods Receiving
↳ Inventory Management
↳ Accounts Payable
▪ Special Purchasing
↳ Consignment
↳ Subcontracting
↳ Third-Party Orders
▪ Business Networks / Portals, Supplier On-boarding and Supplier Enablement
▪ Supplier Relationship & Performance Management
▪ IT Management of Procurement Applications

If you have Procurement technology projects in the works and are looking for someone who will help you ‘deliver the goods’, get in touch.

⚠ Learn more about my philosophy:

GO HERE: pureprocurement.ca

⚠ Join my newsletter and learn about Digital Procurement trends, opportunities and best practices:

GO HERE: newsletter.pureprocurement.ca

►Specialties◄

» Industries «
Aerospace
Automotive
Banking
Pulp & Paper
Mining
Rail Vehicle Manufacturing
Real Estate Management
Telecommunications
Public Sector

» Software «
SAP Enterprise Central Component (ECC):
Materials Management (MM) Module,
Plant Maintenance (PM) Module
SAP S4/HANA Logistics
SAP Ariba Spend Analysis
SAP Ariba Sourcing
SAP Ariba Contracts
SAP Ariba Buying and Invoicing
SAP Ariba Commerce Automation
SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration
SAP Ariba Supplier Lifecycle and Performance
Ivalua Suite
Coupa Suite
GEP Suite
Jaggaer Suite

Fixed-Price contracts aren't protecting you...

They're setting you up for failure!

Most procurement teams think Fixed-Price = safety.

Budget certainty. Risk transferred to the supplier.

But here's what actually happens:

→ Your scope isn't as clear as you think
→ Requirements shift
→ The supplier protects themselves with change orders
→ You end up paying more, damaging the relationship AND...

You have to spend time reopening/renegotiating contracts...

I've watched this play out dozens of times.

The real question isn't "which contract type is safest?"

It's "which contract type matches my situation?"

Here's how to actually decide:

→ 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿:
Fixed-Price works. You get budget certainty and transfer delivery risk to the supplier.

→ 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝘇𝘇𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴:
Time & Materials keeps you flexible. Add "Not-to-Exceed" caps to control costs.

→ 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁:
Cost-Plus gives transparency for R&D and innovation work. But it requires active oversight.

→ 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀:
Master Service Agreements let you negotiate once, reuse forever while using Statements of Work (SoW) for specific work. Essential for strategic suppliers.

→ 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀:
Supply Agreements lock in pricing and guarantee supply.

→ 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀:
Framework Agreements let you compete each project while maintaining pre-qualified vendors.

Picking the right contract type is about correctly defining the rules of the game before you play it...

But the rules also need to be adapted to the game!

Otherwise, you're going to be bickering about the rules instead of creating value for both your organizations...

Most contract failures happen because teams pick contract type based on comfort, not project fit.

The visual below shows you exactly how to choose based on your situation.

Would you add/change anything?

Let me know in the comments 👇
_________________________

𝗣.𝗦. I help companies choose and implement ProcureTech solutions for a living.

If you're going to implement a CLM and/or an "AI Agent" to negotiate contracts, you're going to need to define your business rules for when to use which contract type in your business... Is that something you already have...?

Every Sunday, I send out a free newsletter which shows you what you need to get results with technology. It's read by 10,000+ Procurement professionals (and counting...)

Subscribe here for free: https://lnkd.in/eCeAcP3h

Joël Collin-Demers

Talks about #procurement, #sourcetopay, #pureprocurement, #supplychainmanagement, and #procurementtransformation

Your Digital Procurement Mentor | I help 10,000+ readers discover how top Procurement teams use technology to deliver results for their business. Join them for free below 👇

Achmad Rafi

You're using the wrong sourcing strategy for your project...

As humans, we default to what's comfortable instead of what's optimal.

Your requesters want Single Source because it's easy.

You run RFPs for everything because it's what you know and you've got the templates.

And both of you are leaving massive value on the table:

→ Sourcing strategy should match the purchase, not your comfort level.

That $50K software renewal? Doesn't need a 6-week RFP process.

That unfamiliar category you've never bought? Needs market research before you commit.

I've seen these 7 mistakes cost organizations millions in missed savings, TCO optimization and damaged supplier relationships:

→ Over-complicating simple purchases with RFPs
→ Flying blind in new categories without proper research
→ Defaulting to Single Source without justification
→ Running auctions for strategic partnerships
→ Renewing incumbents without market testing
→ Locking in multi-year terms that become outdated
→ Sharing IP through collaborative sourcing without protection

The fix is simpler than you think.

→ Select an approach you've never used before
→ Find a small, low-stakes project where it's appropriate
→ Try it, get out of your comfort zone.
→ Document lessons learned.

Use those lessons on bigger initiatives.

Better yet?

Find a mentor who's run sourcing strategies you haven't.

Get them to coach you through it.

Within or outside your organization. Doesn't matter.

Your organization doesn't need you to be comfortable.

They need you to deliver value.

And you'll gain skills for yourself in the process.

Bonus!

Which mistakes did I miss?

Let me know in the comments 👇
_________________________

𝗣.𝗦. I help companies choose and implement ProcureTech solutions for a living.

Part of being comfortable with different sourcing approaches is having the right tools to execute the work! Every Sunday, I send out a free newsletter which documents the best practices, trends and frameworks in ProcureTech. It's read by 10,000+ Procurement professionals (and counting...) who want to upskill on how to best use technology in context.

Subscribe here for free: https://lnkd.in/eBMvn9TF

Most procurement teams waste 30% of their time fighting their own systems.

The culprit? Using the wrong purchasing channel.

I see it constantly...

Teams forcing services through goods POs.

Or worse, trying to squeeze one-off purchases into heavy item masters...

Your category strategy and operational requirements should dictate your downstream channel.

Not the other way around...

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁/𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗹𝘆?
↳ You're going to need an item master with manufacturer information

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁/𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
↳ You're going to need to do goods receipts in your system at physical receipt

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁/𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗠𝗥𝗣?
↳ You're going to need an item master, to maintain pricing and MRP parameters (like min/max)

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲?
↳ Setup a vendor catalog so you don't need to do any of the above

Decide HOW you want to optimally manage a category/commodity in operations.

Then, create/use the right purchasing channel for it based on what your systems can do...

And get additional systems/capabilities where needed to reach your objectives.

Otherwise, you'll be squaring circles all day long...

You'll waste time, effort and resources maintaining:

↳ Item masters
↳ MRP parameters
↳ Pricing
↳ Inventory

...for parts that potentially don't need them to be optimally managed.

𝗜 𝗸𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗼𝘁, 𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗥𝗣 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲!

Purchasing is more complex (and fun!) than you think.

BUT, when you take the time to get it right, boy is it satisfying.

What's the most ridiculous thing you've seen MRP managed? Let me know in the comments 👇
_________________________

𝗣.𝗦. I help companies choose and implement ProcureTech solutions for a living.

Every Sunday, I send out a free newsletter which documents the best practices, trends and frameworks in ProcureTech. It's read by 10,000+ Procurement professionals (and counting...)

Subscribe here for free: https://lnkd.in/exZvri-V

Your local procurement community is more powerful than any online course:

Two weeks ago, Montreal proved it.

100+ procurement professionals showed up to discuss AI's role in procurement...

...during a transit strike.

The organizers expected maybe 20 people.

"The transit strike is really going to hurt our numbers...", they said.

They got five times that number.

It was a great evening with practical takeaways:

→ The best part of Gen AI is that it can train you on Gen AI... You just need to ask.
→ Start "AI Brainstorming Sessions" with your teams, run experiments, compare notes.
→ Current Gen AI pricing is unsustainable... (dirt cheap!) Negotiate your contracts in consequence.
→ Etc.

Here's what makes local communities irreplaceable:

→ Real conversations with people facing your exact challenges
→ Knowledge sharing that goes beyond surface-level content
→ Relationships that turn into collaborations and career opportunities
→ Commitment that pushes through actual barriers (like a city-wide transit disruption)

I've seen it firsthand in Montreal.

Smart, curious professionals who make the effort to get together end up elevating each other.

But this isn't unique to my city.

Every region has procurement professionals hungry to learn, connect, and grow together.

The question is: Are you getting them together? Are you showing up?

There's so much power in community. You just need to engage.

Tag your local procurement community below 👇

Let's celebrate the groups bringing us together.

Thanks to Actoran Canada for inviting me to this event.
_________________________

𝗣.𝗦. I'm a big proponent of virtual communities too (no surprise).

The Pure Procurement community is all about helping procurement pros grow their digital literacy to automate the mundane in order to bask in the glory of complex, unique work.

If that sounds interesting, you can subscribe here for free: https://lnkd.in/eFs8dc-F

I'm giving away something I normally charge $$$ for.

But there's a catch.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

Complete challenges. Earn points. Win a prize.

Here's how it works:

→ 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀 (𝟭𝟬 𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵) 

Visit Pure Procurement Newsletter partners @Focal Point, @Pivot, @Vertice, @Fairmarkit, or @Axiom at any fall conference.

Snap a selfie and one insight you learned.

(The folks at these particular booths are all lovely, I promise)

→ 𝗩𝗜𝗣 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝟭𝟬 𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵)

Snap a picture with a C-suite exec from one of the 5 brands above.

→ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝟭𝟬 𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵)

Share a keynote insight, vendor comparison, or ROI stories / Case study in a LinkedIn post

→ 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗹𝗮𝗺 (𝟱𝟬 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝘁𝘀)

Hit all five booths in one day and post your takeaways in a LinkedIn post

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲:

First to 100 points wins a free 60-minute consulting session with me.

We can either jam on your corporate ProcureTech stack or discuss how to move forward in your career.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆:

→ Tag me in your post(s) with photos and insights as you complete challenges throughout September-November.
→ I'll dole out the points!

This beats walking the expo floor aimlessly.

You'll actually engage with solutions. Ask better questions. Build your network.

Plus, everyone following along gets to see what's actually happening at these conferences in real-time.

Are you attending any procurement conferences this fall? Let me know in the comments 👇
_________________________

𝗣.𝗦. I help companies choose and implement ProcureTech solutions for a living.

If you're not attending a procurement conference this fall but want a download on what's happening in the technology space (e.g. how to spot "AI-washing", DM me!

"We can't implement a sourcing tool until we upgrade our ERP" is a very expensive lie...

I hear this objection constantly...

It's backwards thinking.

You should be implementing a sourcing tool to help fund your ERP upgrade! 😅

Modern sourcing tools don't require a specific tech foundation.

They adapt to YOUR reality using a simple Input-Process-Output framework.

Here's what I mean...

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸

→ What goes IN (requisitions, master data, requests)
→ What happens INSIDE (sourcing events, negotiations, evaluations)
→ What comes OUT (awards, contracts, updated data)

Every organization fits into one of five integration patterns.

(And yes, one of them is applicable to you... Right now!)

Starting with spreadsheets and manual entry?

That's Architecture 1.

You still generate massive value through better supplier comparison and award optimization.

Running a full ERP with requisitions and purchase orders?

Architecture 2 pulls requisitions automatically and pushes pricing back seamlessly.

Complex multi-system environment?

Architecture 5 handles it with smart data routing and transformation according to source/destination.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀:

The value isn't in getting system integrations 100% right...

It's in the sourcing process itself.

Better supplier selection. Competitive negotiations. Documented decisions. Realized savings.

You're executing these processes today regardless of your tech stack...

The only question is whether you want to keep running sourcing in email and Excel...

Or bring structure, visibility and scale to your sourcing process.

IT isn't the blocker. They're your enabler.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘀/𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀/𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘀...

Then watch how quickly "impossible" becomes "we can start in Q4."

If you get 1% better at sourcing every day, you'll be 37x better next year.

What's actually stopping your sourcing tool implementation?

Because it certainly isn't the state of your current systems/data...
_________________________

𝗣.𝗦. At noon ET today, I'm hosting a LIVE show to discuss the above approach right here on LinkedIn.

Fairmarkit will join me to illustrate how these models work with a real sourcing tool, moving past the theory and into practice.

Tune in here and/or watch the replay here: https://lnkd.in/ekwFjPkA

The "Age of AI" has left a lot of procurement leaders feeling lost...

And I get it.

For decades, "digital transformation" meant buying a pre-packaged application, implementing it, and checking the box.

Done ✅

AI doesn't work that way.

There's no "set it and forget it" solution. No playbook you can copy from your last ERP rollout.

And that's exactly why most teams are stuck.

Next week, I'm speaking at Zip Forward in San Francisco about the exact framework I use to help procurement teams adopt AI without the corporate theatre.

With young kids, a weekly show, a weekly newsletter, and a roster of clients → there's not much time left for travel...

But this session was too important to skip.

Here's why:

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗜.

They're stuck in analysis mode. Watching vendor demos. Reading Gartner reports. Waiting for "the right time."

Meanwhile, their teams are copy-pasting data between systems and drowning in manual work that AI could handle in seconds.

The framework I'm sharing is dead simple:

→ Stop reading the news (seriously, it's just noise)
→ Build a culture of knowledge building and sharing in your team
→ Make IT your best friends (not your blockers)
→ Lobby leadership for a culture of experimentation
→ Iterate quickly to find what actually works

Sounds easy in a bullet list, right?

The hard part is the execution.

In my session, I'm walking through:

→ 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲...
→ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮 "𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴"
→ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
→ 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜"

This isn't going to be theory.

It's the playbook to go from "AI curious" to "AI productive" in weeks, not years.

Thankfully the session is getting recorded.

If you can't make it but want the replay, let me know.

I'll share it when it's available.

Conference theme this year: "Agents of Change"

Feels appropriate.

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?

P.S. Let me know if you're going! Let's connect.

Most sourcing tool business cases get rejected because they sound like marketing brochures.

"Better visibility." "Improved efficiency." "Strategic insights."

CFOs don't approve vague promises.

Here's how to build a business case that actually gets funded:

𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝟯 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀:

→ 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Calculate the price improvement potential.

If you're sourcing $50M annually and expect 3% better pricing through competitive events, that's $1.5M in year-one savings.

This is the easiest ROI to prove. Show historical bid spreads to demonstrate realistic improvement.

→ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀

Don't just say "faster sourcing cycles."

Quantify the time freed up and what you'll do with it.

If your team runs 40 events per year at 120 hours each, and a tool cuts that to 80 hours, you've freed 1,600 hours.

Now multiply that by loaded hourly rate.

Then explain where you'll redeploy that capacity:new categories, strategic projects, or headcount avoidance.

→ 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Put a dollar figure on risk realization.

If a supply disruption in a critical category costs $200K per incident and you have 2 incidents per year, that's $400K in exposure.

Show how better supplier diversification and market intelligence reduces that exposure by 60-70%.

Most teams only present cost reduction.

The strongest business cases stack all three and show cumulative ROI.

A sourcing tool that costs $100K but delivers $1.5M in savings, $240K in time value, and $280K in risk reduction?

That's a 20x return in year one.

Make the CFO's decision easy.

What's the hardest part of your sourcing tool business case?
_________________________

𝗣.𝗦. Every Friday at 12pm ET, I host a free 30-min live show right here on LinkedIn that shows procurement professionals "the art of the possible" with procurement technology.

This week Keelvar is coming on the show to discuss how to build business cases for Sourcing tool.

If you're interested, register here: https://lnkd.in/eVTTC9TQ

You'll get to access the replay if you can't attend!

Why can't we seem to shut up about Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence is 70 years old...

I see 3 reasons:

𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 → ChatGPT hit mainstream consciousness in November 2022 → Media coverage exploded → Everyone suddenly became an AI expert

𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 → Generative AI passed the Turing Test → Outperformed humans on standardized tests → Integration capabilities with existing systems emerged

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 → Multiple AI subdomains can now be stitched together with a conversational experience → Systems starting to feel like humans executing processes → Autonomous agents / Agentic AI can start replacing manual workflows

The procurement impact?

Instead of using ChatGPT to draft an RFP,
 
you can have an "AI agent" (an application, a service) that identify needs, research suppliers, negotiate terms, and manage contracts based on the guardrails you set.

We can't shut up about AI because...

...after 70 years of AI has hit a tipping point for usefulness and ease of use.

Mass adoption is occurring.

If you want to see what that means specifically for procurement and sourcing, Fairmarkit and I are teaming up on a webinar this afternoon.

They will demo some of their existing AI Agents and we'll speak to where this is all going.

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/etF6DsWy

(If you're seeing this post late, you can still get access to the replay!)

The worst ProcureTech implementations I've seen all had one thing in common: executive enthusiasm.

I know how that sounds...

A strong project sponsor is definitely a key to success!

BUT when leadership is too excited about digital transformation, they skip the hard work of change management.

They walk into organizations stuck in manual processes and think "oh my god, we need to move faster."

They impose a top down vision without understanding the underlying dynamics, dependencies and constraints...

That instinct destroys projects.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁...

Because they pull their hamstring very early in the race...

Here's why moving slower is actually faster:

→ 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆. Spend time just listening. No pitches. No solutions. Just understanding their world. The credibility you build becomes momentum later.

→ 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀. Don't start with a full "end-to-end" transformation. Automate one painful email thread. Fix one broken approval process. Let them taste success before the main course.

→ 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮. When someone pushes back, they're not being difficult. They're terrified. Fear of losing the expertise that makes them valuable. Fear of becoming irrelevant when the system does "their" work. Fear that automation will expose how much of their day was low-impact busy work they still enjoyed. Slow down and address the fear directly. Show them how their role evolves, not evaporates. Make them the expert in the new way, not a victim of it.

→ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 People don't resist new technology. They resist feeling incompetent. Give them time to become confident with each step before adding another.

→ 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 Rushing to deploy advanced analytics when basic data hygiene doesn't exist? You're building a mansion on quicksand. Boring infrastructure work is the base that enables the highest peak.

The organizations that transform fastest aren't the ones who sprint.

They're the ones who jog consistently.

They understand that adoption beats deployment speed every single time.

Your stakeholders need to feel capable, not overwhelmed.

Your systems need to be trusted, not just installed.

𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀.

What's one "slow down to speed up" lesson you've learned in digital transformation?
_________________________

𝗣.𝗦. If you liked this, consider subscribing to my weekly digital procurement newsletter.

Every Sunday, I give 10,000+ procurement leaders the tips they need to build their ideal procurement technology ecosystem without the guesswork, vendor confusion, or million-dollar mistakes

Subscribe here for free: https://lnkd.in/eFs8dc-F

Which procurement tasks should you NEVER let AI touch?

The answer isn't what you think.

Three months after launch, Sarah's "fully autonomous" AI was flagging legitimate suppliers as fraud risks while missing actual compliance violations.

The AI wasn't broken. Her governance framework was.

She made the classic mistake: treating AI implementation like enterprise software.

Configure once, go live, done.

But most AI systems are statistical: 

They don't calculate answers...

They guess at statistically likely responses.

Which means your AI will be wrong. Often. At scale.

The question isn't IF your system will need iterative adjustment.

It's whether you've designed governance to handle it WHEN it does.

A few months ago Kevin Frechette proposed a "Human-in-the-loop" matrix.

I 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 on it and came up with the following:

(I told you we solve problems with iteration!)

𝗟𝗼𝘄 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 + 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 (𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰) 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 → 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Invoice matching for office supplies under $500. Clear rules, low stakes. Let it run.

𝗟𝗼𝘄 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 + 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 (𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰) 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 → 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁
Categorizing miscellaneous spend. Multiple valid answers, minimal impact. Spot-check quarterly.

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 + 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 (𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰) 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 → 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁
High-value PO releases. Clear rules, big exposure. AI processes, humans validate.

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 + 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 (𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰) 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 → 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
Strategic supplier selection. No single "right" answer, major stakes. Humans lead, AI supports.

The key insights?

→ Matching AI capabilities with task type is the whole shooting match if you want results

→ Having an "iterative" company culture is a key to success

→ As your AI collaboration matures, you can reduce human involvement by creating business rules that make processes more rules-based.

Example: "In X situation, we systematically do Y."

That's how you unlock AI's real power.

The teams winning with AI aren't those with the biggest budgets...

They're the ones who design systems that learn, adapt, and improve.

I wrote a whole piece on this in last night's newsletter.

Check out the details here: https://lnkd.in/eUYCvAAJ

How would you improve this model? Let me know in the comments 👇

The season kicks off proper on Friday with Keelvar coming to discuss how to build business cases for Sourcing tools.

Don't miss it!

Joe Classen, Félix Bélisle Dockrill and 3 other connections attending

How to Build a Business Case for Sourcing Tools with Keelvar

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