1.
MUST READ
A couple of weeks ago, procurement coach Alison Smith posted a question to her followers on Linkedin: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing procurement?.
(I would highly recommend you take a look at the responses, and add your own!)
As a follow up to the question, Alison has spent the last couple of weeks writing a number of excellent posts providing suggestions of unconventional tools, or new approaches, to solving these age-old challenges.
Today’s must read is the latest in the series, as Alison seeks to answer the question: why do people think they can do something better by themselves, and not need the support of those with expertise?
“It’s Like Talking to a Brick Wall” | Alison Smith
As I write this, Alison is seven posts into the series. Check them all out, here.
2.
OTHER INTERESTING ARTICLES
To the CPO of the future: Embrace the changing rules of the game | Giles Breault, The Beyond Group
Why Supply Chains Must be Mapped | Bill Michels, Aripart Consulting
Doing the job in the right way for public sector supply giant (An interview with Paul Smith, YPO) | Yorkshire Post
10 Tips: Professionalism in Public Procurement | Jason Soza, Chief Procurement Officer for The State of Alaska
How To Play The Hand You’re Dealt In The Age Of Uncertainty | Laura Ross, Procurious
Picture Your Procurement Strategy as a Pyramid | Conrad Smith, Adobe
What’s the Future of Procurement? How the Rogues Will Become the Heroes | Nancy Clinton, Spend Matters
3.
PROCUREMENT & SERVICE PROVIDER NEWS
ISM/ThomasNet’s Newest “30 Under 30” Rising Supply Chain Stars Are Tech Savvy and Well Traveled | Sydney Lazarus, Spend Matters
4.
@ THE ART OF PROCUREMENT
Podcast: Why Global Buying Strategies Are Often Doomed to Fail & What You Can Do About It, w/ Brian Bancroft
5.
OTHER STUFF: PALAMBRIDGE LAUNCH
This week was a big week, and one that has been a long time in the making. Along with the Art of Procurement site redesign, I was excited to finally launch Palambridge (read the press release here) with my co-founder, Kelly Barner.
In keeping with the nature of This Week in Procurement, I wanted to share a couple of links in case you want to learn more about what we are building, and how we think it will democratize access to procurement subject matter expertise:
Behind the Press Release | Philip Ideson
Buyers Meeting Point Owner Kelly Barner Branches out as Director of Intelligence for Palambridge | Kelly Barner
2 remarkable applications of the platform economy in Procurement | Bertrand Maltaverne