Art of Procurement

Philip Ideson
  • 4.8 (69)
  • Management
  • Updated Semiweekly

Learn from procurement experts. Host Philip Ideson talks with thought leaders who share the trends, strategies and tactics that you can lever to elevate the role of procurement - and your career.

  1. 1d ago

    Ep 01: The Agentic Procurement Diaries: Why This Is a Once-in-a-Few-Centuries Revolution

    Dear Diary… "I believe we are in the midst of a revolution — and I think in a revolution, we as a vendor also want to invest a lot in educating the community on what's really changing and how it's changing." This episode kicks off a new Art of Procurement podcast series, produced in partnership with Zycus. I sit down with the person who made the series possible to talk about why it exists and where agentic AI is really heading. Aatish Dedhia is the Founder and CEO of Zycus, a company that entered procurement in the early 2000s and has lived through every wave of its digitization since. He traces procurement's last 20 years from digitization to machine learning to generative AI, then makes a bold claim: this is a once-in-a-few-centuries change, closer to the Industrial Revolution than to mobile or cloud. In this episode of The Agentic Procurement Diaries podcast, Philip Ideson and Aatish discuss: - Why a point agent is not agentic, and why agent sprawl is causing companies to miss the real ROI of AI - The three layers of guardrails that keep agents in check: the system of record, the agentic policy layer, and the human in the loop - What procurement leaders overestimate and underestimate, starting with the truth that you cannot put AI on a broken process - The three segments Zycus sees today: AI hungry, AI curious, and AI resistant   Links: Aatish takes this conversation further at PLAN 2026 on November 18 Zycus on LinkedIn AOP Provider Directory | Zycus Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube

  2. 3d ago

    883: The CPO Agenda: Scaling AI Beyond the Pilot W/ Darshan Deshmukh

    "It's all about building that momentum, creating the value, testing the hypothesis, and then continuing to challenge us to take it to that next level." Darshan Deshmukh, President at ProcureAbility AI adoption in procurement is accelerating, but experimentation alone does not equal transformation. With organizations launching pilots, testing new platforms, and exploring agentic capabilities, procurement leaders need to keep a clear connection between the technology they adopt and the business outcomes they are trying to create. In this episode, Kelly Barner is joined by Darshan Deshmukh, President at ProcureAbility, for a CPO-level discussion about moving from AI experimentation to meaningful procurement transformation. Darshan shares what he is seeing across procurement organizations as AI maturity increases, including why so many teams remain focused on efficiency and productivity and what separates those efforts from more intentional transformation. He and Kelly also discuss the importance of starting with a business problem rather than a technology or use case, as well as the evolving role of agentic AI, data quality, human judgment, and organizational culture. Listen to this episode, to hear Darshan discuss how to: -Move beyond isolated AI pilots, and toward intentional transformation -Start AI initiatives with the business problem and desired outcome -Use AI to identify risk signals and accelerate decision-making -Build trust through stronger data, transparency, and measurable results -Expand procurement's contribution beyond cost and risk -Create a culture where experimentation and learning can happen without fear of failure Links: Darshan Deshmukh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan-deshmukh/  Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe  Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

  3. Sep 9

    EP 016: Startup of the Week: FlockScore W/ Matthew Spencer

    "The earlier you can catch risk, the cheaper it is to solve." - Matthew Spencer, Founder of FlockScore Procurement teams have access to plenty of information when evaluating a new supplier, from certifications and financials to technical capabilities. What they often lack is visibility into a more practical question: How does this supplier actually perform? In this episode of Art of Procurement's Startup of the Week, we talk with Matthew Spencer, Co-Founder and CEO of FlockScore, a platform building a collective intelligence layer for supplier decisions by bringing together anonymized, real-world supplier performance data. Matthew shares the experience that led him to start FlockScore, why he believes external supplier performance data can help procurement make faster and more confident decisions, and how the platform is designed to complement the supplier data companies already have. Listen to this episode to hear: -Why internal supplier scorecards only provide part of the performance picture -How peer performance data can help procurement evaluate new and alternative suppliers -Why supply chain volatility is increasing the need for faster supplier qualification -How FlockScore combines anonymized peer data with AI-generated supplier signals -How earlier visibility into issues such as supplier capacity can help teams respond before disruption reaches their own operations Links: Matthew Spencer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjspencer1?originalSubdomain=be  Visit FlockScore's Profile in the AOP Provider Directory: https://artofprocurement.com/provider-directory/flockscore  Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe  Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

  4. Sep 7

    882: Reengineering Procurement for Greater Impact W/ Polly DeSouza

    "If you want a seat at the table, you've got to pull up the chair." - Polly DeSouza, APAC Transformation Leader Procurement teams have spent years talking about the need to move away from tactical and transactional work and create more time for strategic priorities. As AI begins to take on more of that work, the opportunity to finally make the shift is growing. The question is whether procurement teams are ready to take advantage of it. In this episode, Philip Ideson is joined by Polly DeSouza, an APAC transformation leader whose career spans finance, procurement, consulting, and operational transformation. Polly shares lessons from working across more than 20 transformation projects and explains why successful transformation requires procurement to think beyond processes and technology. They discuss what procurement can learn from finance, why teams need to understand the language of the business, and how strong stakeholder relationships can help procurement earn earlier involvement in business decisions. Polly also explains why she sees procurement as a "guardian of resilience," responsible for creating supplier ecosystems capable of supporting the business through continued uncertainty. In this episode, Polly discusses how to: -Connect procurement priorities more directly to financial and business value -Earn earlier involvement by becoming a trusted partner to stakeholders -Strengthen procurement's role in organizational resilience -Use AI-created capacity to tackle higher-value priorities -Help teams move beyond familiar ways of working -Build transformation around clear business problems and desired outcomes -Develop the skills and mindset needed for procurement's next chapter   Links: Polly Desouza on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pollyana-desouza-52304a85/  Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe  Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

  5. Sep 2

    EP 015: Provider of the Week: Tradeverifyd

    "It's more the translation of visibility. It's not so much visibility. Visibility is there, but it's what do you do with that?" - Mike Prorock, CEO, Tradeverifyd Supply chain risk has become both more complex and harder to anticipate. Geopolitical shifts, regulatory changes, multi-tier supplier dependencies, and an overwhelming volume of data are forcing procurement teams to look further into their supply chains and make decisions faster when something changes. In this episode of the ProcureTech Insider, Jim Cahalan speaks with Mike Prorock, CEO of Tradeverifyd, for a Provider of the Week discussion about turning supply chain visibility into timely, actionable decisions. Drawing on Tradeverifyd's roots in machine learning, global risk intelligence, and cross-border trade data, Mike explains why simply seeing risk isn't enough. Procurement teams need to understand what a disruption actually means to their business, determine what requires action, and focus their attention on the handful of decisions that matter most. In this episode, Mike also covers how to: -Look deeper into multi-tier supply chains to uncover hidden dependencies and potential bottlenecks -Combine external intelligence, internal business data, and emerging signals while protecting sensitive company information -Translate supply chain visibility into prioritized actions rather than overwhelming teams with alerts -Use AI agents to analyze changing conditions, explore potential responses, and reduce the manual work required to chase down data   Links: Mike Prorock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mprorock/  Visit the Tradeverifyd profile in the AOP Provider Directory: https://artofprocurement.com/provider-directory/tradeverifyd  Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe  Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

  6. Aug 31

    881: Owning Transformation: How to Successfully Lead Procurement Through Change W/ Gretchen Vance

    "Don't ask AI to do something that you don't know how to do yourself." - Gretchen Vance, Vice President Procurement at Forest Lawn Parks and Mortuaries Procurement transformation often comes down to a leader's willingness to push for change, even when the path forward requires taking a risk. For Gretchen Vance, Vice President of Procurement at Forest Lawn Parks and Mortuaries, that once meant putting two pieces of paper on her CFO's desk: a proposal for an e-procurement system and her resignation. In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Gretchen about the transformation she has led during her 18 years at Forest Lawn, from digitizing a previously paper-based purchasing function to taking responsibility for the full procure-to-pay process. She shares how procurement supports Forest Lawn's deeply service-oriented mission and why that same commitment to service shapes the suppliers her team chooses to work with. Gretchen also offers a practical perspective on AI. Her team is already using it to analyze data, support RFQs, and streamline contract reviews, but she is clear that procurement professionals still need the knowledge and judgment to recognize when an AI-generated answer is wrong. She discusses why digitization and good data matter, how bringing procurement and AP together can strengthen supplier relationships, and what it takes to lead people through continued change. In this episode, Gretchen also explains how to: -Build supplier relationships around shared culture and purpose -Position procurement as a problem-solving partner to the business -Use AI to save time without sacrificing human expertise and judgment -Create a strong data foundation for digitization and AI -Connect procurement and AP to improve the end-to-end supplier experience -Take calculated risks when meaningful transformation requires leadership commitment -Embrace continuous learning and change as a procurement leader   Links: Gretchen Vance on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-vance-cpsm-6869794a/  Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe  Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

  7. Aug 26

    EP 014: Provider of the Week: Sievo W/ Sammeli Sammalkorpi

    "The expectation level of procurement is rising. Today's stuff that was not possible a year ago, that felt like science fiction three years ago, is something that we can create for our customers today." - Sammeli Sammalkorpi, Co-founder & CEO, Sievo For CPOs and their teams, procurement data has never been more abundant… or more challenging to harness. Demands go far beyond savings: teams are being asked to link procurement value to broader business goals, manage complexity, and adapt to the rapid rise of AI. In this episode of the ProcureTech Insider we speak with Sammeli Sammalkorpi, Sievo's co-founder and CEO, for a candid "Provider of the Week" discussion about what it takes to turn chaotic data into actionable business value.  With Sievo handling data equivalent to more than two percent of global GDP, Sammeli shares why long-term data investment, proprietary benchmarks, and hands-on integration are making the biggest difference for large enterprises. In this episode, Sammeli also covers how to: -Build an enterprise-wide data foundation ready for AI and rapid business change -Turn procurement analytics into prioritized, actionable insights -Benchmark your spend and risk using truly global, anonymized industry data -Translate procurement results into the language of margin, revenue, and business value   Links: Sammeli Sammalkorpi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammeli-sammalkorpi/  Visit the Sievo profile in the AOP Provider Directory: https://artofprocurement.com/provider-directory/sievo  Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe  Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

  8. Aug 24

    880: The State of AI in Procurement: Who's Getting the ROI? W/ Nick Heinzmann

    "There's an absolute risk of procurement's role and scope being diminished by AI, unless we embrace new ways of working." - Nick Heinzmann, Head of Research, Zip According to new research from Zip, only 17 percent of organizations can demonstrate clear ROI from AI today. The difference between those seeing results and those still struggling offers some timely and important lessons for procurement. In this episode, Philip Ideson welcomes back Nick Heinzmann, Head of Research at Zip, to unpack findings from Zip's 2026 State of AI in Spend report. They explore what separates organizations achieving measurable returns from those still dabbling with AI, and why deeper adoption requires procurement teams to rethink how work gets done. Nick also shares what the research reveals about procurement's changing operating model, including the emergence of new AI-focused roles and the growing importance of evaluating AI outputs rather than simply generating them. He discusses how leaders can create room for experimentation while managing shadow AI, why traditional three-to-five-year transformation roadmaps are becoming less practical, and how procurement can use its unique position across the enterprise to help shape AI governance and adoption. In this episode, Nick discusses how procurement can: -Establish a stronger role in enterprise AI adoption and governance -Move beyond AI experimentation to achieve measurable ROI -Treat shadow AI as a signal for unmet demand while maintaining appropriate governance -Move past common blockers and use early AI challenges to guide what comes next   Links: Nick Heinzmann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-heinzmann-787a5041/  2026 State of AI in Spend Report: https://zip.com/resources/state-of-ai-in-spend-2026  Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe  Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

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4.8
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About

Learn from procurement experts. Host Philip Ideson talks with thought leaders who share the trends, strategies and tactics that you can lever to elevate the role of procurement - and your career.

Information

  • Creator
    Philip Ideson
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    930
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright (c) Art of Procurement
  • Show Website
    Art of Procurement

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