Coming to you live from PASA’s home state, the PASA Connect Big Breakfast rolls into Brisbane this July. Registrations are now available for this sell-out series, so don’t delay – secure your ticket today. This snappy event squeezes a full day of team building, networking and real-world case studies into a four-hour window on 17th July at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Spring Hill.  A table for 10 people is just $935 or $715 for Connect members, including a hot breakfast and several keynote speakers – and everyone is back in the office by 11:30am! This is your chance to hear from: Ja ..read more

This month, in his exclusive PASA column ‘Gordon’s Window’, Gordon Donovan, VP of Global Procurement Research at SAP, provides a handy expert summary of March’s global procurement research.  Save your own time reading research when you can get the key takeaways in one place! What can you expect this month? Whilst supplier diversification is still in vogue, there are some areas where supply base reduction is re-emerging to improve relationships. AI is a thing – no, really it is everywhere as Ardent states.  Environmental concerns – scope 3, carbon footprint – are taking priority as fo ..read more

Transportation costs and stockpiling fell in March because of decreases in container rates – despite Red Sea and Panama Canal disruptions – while orders placed with Asian suppliers ramped up, according to the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index. Based on a monthly survey of 27,000 businesses, the leading indicator tracks demand conditions, shortages, transportation costs, inventories and backlogs.  The newly released data from the April 2024 report reveals Asia was the primary driver of increased demand for raw materials, commodities and components, led by India and China, with facto ..read more

Escalating tensions in the Middle East pose a significant threat to Asia-Pacific economies with oil prices set to increase, according to a new report from Moody’s Analytics. Prior to Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel – which occurred on 13th April in response to an airstrike in Syria that killed an important Iranian general – West Texas Intermediate crude was trading between $85 and $90 per barrel, says the top-tier analysis group. Of that, an estimated $5 was a risk premium in anticipation of the attack. Now that the attack has actually taken place, oil prices are expected to add anot ..read more

What are the five things all procurement teams should consider when they’re evaluating AI solutions?  As 2024 sees a shift from ‘dabbling’ with AI to formally integrating it into the business, this Art of Procurement podcast episode explores a framework that procurement teams can use as they decide how/when to adopt AI solutions and introduce new emerging technologies into their legacy processes, workflows and systems. Philip Ideson is joined on this insightful episode by Heather Murray, AI trainer and advisor at Beesting Digital and founder of AI for Non-Techies, who says having an AI st ..read more

A recent NSW parliamentary inquiry into the procurement practices of government agencies has examined the challenges small businesses face in securing contracts, while highlighting the measures that are needed to encourage them. Providing his evidence to the inquiry, NSW small business commissioner Chris Lamont hammered home the importance of the NSW government supporting and promoting measures that are designed to encourage small business participation. He said this would maintain a vibrant small business sector, ensure a diverse and competitive market, and give NSW taxpayers the best value f ..read more

Speculation surrounding the future of Qenos – Australia’s biggest plastic and chemical manufacturer – continues to grow, with hundreds of jobs at risk and supply chains set to feel the impact, especially in the plastic category. Following multi-million dollar losses over the past couple of years, attributed to high gas and energy prices, Qenos – which is owned by China National Chemical – has reached a deal to sell the company to property developer Logos, according to The Australian. This has led to speculation that Qenos is planning to shut down before the end of the year, with the company’s ..read more

On a new episode of the weekly podcast How to Get Unstuck with Helen Thomas, the prominent career and business coach is joined by Cynthia Chung, head of procurement at Vicinity Centres and previously Nandos,  to discuss making big decisions and stepping outside of your comfort zone to be a role model for others. Exploring Cynthia’s 20-year long career in procurement – which spans a number of diverse industries and huge efforts to encourage more varied representation in leadership roles – the episode features a number of key highlights, including: How having the courage to step forward an ..read more

Sustainability skills are coveted within the procurement and supply chain sector, with a significant increase in their demand across both permanent and contracting roles over the last six months, covering most major sectors, reports Cozens Mabel. In its latest quarterly newsletter, the specialist Australian recruitment firm says industry recruitment across permanent roles remained steady throughout the first three months of 2024, with higher than normal growth in January – typically a quieter month. The majority of new hires filled junior to mid level roles across all sectors, but the senior e ..read more

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