Rich and Ed invite another super-duper special guest star to the podcast – Ashley Williams is a partner at Mishcon de Reya, specialising in all things AI, who talks to us about EU and US approaches to AI; whether your AI controlled car will kill you or random pedestrians whilst you’re playing Candy Crush; data scraping; Love Island and the wonderfully broad definition of AI.  It’s procurement, but it’s personal. We’ve also got a distinct lack of news; except for a very exciting CPO conference coming up in May; the price of cocoa and eggs; some very un-bureaucratic sounding EU innovation ..read more

Rich and Ed have noticed that everyone is banging on about lists - so they’ve joined the bandwagon of creating lists about stuff.  We’ve got lists from Elon, PWC and, er, a Linked-In algorithm on procurement top 10 skills!   We’ve also got news from CEPA, WMBC and CEBI, the mystery of CIPS and CCS; and that your BEV might by spying on you. So many acronyms, so little time. And we’ve got loads of your questions - this time about whether TFM is good for you, UNSPSC (jeez, more acronyms); what to do when your supplier threatens to put you “on stop”; going “best of breed”; what’s in vog ..read more

We've turned it up to 11 where Rich and Ed welcome back special guest, and Procurement Guru, Peter Smith, who bangs on about Bad Buying (including the story of Fat Leonard; the Wrong Incentives); the madness of HS2; AI and replicant procurement people, and whether the world is going to end. We also discuss Apple's continuous improvement blah, blah, blah; whether you should be zigging or zagging; and buying bits for aircraft in India. And we have yet more answers for your questions - which stakeholders should you talk to; what to do if your supplier goes bust (DON'T run away) and what to do i ..read more

Rich and Ed are back with Part 1 of a special guest appearance by Procurement Guru Peter Smith, talking all things CIPs, the Procurement Act 2023, and a bit of bad buying. There's also the latest news and answers to your questions on the procurement elevator pitch (every little helps), the worst thing to say in procurement, dealing with Houthi rebels and whether to join the AI training bandwagon. All this in the #1 (almost) award winning, top charting, leading global procurement podcast ..read more

Rich and Ed have their crystal balls at the ready with some predictions for 2024. What's the focus for Procurement this year (er, apart from savings)? Will we become T-shaped commercial people? Is it centralise or decentralise this time around? Are procurement systems really getting better? Will AI finally set fire to the sky, or at least do a decent job of an RFP? We also answer your questions on whether you can be a born negotiator; how to convince others that your saving is real; whether you should go into Procurement as a career (or get out); and which of the Big4 is best. We also have di ..read more

Procurement Says Ho Ho Ho - it's our Christmas Special where Rich and Ed discuss more legal stuff with top barista Mark Sherwood-Edwards and his freshly ground beans - and he's particularly SAASy this time. More news - including our little podcast being big in Vietnam and Romania; bizarre news about a balloon manufacturer; why procurement people leave their companies; Whirlpool's $800m procurement saving; and just how bad payment terms have become. We find out there aren't many procurement jokes, whether to accept (mistletoe and) wine at Christmas, and which day is best for listening to Procur ..read more

When is a barrister better than a barista? Rich and Ed find out which coffee is best with special guest star and expert in legal things - Mark Sherwood-Edwards. We talk liabilities, warranties, and being reasonable but never consequential. And whether the Magic Circle really can pull a rabbit from a hat. Plus news from the world of procurement - including the Procurement Bill's 128 page Royal Ascent, Zip's coolbox, and lots of lists of procurement tech providers. We find the origins of Mythra, the capitals of Canada and Nicaragua, and how much to spend on expenses. And whether there are any pr ..read more

How do you like your stakeholders*? Well done or medium rare? Rich and Ed talk to guest star Nick Ford about everything you ever needed to know about managing stakeholders - whether they are friends, derailers or passive aggressive. We have more news from the world of procurement; and answer important questions like: whether you should buy from the cheapest supplier; what to do if a salesperson annoys you; and do you really need a CIPS qualification? All the usual nonsense but with extra added seriousness. You can pause if it all gets too exciting and you need to pee (IN2P). *Vegan alternative ..read more

Rich and Ed are back, albeit a little belatedly, with the No1 Management Podcast in Nicaragua. This time we've got news from the Apple Podcast charts which will stun and amaze; the CIPS awards (best haircut, nicest coat); why you should never ignore procurement strategy and why procurement teams aren't achieving supply chain nirvana. We've also got a post bag full of, wait for it, 5 questions from listeners around the world ("Is it ever right to punch a stakeholder?"). And extra special guest star Kate Hill talks to us about all things social value - what is it, how do you measure it, why shou ..read more

Procurement Says No Episode 4 is our magnum opus – an extended concept album of procurement nonsense. We discuss tools and techniques in procurement, Ed turns his back on the procurement community; and we talk about Kraljic, Van Wheel, and even come up with a sixth force (or sic forth) for Michael Porter. We’re also talking about negotiation – some good ones and mostly bad ones. And providing advice on how to avoid your lies being spotted. Fly lie, fly. We even invent some new acronyms along the way (IN2P, TSMA), and discover that procurement won WW2. All this knowledge, all this drivel, in a ..read more