Advertise on podcast: The Sourcing Hero

Few words empty a meeting faster than “governance.” Mention it to non-procurement colleagues and their attention tends to wander. At the same time, governance determines how decisions get made across procurement, maintenance, and operations. In MRO-dependent environments, weak governance shows up quickly as duplicate orders, wrong or missing parts, strained supplier relationships, and unplanned downtime. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Vernetta Tyler. Vernetta is the founder of NINET9 Solutions and has eight years of experience across operations, maintenance, reliability, and supply chain. Vernetta shares her perspective on why procurement governance is about how decisions are made, not just the rules written on paper: Why governance is especially critical in MRO environments, and the early signs that it may be starting to drift How to guide decisions with clear boundaries without restricting the teams who keep operations running How AI is likely to change compliance and anomaly detection while keeping human judgment at the center   Links: Vernetta Tyler on LinkedIn

Procurement’s ‘hidden’ operational costs often sit in the coordination required to get work done across the business. Beyond the hours spent chasing stakeholders, locating contracts, reconstructing negotiation history, and digging through systems, teams can lose value through delayed savings, unsustainable supplier agreements, and the opportunity cost of focusing on transactions instead of more strategic work.  Procurement works with nearly every other function, and so these costs can accumulate in the gaps between teams without ever appearing in traditional performance metrics. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Mike Fedorov to the show. Mike is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-CEO at Applied AI Labs. He has over 25 years worth of hands-on operations and supply chain experience, and he has either run or turned around operations for some of the most complex companies in the world. Listen in to hear Mike explain: Where procurement is most vulnerable to getting pulled into cross-functional busy work The difference between work that creates value and work that simply keeps a process moving How procurement should think about data readiness without getting stuck waiting for perfect data Links: Mike Fedorov on LinkedIn

While category expertise and strategies help procurement deliver specific business outcomes, sometimes it is the cross-category fundamentals that make the biggest difference of all. Case in point: stakeholder expectation setting.  How fast will a project move and why? What might need to be changed to deliver the results the business is looking for? How should stakeholders think about savings and cost avoidance? These are important topics for procurement to address before a sourcing project ever gets underway. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Richard Campbell to the show. Richard has deep experience in procurement, specifically in sourcing and managing spend related to the fleet, transportation, and logistics categories. Richard shares his perspective on why setting stakeholder expectations early and often is critical to procurement’s success: How to kick off a new project with the best chances for sustained alignment between procurement and the business Why procurement may need to educate stakeholders about cost avoidance and TCO in addition to sourcing strategy The importance of being present and listening closely before ever speaking to set an expectation   Links: Richard Campbell on LinkedIn

Procurement and spend management play a critical role in humanitarian response because the speed and quality of sourcing decisions directly affect how quickly aid reaches people in crisis.  Rather than simply purchasing goods, these procurement teams create the capacity to respond before disasters strike by establishing long-term supplier agreements, standardizing essential supplies, and ensuring resources can be mobilized wherever they are needed. Effective spend management is not just about efficiency, it is a force multiplier that enables organizations to extend their impact and save more lives. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes José Alfredo Rodríguez. José Alfredo is the Regional Supply Chain Director at World Vision International, a top-4 global organization managing $4B+ in annual spend, focusing on Health Insurance and large-scale Health Humanitarian Aid. José Alfredo shares his unique perspective on procurement through the lens of humanitarian crisis response: Why speed in procurement can be a life-saving capability How procurement teams maximize impact with limited resources  What it takes to build resilient supplier networks in challenging environments Lessons corporate procurement leaders can apply from humanitarian response   Links: World Vision Latin America

Supplier diversity programs have been part of procurement’s purview for decades, and they have changed a lot during that time. The categories of supplier ownership have expanded and become better defined, success metrics have narrowed, and initiatives like ESG have altered how companies relate to the program as a whole. Today, the most notable change to supplier diversity is… the silence. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes back Lamont Robinson. Lamont is a leading voice on supplier diversity, but that doesn’t mean he’s hesitant to reexamine and reimagine everything about the practice.  Lamont envisions supplier diversity programs that are both business-driven and legally defensible for long term impact: Why an over-reliance on spend as a performance metric has skewed the impact of supplier diversity programs and even held them back Whether the many categories of ‘diverse’ suppliers can (or should) be managed in the same way or whether they require a more varied approach Practical advice for diversity-minded procurement professionals, whether they own their company’s program or not Why he feels optimistic for the future of supplier diversity   Links: Lamont Robinson on LinkedIn

The mind-blowing potential of AI, either in LLM form or embedded in a SaaS solution, is so impressive that it would be easy to overlook the risks. Some of these risks come in the form of data security, but others linger in signed contracts that contain very real (but seemingly harmless) terms that change in importance as the technology evolves. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Wendy Storino. Wendy is a seasoned procurement leader with nearly two decades of experience in technology sourcing and supplier strategy. She has taken it upon herself to better understand the contract terms that procurement needs to understand to manage risk and cost in the age of AI. Wendy discusses some of the things procurement needs to know about AI-related contracts: The challenges resulting from the rapid rate of AI/tech development  Whether the addition (or the embedding) of AI changes the associated liability Why procurement (not to mention legal and IT) have a greater opportunity to learn across their contracts rather than focusing on one at a time Links: Wendy Storino on LinkedIn

There are some categories of spend that we all interact with differently because of the way they affect us as consumers. Packaging is a prime example of this. The level of strategy and effort invested in every choice make these buying decisions and supplier partnerships fascinating to study. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Bhavuk Chawla. Bhavuk has a Master’s degree in packaging technology, and has worked in either packaging development or packaging procurement for almost two decades. Bhavuk shares his in depth experience with packaging from the cost, brand, and supply chain points of view: -How packaging choices enhance the consumer experience -Considerations (including tradeoffs) that have to be managed in the buying process -Balancing internal priorities and objectives with new supplier  ideas and innovations -Increasing supplier (or supply chain) resilience through packaging sourcing decisions

If a company doesn’t know exactly what they are buying and about who they are buying it from, there is a good chance that their supply chain is riskier than they realize. The same lack of transparency creating that risk, also creates the conditions that allow forced labor and modern slavery to exist.  In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Justin Dillon. Justin is the Founder and CEO of FRDM AI, a solution that helps companies map their supply chain, isolate risks, and access risk mitigation tools. Justin first encountered the realities of modern slavery during his first career as a musician, progressing into documentaries on the subject, and finally getting more directly involved in solving the problem itself. Justin talks about the effort associated with identifying risks that could hurt a business or that could hurt the world at large:   Why it is such a challenge for companies to get (and keep) visibility into their supply chains What he sees as replacing the supplier audits and questionnaires that procurement has always used to manage risk Why intelligence is more valuable and actionable than data Making a solid business case for mapping a supply chain, and why that is more effective that altruism Links: Justin Dillon on LinkedIn

“We always want to go about it from a consolidated approach so long as the business, the organization, whoever we're working with, is open to that. That is normally my biggest piece of advice, because it really does make the procurement process as a whole for the organization much easier. It's going to make the savings grow a lot faster.” Group purchasing organizations (GPOs) are known for their ability to provide access to beneficial ready-to-go contracts and pricing, but they can also be a source of market intelligence for their members, sharing the most relevant insights from suppliers with companies trying to manage a whole range of spend categories. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Marissa Muzik. Is the Director of Sales and Member Success at Una, where she is focused on maintaining a tight and seamless process from start to finish with all of their new members. Marissa shares her perspective on the Una member experience, and how she and her team go about helping those members continue to manage spend and suppliers: The consultative and change management elements that Una’s customer success team provides as part of every member relationship Expectations for supplier or contract transition timelines that meet the ongoing business needs of buy-side companies How she explains the value proposition associated with having a GPO involved in procurement’s options   Links: Marissa Muzik on LinkedIn

As procurement looks toward 2035, leaders will have to face deeper transformation requirements than simply adding AI tools. They will have to rethink their operating models, talent, data, and decision-making. Uncomfortable though it might be, this will be essential if the function is to move from transactional purchasing to strategic value creation. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes David Loseby. David is a former CPO, a speaker, an author, a “pracademic”, an advocate, and the editor of two very well regarded journals: The Journal of Public Procurement and the Journal of Responsible Production and Consumption. David shares and discusses some of the key points from his recent article on procurement leadership in 2035: How the role of Chief Procurement Officer will differ from today’s version of the job How procurement leaders should think about AI as part of their operating model rather than just a tool layered on top of existing processes The new skills and mindsets procurement teams will need to succeed in an AI-enabled environment Links: David Loseby on LinkedIn Procurement Leadership in 2035… and why just adding a bit of AI won’t do

“If we can help you either validate that you're already saving enough money or help you find another way to do it, then we're happy to do that.” Group purchasing organizations (GPOs) help companies save money by pooling buying power to secure better pricing and terms than the individual businesses could achieve alone, but that doesn’t mean savings is the only form of benefit. GPOs also simplify supplier management, provide much-needed operational support, and help companies either validate or improve their current spending habits. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Michael Rodenberg. Michael is a Member Engagement Specialist at Una, so he regularly has the opportunity to walk members through all of the benefits associated with the GPO model. Michael talks about what he has learned, heard, and seen in his time working with the members at Una: How GPOs create savings through collective buying power Why “no cost” is not the same thing as “no value” How GPOs simplify procurement beyond just savings Links: Michael Rodenberg on LinkedIn

Procurement is always looking for ways to increase their efficiency, freeing up more time to invest in strategy and relationship building. Although AI holds a lot of promise on that front, not all teams are sure quite where to apply it.  Interestingly, supplier negotiation preparation - one of procurement’s core competencies - may provide just the use case they are looking for. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Nithin Mummaneni. Nithin is the Founder and CEO of Infinity Loop, a SaaS platform that supports procurement with supplier negotiations by automating deal reviews, uncovering negotiation opportunities, and driving cost savings.   Nithin talks about how AI can supplement rather than replace procurement’s efforts to prepare for supplier negotiations: How procurement teams are capturing and reporting on the ROI from AI investments The culture shift he sees in organizations where procurement is developing more expertise in house and relying less on external consultants What he has seen in terms of the expansion of procurement’s relationships and influence internally, once they have the time to focus on strategic v. tactical work Links: Nithin Mummaneni on LinkedIn

Although most procurement professionals are familiar with group purchasing organizations (GPOs), they may not have experience working with one. That can leave them wondering about adding complexity, and - most of all - what the ‘catch’ is.  In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Clay Kopp. Clay is an Account Executive at Una, and this conversation is part of an ongoing series focused on the members of the Una team.  Clay's background is in the fast‑paced world of transportation and logistics sales, and he now sits on the front lines of inbound and outbound GPO conversations. Clay shares what he has learned about procurement and GPOs from buy side members and supplier partners: How he walks people through Una’s “free to the member” model  Different levels of procurement maturity and how that changes the way they approach or incorporate a GPO Real life examples of how Una has been able to help procurement teams increase their impact Links: Clay Kopp on LinkedIn

While many organizations are adopting AI tools, fewer fully trust their outputs, particularly when financial accountability is at stake. Procurement professionals that have spent their careers learning the importance of transparency, governance, and focused use cases for digital investment, understandably find themselves feeling a bit skeptical about the ‘shiny’ promises made by AI-enabled solutions (let alone the answers those solutions offer). In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Chad Gaydos. Chad is the CEO of Procurify, an AI-enhanced procurement and AP automation platform created for the mid-market.  Chad shares his perspective on why this moment in digital procurement is so unique: The process and workflow related opportunities for procurement to simplify and streamline without sacrificing impact Why having specific use cases and pre-defined business outcomes are essential before implementing AI-enabled technology What will determine the ‘winners’ versus the ‘losers’ in the race to get ready for the next phase of digital progress   Links: Chad Gaydos on LinkedIn

Large companies want to work with small and medium-sized suppliers to benefit from their scrappy, innovative spirit. Small companies want to work with large enterprises so they can develop the processes and systems required to grow… that and for the sake of revenue stability. In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Bronwyn Reid. Bronwyn is the Founder of Small Company, Big Business, where she helps small to medium-sized enterprises translate how large organizations think, procure, and assess risk into practical actions that SMEs can execute. Bronwyn shares her experience working on both ends of the large supplier - small supplier continuum to address: Why large enterprises and small to medium-sized businesses struggle to get along The communications and understanding best practices that can help them both The incentives that exist for small suppliers and large companies to ’get it right’ by working together more effectively   Links: Bronwyn Reid on LinkedIn