Episodes

  • Procurement Says No Ep20 Death of a Salesman

    Procurement Says No Ep20 Death of a Salesman
    Nov 18 2024
    Rich and Ed meet a real life salesperson, Meir Ziskin, who is an expert in automation and robotics sales. Mier will be answering all those salesy questions such as what makes a good salesperson; what does he really think of procurement people; how to stop “tyre kickers”; what does sales want from procurement; can salespeople be a buyer’s friend; do competing sales organisations really talk to each other about tenders, margins and whether to bid; what’s the hardest sell; and how to sell a pen.

    Plus we have news from the world of procurement; our views on the US election (Make Procurement Great Again) and its possible impact on tariffs and pricing; CIPS stats and news of their new CEO; a new procurement on-line cult; and how Procurement Says No seems to be ideal holiday listening all around the world.

    Have a listen and you'll also find out whether two humps are better than one.

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    40 mins
  • Procurement Says No Ep19 Now Recruiting

    Procurement Says No Ep19 Now Recruiting
    Oct 21 2024
    Rich and Ed explore the murky world of recruitment and provide their top tips whether you are interviewing or being interviewed. Should you “be yourself” or perhaps someone else; should you wear a pointy hat; what’s the worst question to ask in an interview - and how to answer it; should you be passive or aggressive or passive aggressive; when should you walk out of an interview and run, never looking back; what is an EVP anyway?

    And why do some sectors only recruit from within their own sector?

    Plus lots of facts from the Cheetah Research Institute on recruitment and pay in procurement.

    And news from the crazy world of procurement.

    You’ll love it, or your money back.

    Get your CV polished and have a listen. Who knows, by the end of it you may have a new job.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/procurement-says-no--5886102/support.
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    43 mins
  • Procurement Says No Ep18 The Procurement Act

    Procurement Says No Ep18 The Procurement Act
    Sep 10 2024
    Rich and Ed explore the strange and wonderful world of Public Procurement with the Procurement Act 2023. We are “deep diving” into what it’s all about with special guests Graeme Hunter and Verity White and asking questions such as:
    • What is it and why?
    • What are the differences compared with PCR 2015?
    • Will it encourage SMEs?
    • What’s the new system going to be like?
    • What is a Dynamic Markets process?
    • Will it create a new best practice and does it encourage or stifle competition? We have conclusive proof.
    • Is there a reduction in bureaucracy or even more than ever?
    • Is it all about to change or be postponed anyway?
    We’ve also got a little bit of procurement news and plenty of fun and japes. It might all sound a bit heavy and technical, but don’t worry because we’re not. If you’re a Public Procurement person in the UK – listen in and learn; and if you’re not – listen in and see how lucky you are not to be a Public Procurement person. There's so much in it that we've broken our "not more than 35 minutes" rule yet again.

    Some say these rules encourage fairness, prevent corruption and provide a clear audit trail; and some say they limit speed, innovation, efficiency and supplier involvement. Which side are you on?

    https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/procurement-says-no--5886102/support
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    48 mins
  • Procurement Says No Ep17 Collaborators feat LTP

    Procurement Says No Ep17 Collaborators feat LTP
    Aug 5 2024


    It’s a collab podcast – this time we are joining forces with fellow smooth podcasters Luke Stroud and Luke Burford aka 2Lukes of Let’s Talk Procurement (verified as the second best procurement-based podcast).

    Yes, it’s PSN vs LTP. GenX vs GenZ. Masters vs Learners.

    We discuss important matters such as: which animal would be best at procurement; how to spot “red flags” in recruiting and job ads; whether you always need a notepad; should we have merch, an Amazon mini-series and possibly the sponsorship of Tranmere Rovers?

    Plus: what usually goes wrong in procurement; how to “proc block”; being judged on savings alone; the most important 3 things to take into a negotiation (choose from cheese grater, bleach, knife, cocoa butter, toothpaste and others); should you negotiate with 10 buyers or 1 head of Procurement; the best negotiation tactics; and the biggest changes in procurement in the last 30 years.

    And: whether it's true that only 2 people have ever really wanted to go into procurement as their first choice career.

    It's absolutely full of advice of the sort that will get you a long way to achieving CIPS level 5. And it’s free – even cheaper than crisps this time. Listen now on all the usual pod places.

    #letstalkprocurement

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/procurement-says-no--5886102/support.
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    46 mins
  • Procurement Says No Ep16 Consulting with Consultants

    Procurement Says No Ep16 Consulting with Consultants
    Jul 8 2024
    Rich and Ed spill the beans on all the tricks of the trade in consulting and interim management. So have a listen if you are buying them, working with them, are one or want to be one!

    We are selling the consulting crown jewels for nothing by answering questions from our listeners around the world - when to use an interim vs a consultant; boutique or Big4; what's the best part and worst part of being a consultant; whether you can bluff your way in consultancy (yes, a bit); measuring a consultant’s “value add”; whether to go for a risk/gain share approach; why the big software houses don’t do their own implementation; how to find an interim; and how to stop consultant firms “landing and expanding”.

    We’ve also got the news - including Procurement and Supply Chain live London, what to buy from "Alibaba Guaranteed" and of course no news at all from CIPS.

    As usual, it’s full of advice that is as cheap as crisps.


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    42 mins
  • Procurement Says No Ep15 Return to Listmania

    Procurement Says No Ep15 Return to Listmania
    Jun 17 2024
    For our first anniversary, Rich and Ed Return to Listmania - our favourite topic of random lists for everything in procurement - including a list from someone off the internet - the 9 laws of stuff, plus 7 skills for supplier management, lists of procurement hats, 5 stages of aligned strategy, 11 trends for 2024 and a load of other hopeless predictions - including the demise of the letters C, X and Q.

    And we've got news - including more lists, this time of the top 10 ethical procurement companies (no we don't believe it either) with the BS thermometer of news, Dunkin's new CPO, CIPS's launch of their brand strategy, CAP's top uses for AI, and our podcast being big in Oman as well as now officially recognised as the 19th best global procurement podcast or something.

    We've also got some hard questions to answer from our listeners - what your 90 day plan should look like; how to save money on fleet management; when to e-auction and use Amazon for Business, and how many suppliers is the right number!

    You'll love it - we have a list of 9 reasons why.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/procurement-says-no--5886102/support.
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    39 mins
  • Procurement Says No Ep14 Deus Ex Machina

    Procurement Says No Ep14 Deus Ex Machina
    May 15 2024
    Ashley Williams from Mishcon de Reya is back as we delve further into artificial intelligence and machine learning. Will machines save us? Will capitalism save us? What will the world’s despots do with this technology? Is this a turtle on its back? Will Charlie Watts really play drums on a new Whitney album? Will lawyers and procurement people be replaced by bots? Who’s best – big companies or small companies? What is intent prediction and will Ed go to prison for a crime he is yet to commit? Or will we just be regulated to a higher standard (oh, that’s a bit dull)? All of these questions will be answered, sort of.

    And we have news of a very exciting procurement job in construction (no, really); procurement’s role in creating massive plastic pollution; procurement podcast lists (we love a list); and who really cares about the top 10 ERP systems. Plus your questions on travel sourcing and AirB&B; above the line marketing; and the best categories for big savings.

    Don’t press the red button; press the link below instead.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/procurement-says-no--5886102/support.
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    41 mins
  • Procurement Says No Ep13 Artificially Intelligent

    Procurement Says No Ep13 Artificially Intelligent
    Apr 22 2024
    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 awards and oh, CIPS again.

    And of course, more of your questions for “Ask Rich and Ed” – this time we ponder jumping ship into a procurement consulting role; whether to go to a procurement EXPO; what’s the worst category to manage; and what’s the next Procurement bandwagon you should be jumping on!

    Don’t be scared of the future – just download Episode 13 instead. Unlucky for some.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/procurement-says-no--5886102/support.
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    39 mins