This week and next week are busy, with 8 webinars currently scheduled for each. One thing I’ve noticed since starting back up in January is that webinar hosts are posting events with a bit less lead time than usual – sometimes less than a week – so make it part of your routine to look at our full calendar each Monday (or Friday afternoon) if you’d like to see a complete list.
If you are planning your webinar schedule further in advance, I recommend The Future of Procurement: Apps, Talent, & Innovation from Ardent Partners and Tradeshift on February 28th at 1pm ET.
BTW: If you haven’t already, sign up for our mailing list to be sure you get my weekly recommendations in your Inbox each Monday.
BEST PRACTICES FOR STRATEGIC SOURCING OPTIMISATION (Coupa)
February 19th, 6am ET
If there is such a thing in procurement as ‘an oldie but a goodie’ I think sourcing optimization qualifies. I worked at Emptoris during the golden days of optimization. Back then, we were doing everything we could to keep up and CombineNet was largely leading the way – partly because they offered project-based pricing. (They were acquired by SciQuest who later became Jaggaer.) In any case, there are some categories of spend that require a little more analytical muscle: LTL and location-based services come to mind. If you work on sourcing projects that stretch the capabilities of your sourcing platform’s ability to handle data points, check this webinar out.
COST TRANSPARENCY - A Catalyst for Achieving Negotiating Goals (ProPurchaser)
February 20th, 1pm ET
So how DO you negotiate competitive prices in a collaborative/relational business environment? It is all about the facts, or, to be more precise, the costs. If we can discuss our suppliers’ input costs (materials, transportation, labor) with them, then we can better understand the basis (or lack thereof) for the prices they give us. In this 45-minute webinar, ProPurchaser President Rod Sherkin will explain how to create and use cost transparency to increase your leverage at the negotiating table without damaging your hard-won supplier relationships.
2019 Procurement Outlook Report: Major Trends and Impacts in Business and Technology (SIG, GEP)
February 21st, 1pm ET
Last week, I attended a fascinating webinar that GEP’s Paul Blake presented with CIPS. He covered the ABC (and D’s) of technology. This week, he’s moving on to some of the macro trends I’m sure you’ve heard of: Brexit, U.S-China trade wars, M&As, price volatility, and the impact of new disruptive technologies. In this webinar, he’ll address the impact of the above-listed trends plus the latest in digital procurement transformation and some category-specific insights. (I hope he plans to talk quick! Those are some mighty big topics!)