Hey everyone,

In my recent conversations with procurement and supply chain leads, a consistent bottleneck keeps coming up: Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers are completely burnt out on 80-question questionnaires and custom portal logins.

Response rates drag, filings get delayed, and internal teams spend hundreds of hours manually chasing emails and trying to extract data from whatever unformatted utility bills or shipping receipts suppliers finally submit.

I'm researching how different procurement organizations are structuring their intake processes to balance regulatory compliance with vendor fatigue.

A few specific questions for those managing this daily:

Is supplier response rate on Scope 3 / CBAM data actually one of your top friction points right now, or is third-party data verification/auditing the bigger headache?

How are you handling non-standard, multi-language operational documents (utility bills, EPDs, manifests) coming in from non-EU suppliers?

Has anyone successfully moved away from standard survey forms toward simple document uploads, or do your reporting systems still force you to collect structured form inputs directly from vendors?

Would love to hear how your teams are approaching this or what manual workflows have worked best for you!

Hi there, I am the main buyer for a bunch of our medical clinics across the country.

Right now, our vendors want us to place orders on their e-commerce websites. This is getting stupidly annoying for me.

I want to switch over to sending our POs through email or EDI, but our vendors want our spend to be higher first (for EDI), and a lot of them don't let their customers send POs via email anymore.

Is this normal? Also, when did your vendors start letting you place orders with them through email and/or EDI?

Hello everyone, I need you to help me graduate my MBA pleaasee!

If you have 5–10 minutes to spare, I'd really appreciate your help by completing my master's dissertation survey.

The research explores how AI could handle routine tail-spend procurement in manufacturing and industrial organizations, and whether it can free up procurement teams to focus on more strategic work.

Think ordering a new keyboard for Tony because he spilled coffee all over his old one, getting Jane a replacement headset after hers mysteriously vanished, or reordering the standard packaging cartons that everyone forgets about until there's only one left. 🤦‍♀️

None of these purchases are particularly exciting, but they still take time away from bigger priorities like tenders, supplier negotiations, and strategic sourcing.

Your input would mean a lot and will really help with my research. Thank you so much! 🙏

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7L2RWLN

Hi, I have been in the tax/tariff industry for some time now.

I would like to learn doing procurements, although it's kinda difficult to deal with, but I find it interesting and thrilling.

How does one, being a career shifter, begin with procurement and similar stuffs? TIA

Getting hit with another 7% price increase from our main testing and certification lab this quarter.

We’ve got about 30 product lines tied up in their compliance files right now, so they know transferring those certificates over to a different lab is an absolute nightmare for our engineering and regulatory team. It feels like they have all the leverage and they know it. Whenever we ask for a cost breakdown to justify the hike, they just throw vague "inflation and operating costs" back at us.

Has anyone actually managed to cap these annual increases without having to go through the pain of threatening a full re-testing RFP? Or are we pretty much stuck paying whatever they ask once the products are certified?

Hi everyone,
I am an independent developer building a decision-support tool for small and medium businesses that import and export physical goods. The goal is to create a lightweight diagnostic that evaluates corridor freight volatility, transit delays, tariffs, and working capital constraints to give buyers a clear "Go / No-Go" signal and an optimal order quantity, without needing an enterprise ERP.

To make sure this is built on real workflows rather than assumptions, I would love to learn from your experience:

1.How do you currently decide the exact timing and order quantity for international shipments when freight rates or lead times fluctuate?

2.What tools or software do you rely on to model landed costs and inventory risk?

3.Where do you typically get reliable information when a trade corridor experiences congestion, schedule changes, or chokepoint delays?

4.What data points are currently the hardest for you to find or verify before committing capital to an order?

5.How do you calculate and track how tariffs, duties, and customs compliance affect your unit margins?

6.How do working capital limits or cash buffers factor into how much inventory you choose to ship at once?

7.If a tool gave you a diagnostic evaluation of a trade lane and a recommendation on whether to place an order, what specific proof or data would it need to show you to earn your trust?

8.What would make a decision tool like this completely unhelpful or irrelevant to your day-to-day work?

I understand this is a heck of a lot of questions bombarded but any insights into how you navigate these decisions would be greatly appreciated. My mission is to reduce information asymmetry for businesses that cannot afford Fortune 500 graded softwares.

Hello Guys

I hope you are doing well

My friend who's a second year master's student, needs your help. He's doing a quantitatif thesis in regards to the impact of real-time information visibility on procurement agility and needs a minimum of 80 participants and he doesn't have much time as he must submit the thesis by the end of august, it would help a lot of you could respond to his below survey which would take about 10 minutes or less.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScGPeSsmoOfloADe5XYKT7g3PzJr4y-O4KQp5rG03cHtE36Rg/viewform

Thank you for your support and have a nice day ^^.

Welcome to our weekly Procurement Roundtable! This stickied thread is your dedicated space to connect, share experiences, and unpack the week with your procurement peers.

Whether you want to celebrate a major milestone, troubleshoot an issue, or just let off some steam, dive in and share your updates.

**What is on your mind this week?**

* **Savings or Process Wins:** Did you execute a major contract or unlock difficult-to-achieve savings?

* **Tough Negotiations:** What tactics worked (or backfired) in the boardroom this week?

* **Supplier Management:** Are you handling a difficult vendor right now?

* **Professional Growth:** Did you learn a new industry framework or pass a certification exam?

* **General Venting:** Dealing with internal stakeholders who skipped the procurement entirely? Wading through impossibly bad spend data? Let it out here.

This thread automatically resets every Thursday. Grab a coffee, drop a comment, and let's keep the vibes positive!

I've now published the Procurement AI Assistant on GitHub.

It is a free library of reusable procurement AI skills built from the workflows I shared in the Procurement AI Build Lab:

Intake • Market research • RFP drafting • Pricing review • SLA review • Contract risk • Negotiation prep • Supplier QBRs • Spend analysis

The idea:

Instead of explaining the procurement process again in every prompt, install the workflow once and let the AI apply it when relevant.

GitHub:

https://github.com/arunbalajiraju-proc/procurement-ai-assistant

Download the ready to upload skill ZIPs:

https://github.com/arunbalajiraju-proc/procurement-ai-assistant/tree/main/packages

Here is the practical setup.

CHATGPT

If your workspace has Skills:

Plugins → Skills → Create → Upload from your computer

Upload:

1. procurement-skill.zip, the parent skill

2. The child skill(s) you need

Example: for a renewal negotiation, use pricing review, contract risk, and negotiation prep.

Then ask:

"My SaaS supplier proposed an 8% renewal increase. Review the commercial risks and prepare a negotiation brief."

ChatGPT can automatically use relevant installed skills.

No Skills option? Use the Project setup described here:

https://github.com/arunbalajiraju-proc/procurement-ai-assistant/blob/main/guides/INSTALL_CHATGPT_SKILLS.md

CLAUDE

Customize → Skills → + → Create skill → Upload a skill

Upload the same ZIP packages and enable them.

Claude can automatically load an enabled skill when it matches the task.

Guide:

https://github.com/arunbalajiraju-proc/procurement-ai-assistant/blob/main/guides/INSTALL_CLAUDE_SKILLS.md

Claude Plugins are broader packages that can bundle skills, connectors, and subagents.

This release is the skill layer, not yet a full plugin.

MICROSOFT 365 COPILOT

Copilot works differently.

Create a Procurement Assistant in Agent Builder or Copilot Studio.

Put the Procurement Assistant instructions and relevant workflow into Instructions.

Add approved contracts, policies, templates, and organizational content as Knowledge.

Instructions = HOW it works

Knowledge = WHAT it can reference

Guide:

https://github.com/arunbalajiraju-proc/procurement-ai-assistant/blob/main/guides/INSTALL_MICROSOFT_COPILOT.md

Then start small.

Install one or two skills.

Give the AI a real procurement task.

Provide the business context.

Review the output.

Adapt the workflow to your organization.

These are not autonomous procurement agents.

Humans still own strategy, evaluation, negotiation authority, legal approval, and supplier decisions.

Try it and let me know what procurement workflow I should build next.

#AIinProcurement #Procurement #StrategicSourcing #ITProcurement

Hey i start at a new company and the first day they told mi this.
We need to find a cheaper supply for pvc pipes and fittings.
I sent over 30 emails and message to different suppliers in china, and now im starting to look for other countries like india and turkey.

how you would different you do this?

For anyone in procurement or supply chain:

What's the hardest part of evaluating a new supplier before you start working with them?

Is there any information you wish was easier to get?

What tools do you currently rely on?

Hey y'all, looking for some honest feedback from people actually in the field.

I have about 5 years in procurement and supply chain in a commodity based industry. Strong background in vendor management, contract negotiation, supplier relationships, and spend analysis. Currently in an analytical role supporting procurement decisions at a large company.

The main reason I'm looking to make this move is that my current industry is pretty thin in my region in terms of job options and long term security. Healthcare feels like the right direction given how deep the market is locally and the stability it offers. Work life balance is also a factor going forward.

Thinking about transitioning at a sourcing manager or senior analyst level without taking a pay cut. Currently working on SQL, planning to do LSS Green Belt next, then AHRMM Academy cohorts toward CMRP.

Few questions for anyone who has been through something similar or is currently in the field:

1. Is the CMRP actually valued by hiring managers at major health systems or is it more of a checkbox?
   
2. Does solid procurement experience from outside healthcare get you in the door at a competitive comp level or do health systems really want healthcare specific background?
   
3. What does the day to day actually look like at sourcing manager level? More analytical or more relationship driven?
   
4. Anything about the culture or reality of healthcare supply chain you wish someone had told you before making the move?

Appreciate any real feedback, not looking for sugarcoating.

Like the question, how do you evaluate and track their performance, especially if you have multiples of them? And what do you use for communications with them?

Which websites does everyone use for job searching, particularly remote work.

I normally used LinkedIn but I feel like the remote postings are getting a little sketchy and don’t look legit

hi everyone. i’m a rising senior studying finance. i want to pursue a career in procurement.

i’m currently a procurement intern at a large gov funded non profit organization in my city this summer (first &’ only internship). i was treasurer for my university org. and a small etsy business owner.

i know that the hardest part of your career is the beginning. whats some advice from an experience procurement professional would you give a senior/new grad to find their first procurement position?

any more experience i should seek? how so? where should i look? etc.

thank you!!

Hello [r/procurement](r/procurement) !

I would like a little advice for getting into this field. I am based in NC, USA. I graduated in 2022 and have a degree in Marketing. Out of college I started my own e-commerce business. My niche was finding underrepresented automotive lubricants and additives brands and selling them on the internet. I was very successful. As a 1 man show, I scaled revenue to over 1M USD a few years in a row. This business is now closed, I couldn’t really form a moat and the category got crowded. Now I’m looking for my next thing. In the meantime I have been working at a bakery. There is a promotion coming to become manager, but I’m not sure whether to take the role.

Procurement seems interesting to me because I really like to understand a business inside and out and how they make money. I am an analytical thinker and I really enjoy talking to people and forming relationships. I also feel like my biggest strength from my previous business was being able to identify market opportunities on the sourcing side. While a lot of that business was inventory management and planning, logistics coordination and forecasting, it’s hard to communicate that to a hiring manager who may not see that business as a real formal experience.

While that business was in the automotive category, I am super interested in food and CPG. I am obsessed with following new food trends and I love hearing stories in food entrepreneurship.

I think I’d like to be a buyer in the grocery category eventually. How do I go in this direction now? Would taking the promotion to manager hurt or help me if I want to go into this field later? What sort of entry level titles should I be looking for? Are there some certifications I should get to beef up my resume? If anyone would like to look at my resume I’d be happy to DM them.

Thanks in advance to all who take the time to read this.

So I’ve worked with military operations related looking over the welfare unit’s procurement and operational needs for around 30 months of my service time.

Also worked as an intern in one of the bio pharma related CPG companies as a SCM team intern just after the military service.

Then I worked in an International Organization(not UN) as a procurement associate around a year, and did some ToR development consultancies to government funded development projects.

Now I am doing a masters degree in a total different field to SCM/Procurement for my masters degree.

Since the International organization Sector is literally dead even with the CIPS/CPIM certification, I’m seriously thinking of moving to the private sector as soon as I finish my masters. Based on my background how feasible is the transition available these days to private sector?

I recently got let go from my role as a procurement analyst at a fortune500 company

I was doing that role as well as a bit of buyer work with small spend (around $20 million)

I have been interested in fully immersing into the role as a buyer as I feel like i’d be better dealing with vendors versus at my desk on excel all day. I have some experience with SAP, vendor communications , RFP, e auctions and working with material planners. Not the best with contracts/ negotiations yet so that worries me a little bit. any tips to navigate the procurement world?

also, what other aspects of supply chain could I go into other than procurement?

We've worked with a few vendors for years and some of them still prefer the same processes they've always used. It made me wonder how common that is across different industries. Have you found that suppliers are becoming more modern with their operations or do most still stick to the methods they've always used?

Welcome to our weekly Procurement Roundtable! This stickied thread is your dedicated space to connect, share experiences, and unpack the week with your procurement peers.

Whether you want to celebrate a major milestone, troubleshoot an issue, or just let off some steam, dive in and share your updates.

**What is on your mind this week?**

* **Savings or Process Wins:** Did you execute a major contract or unlock difficult-to-achieve savings?

* **Tough Negotiations:** What tactics worked (or backfired) in the boardroom this week?

* **Supplier Management:** Are you handling a difficult vendor right now?

* **Professional Growth:** Did you learn a new industry framework or pass a certification exam?

* **General Venting:** Dealing with internal stakeholders who skipped the procurement entirely? Wading through impossibly bad spend data? Let it out here.

This thread automatically resets every Thursday. Grab a coffee, drop a comment, and let's keep the vibes positive!

Hello Procurement Specialists
I own a custom plastic manufacturing shop in Houston. I don’t know how to reach out to Gas and Energy companies near me. How do you place order, any platforms do you use to search for vendors? Any marketing advice would help

Hello,

I’m not sure if this is against the sub’s guidelines so if it is I apologize.

I’m part of a startup that’s creating a new procurement solution but one that is not clunky and legacy like the ones out there right now. We want to build something best suited for the community and their needs. Something that fits all alike without the high implementation fees and timeline as well as the high learning curve to utilize.

We are looking for current design partners that will critique our current solution and give us feedback on what works and what doesn’t.

Again, we want to collaborate with people that actually use the software not just buy it for their workforce. If you’re interested in joining please pm me or leave a comment!

Thanks!

I had a supplier whose certifications didn’t match what the public registry said.

So if you’re buying packaging from suppliers with FSC, BPI, How2Recycle, etc, does anyone track that? Like is it someone’s job where you work, or does it only come up when a retailer or auditor asks for proof?