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What My Brother Got Right About AI, and What it Means for Supply Chain
For today’s article, let’s talk AI models: drafting vs. editing, ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, and Grok. We’ll talk about the strengths, weaknesses, and personalities of these tools, and which ones are best suited to which procurement tasks. I’ll also cover the new Sensei supply chain-specific AI from SCMDOJO as I got a chance to play with it a little this week.
From AI to Truck Drivers: Lessons from a Day at Iowa State’s Voorhees Supply Chain Conference
The article recaps my experience at the Iowa State Voorhees Supply Chain Conference, highlighting a consistent theme: despite rapid advances in AI and automation, the future of supply chain remains deeply human. Early sessions touched on Supply Chain 5.0’s focus on resilience, sustainability, and human‑centric design, as well as Casey’s gradual rollout of predictive inventory tools. The Startup Showcase emphasized meeting audiences where they are—whether through driver‑focused podcasts or advanced load‑matching algorithms. In the PechaKucha research lightning round, professors shared insights on repair economics, tariff strategy, unintended effects of gig‑worker insurance, and the regulatory burden on food supply chains. A standout moment came from Project 61’s compelling work on truck‑driver health, while the closing keynote reinforced that optimized systems still fail without adaptable, well‑developed people. “We simply can’t get so excited about AI that we build brittle supply chains that break the minute geopolitical pressures rise.”
The A Team vs. The B Team: The Case for Experience in Strategic Sourcing
This week’s article is about what experience brings in procurement. Let’s talk about building relationships, the things that go into Total Cost of Ownership, and winning the war instead of the battles. I also tell some stories about when I burned relationship bridges as a beginning Engineering Buyer, when I got to come in after a very inexperienced large consulting firm team, and when I thought I was winning, but I was only winning battles and losing the war.
To Procure Better, Classify Better: Category Taxonomy as a Strategic Supply Chain Tool
Today’s article talks about category taxonomies: why they’re important, options, pros, cons, and things to think about. While not the most exciting topic, it’s one of those Supply Chain 101 tools that, when broken, breaks everything else. They’re needed to:
-Allow for division of work
-Help accounting with taxes
-Determine bid cadence, timing, and scope
-Improve system interconnection
-Enables data analysis
We’ll cover:
UNSPSC
NAICS
Tax Codes/HTS
Home-built
Suppliers Who Are Fighting e-Auctions are Missing the Opportunity
This week we’ll talk about the supplier perspective on e-auctions, triggered by a question I received from one of those suppliers. We’ll talk Do’s and Don’ts, with best practices and practical thoughts for both buyer and supplier.
A summary:
Do
Understand the value proposition – both sides
Ensure the auction reflects the value proposition
Know your bottom-line number(s) before the event
Treat an e-auction like a quick, clean negotiation
Don’t
Be late
Participate without enough training/practice events
Request a ceiling increase
Try to get the e-auction removed, instead get it modified to include full value
What am I missing from my list, either as a supplier or buyer?
The $250 That Made Equal Pay Day Personal
Today’s article is about Equal Pay Day, this year marked in the US on March 26th. We’ll talk about the history of Equal Pay Day and what it is, what you can do about gender pay gaps either as an individual or a manager, and about the anthology I’m part of that comes out today: Femme Led! If you’d like a little taste of that book, I’ve put my favorite quotes from each chapter at the end of today’s article.
If You’re Not Overcommunicating with Suppliers, You’re Probably Doing It Wrong
This week we’ll talk about fostering new supplier relationships through the lens of parenting. Your company and the supplier may not be “young”, but your relationship is. We’ll talk about overcommunicating with suppliers, being clear, standing your ground, and keeping consistent internal communication when building (or rebuilding!) a relationship with a supplier.
Cash Flow and Customer of Choice: Where Procurement Can Create Value
This week we’ll talk about cash flow including pros and cons of early payment terms (and how they can affect a supplier relationship), how third party payment systems can work (and how to e-auction them), payment process improvement (and the questions to start asking), and being a customer of choice.
An E-Auction Might Work… But Not Here: Three Categories That Proved Otherwise
Today’s article gets deep into when we see strong pushback against e-auctions: when it happens, who pushes back, and the results if you can get the e-auction run after getting through stakeholder objections. I talk about three real-world examples in detail: engineering services, marketing, and roofing nails. If you’re thinking one of those is either a no-brainer for e-auction or un-auctionable, I encourage you to read on.
Form, Fit, Function: How Part Numbers Unlock Better Procurement Decisions
This week let’s talk part numbers and why a procurement professional should care. We’ll talk about the principle of form, fit and function and how it impacts your supplier evaluation, benefits to assigning part numbers, and some thoughts on part number taxonomy. I’ll give a few examples from my manufacturing days, including why revisions on wire harnesses can be a big issue and some “secret” information sometimes hidden in part numbers.
Shifting Sands, Steady Hands: How Procurement Teams Recover When Assumptions Collapse
Today’s article gets very tactical and nitty-gritty on how to deal with last-minute changes or issues specifically with e-auctions. I dive into three real-world indirect spend categories with major issues this week: professional services, office furniture, and apparel. One of these issues I see ALL THE TIME
Who Should Run Your E-Auctions? Temperament, Skills, and the Myth of Experience
This week we’ll talk about hiring e-auction team leads and members. I’ll note the personality/temperament I find most important, experience needed (or not needed), and the skills that lead to success. I like to look for calm, diplomatic e-auction team members with not too much experience and a strong customer mindset.
Hype, Troughs, and the Humans We Forget
Today’s article is about AI on the technology hype curve and how it’s looking a lot like the e-auction curve twenty years ago. Let’s talk about where we are in the hype cycle, similarities between e-auctions and AI, garbage in/garbage out, implementation, and what to do about all of it. If we don’t learn from the technology lessons of the past, we’re doomed to repeat them.
The All-Important RFx: Mastering RFI, RFQ, and RFP Strategy
Today’s article talks about all things RFx: RFI, RFQ and RFP being the most common. We’ll talk about what each of these are, when to use them, and what result you should expect from each.
Everybody Knows Somebody: Confronting Nepotism in the Supply Chain
Today’s article tackles a sticky, ugly, difficult topic head on: nepotism. I cover where it tends to show up, what it costs, why supply chain seems particularly susceptible, and what to do if you see nepotism in your own business or team. I also tell a story about when nepotism affected my team directly and what it cost me personally.
A Rose By Any Other Name… Is Still An E-auction
Today’s article talks about other names for e-auctions: reverse auction, e-sourcing, e-negotiation, e-BAFO, and interactive bids. Which ones work best to brand an e-auction program? Does anything get rid of the stigma e-auctions tend to carry? I’ll give my thoughts on these questions, on each of these terms, and the best way to fight the e-auction stigma.
New Year, New Inbox: Bring Order to your Email Chaos
If you’re like many people, you came back from an extended holiday vacation this week and realized the Holiday Elves failed to magically clean your email inbox while you were gone. While some manage to achieve the coveted Inbox Zero over the holiday, most of us are...
E-Auctions to Leadership Development: A Year of Measurable Supply Chain Value
Today’s article is a year-end review of my business, including some deeper dives into what I did for clients and the variety of projects I tackled. I also highlight my writing (Book! Articles!), some miscellaneous items (want to see the logos I didn’t choose?), and my conference round up for 2025 and 2026.
What Your Holiday Decorating Style Says About Your Procurement Personality
Today’s article is in the spirit of the holiday season and talks about what your holiday decorations say about your procurement personality – whether you’re a procurement professional or not! Does your procurement personality align well with your company’s priorities? And if you don’t celebrate holidays this time of year, substitute whatever holiday is most dear to you whenever it occurs.
Convince the Skeptics
Today’s article is about transformation: how to start, collaborate, and sustain transformation and bring the skeptics along with you. You know the ones: when you say, “Change!” they say, “Change Back!” So let’s talk about how we get them on board and make our transformation a success.
I also have a side note on one of the most common questions I get about e-auctions: Won’t they increase change orders?
The Conversations That Transform How We Think About Talent
This week’s article follows the talk Tara King and I gave at Advancing Construction this week about recruiting and retaining procurement talent. We asked the audience questions, discussed the results, and shared best practices Topics include:
Sourcing Talent
Interviewing and Onboarding
Developing Teams
Training Talent
I also talk about my favorite topics/frameworks for one-on-ones that aren’t simply a status update. These include belonging, improvement, choice, equality, predictability and significance.
Say the Quiet Part Out Loud
When you hear “e-auctions,” what do you whisper to yourself or your colleague in the desk next to you? What are you afraid to voice out loud?
For today’s article, let’s say the quiet part out loud. I talk about a few of the objections to e-auctions I keep hearing whispered, and have some thoughts on each. The ones I hear most often are:
I Prefer to Negotiate With My Incumbent Supplier
We Don’t Run Competitive Bids
We Run E-auctions, But Call Them Something Else
E-auctions Are Best for our Direct Materials
E-auctions Work Better in Europe
I also touch briefly on some times recently when I haven’t stuck hard enough to my principles and the results aren’t as good as they could be.
Thank Your Past Self
Today’s article is in the spirit of US Thanksgiving and talks about thanking your past self: how Past You, Current You, and Future You are three different people, why it’s important to thank your past self, and how it can actually make you a better leader.
Profit, Power, and Quadrants: Classic Matrices Still Drive Modern Value
Today’s article talks about using matrices in helping determine sourcing strategies. We explore a generic 4-box model, the Kraljic Matrix, and the Kearney Chessboard, discussing their differences and uses in the supply chain world. The article also discusses how to use these matrices to maximize value for your business.