ITAA’s services have expanded, and our growth provides access to a larger talent pool across more disciplines, enabling us to offer our customers the best solutions tailored to their needs. We only employ experts in their respective fields, maintaining incredibly high standards. Every team member is a specialist who has honed their skills before joining our team of advisors.

We are excited to announce that Rob Gardner, a recent expert addition to the IT procurement, Commercial Services and Software Asset Management (SAM) team, will be speaking at the IT Procurement and Sourcing Summit in Amsterdam, September 2024.

Rob brings over 15 years of invaluable experience in procurement and team leadership across high-profile industries, including Insurance, Oil and Gas, Healthcare, Retail, and FMCG. With a proven track record of delivering significant results and driving strategic initiatives, Rob played a pivotal role in restructuring the procurement department for a leading private healthcare company, managing all indirect spend categories. His expertise also extends to renegotiating key contracts, exemplified by his successful renegotiation with a strategic technology provider, leading to a remarkable 20% reduction in delivery costs.

In addition to his impressive accomplishments, Rob has been integral to a multi-million-dollar AD&M programme, helping establish a new commercial ecosystem with several strategic service providers. His skills in forming and leading interdisciplinary teams and fostering highly collaborative supplier relationships make him a standout leader in the field.

To delve deeper into Rob’s expertise and approach within the procurement field, we asked him a series of questions:

1. What drew you to the Commercial sector?

I, like many of my peers, didn’t initially set out to work in Procurement. I gravitated towards it once I found out what it entailed. The appeal for me was working with a diverse group of people within an organisation, as well as with external partners. It’s all about achieving a common that benefits everyone involved. Therefore, it was the problem solving and the focus on mutual benefit that really drew me in.

2. Can you describe a particularly challenging procurement project you have managed and how you overcame the difficulties?

I’ve faced several challenging projects, but a recurring theme in procurement is when the stakeholders expect the suppliers to not only solve their problems, but also help define them. One of the best questions that you can ask in procurement is ‘What do you want to buy?’ If the stakeholder can’t clearly define what the outcome is, they shouldn’t be talking to a supplier yet. The risk here is that the supplier will often try to convince them that they have the solution, whether it is true or not. I never blame the supplier for this; the job of a salesperson is to sell. My job, as the procurement manager, is to ‘coach’ the stakeholder to define their requirements clearly or they risk buying something that they don’t need.

3. How do you assess and manage risks within the procurement process?

You need to take a big step back and assess the bigger picture, especially when sourcing technology. This often means asking stakeholders some tough questions. For example, ‘what is the risk of doing nothing?’ They might argue that inaction isn’t an option, and they could be right, but it’s crucial to assess this early on. Timing is key because risks don’t improve with time. So, when you apply this to the procurement process, address risks early and ensure you include them in your scenario planning. However, the best, most reliable risk management comes from ensuring that you have the right protections in any contract that you have in place with a supplier. Define what constitutes a supplier’s failure to deliver and make sure it is covered in the Service Level Agreement. This doesn’t eliminate the risk of poor delivery, but it provides a structure to manage it and, if necessary, seek compensation.

4. What strategies do you use to build and maintain effective supplier relationships?

Firstly, it is important to acknowledge that you can’t build a strategic relationship with every supplier! This requires a huge amount of time and effort from you, the supplier, and your internal stakeholders. Investing some effort into traditional segmentation can yield significant benefits and even more so if you consciously identify where your effort will reap the greatest rewards. Then, consider whether a supplier sees a broader opportunity to invest time and effort into the relationship. Talk to your stakeholders, read about the supplier and attend their events. Sometimes, just showing up at their events can make a big difference in how they view the relationship. It’s incredible how much they will appreciate this, and it will almost invariably be rewarded.

In simple terms, what you and your organization get out of a relationship reflects what you put into it. Invest time and effort in nurturing the relationship, building trust, and fostering collaboration. It takes time and effort, but if you’ve identified the right suppliers, the rewards can be significant.

5. How do you keep yourself informed about the latest trends and developments in the sector?

The obvious answer is LinkedIn, and it’s not to be underestimated. There is a vast amount of really great information published by very experienced and knowledgeable people. Use it as a springboard to other platforms like Substack, blogs and streaming services. You can quickly ‘grow’ your own ‘garden’ of information sources. Nothing beats meeting in person, though. Networking at trade events and meeting up with former colleagues or industry contacts is a really great way of keeping abreast of what is going on.

6. What has been your proudest achievement during your long and successful career?

Rebuilding a procurement team after a restructure is one of my proudest achievements. Not only did I recruit people directly into a team reporting into me, but it allowed us to reset our position within the organization. That year we went on to exceed the prior years’ savings target and introduce a whole new team of excellent people to the organization. One of the best parts of being in procurement is informing a supplier that their tender has been successful, but it’s even better to offer someone a job. I am also proud to say that I learned as much, if not more, from those new colleagues as they did from me.

In terms of sourcing, renegotiating a £15m systems implementation contract stands out. Initially, I was concerned it was going to be a tough task, but with thorough planning and support from executive stakeholders, we immediately saw movement on key deliverables and, most importantly, on the total estimated costs.  The end result was an achievement of >20% overall reduction in the milestone charges and a much stronger working relationship at each level of the (newly established,) governance structure. Always prepare and rehearse your negotiations!

7. What do you believe will be procurement’s biggest challenge in the coming years? What emerging trends in procurement do you think will have the most significant impact in the next 5 to 10 years?

The biggest challenge will be digitizing the procurement process and enhancing it with the opportunities that AI will bring. Teams that have already adopted technology to support their delivery will have a huge head start. Those that haven’t will struggle to meet their business’s performance needs. Adoption should be proactive, not reactive That’s the challenge for individual teams, however, a challenge for procurement as a whole, will be to embrace AI’s potential.

Unlike the buzz around Blockchain, which fizzled out AI is here to stay. There will likely be a significant divide between those who embrace technology and those who don’t.

We look forward to Rob’s contributions at the IT Procurement and Sourcing Summit and invite you to join us to gain insights from his extensive experience.