Well, if there are themes in procurement at the moment then they are AI, cyber and something else - possibly monkeys. Rich and Ed discuss two of these in depth - including whether we'll ever have an AI procurement companion-bot.

We have news on what CAPS data is telling us now about how procurement people spend their time (same old); how Peter Smith is finding sex-bots; less chocolate on your Club (and Penguin); and THREE insightful surveys brought to you courtesy of 100 CIPS procurement people in a room in Birmingham.

We also find out that we reached "peak procurement" in 1985. Apparently.

We have more questions from listeners - this time on cyber insurance, outsourcing cyber defence and what exactly is a SOW? (Spoiler - not a pig).

Plus some incredible thought leadership to help you create a procurement vision and develop your organisation using the "Procurement Sophistication Nexus".

Plus double plus Diella, the AI procurement bot from Albania, makes an appearance (sort of).  

All this plus plus plus more crap procurement jokes.

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

Another video which we said we'd never do.   Except this is audio only.

They're on TikTok in full glorious video.

How will I know if my supplier is lying to me - ha, the autonomic response!



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

Lots more questions from Procurement Says No - the world's best procurement podcast.

Now in a series of mini bite-sized podcast chunks.  Like dog food.

In episode 14 you ask what's the best part of being a consultant; and whether you can bluff your way in consulting (er, yes).

With thanks to Nigel Viney

All of the procurement questions, all of the time.

www.procurementsaysno.com


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

It's all gone a bit psychic energy crazy, as Rich and Ed invite spritual mentor and intuitive business coach Aude Firmin to talk to the dead (and accounts), do some live reiki healing and generally improve our shakras.

Channel your business strategy with Aude, improve your intuition and discover that rejection is redirection.   

Enter the land of fluffy bunnies with us - you don't need psychedelic drugs, or even a valid PO, to get some spiritual healing with Aude.

We also have some news from Starbucks and their use of AI to count stuff in warehouses; shock news as it turns out post award contract management in the UK public sector isn't brilliant; cyber attacks happening all over the place; and some waffle about the UK Government's AI IT services tender.

There'll be interruptions, mysterious phone calls, black cats and more - so tune in and have your astral projection realligned! 

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

Another video which we said we'd never do.   Except this is the audio-only version.

They're on TikTok in full glorious video.

Diella is the new Albanian Minister for Public Procurement and an AI bot.   She's here to take your job.


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

Rich and Ed are back with more news, advice and answers to the crazy goings-on in the world of procurement.

Including very exciting news from Renault - their new CEO is an ex-procurement person.  Woohoo.   News that some people will never learn - as the UK Government gives Fujitsu more contracts, worth £281m.   And some reaction to US tariffs - or it was already planned, honest -  as Mars invests $2bn in US manufacturing across its pet care and snacking division by the end of 2026.

Some legal stuff where suppliers to the public sector "win" after seeking commercially sensitive information; and "win" by being reinstated after being blacklisted.    

And lots more questions from our listener around the world - including advice on buying a trench; which is best: desk research or going out to tender when looking to optimise costs; what to do when you receive reports of modern slavery in your supply chain; and some possibly dodgy behaviour from a boss who seems to be a little too close to a supplier.


Plus a new feature "The Secret Buyer" where anonymous listeners tell us their stories of best and worst practice.  One involves a confused MD who is trying but failing to help; and one a confused business owner who thinks he's an expert negotiator but unfortunately isn't.  So mostly worst practice then.

This all works in practice but will it work in theory?





Now with incidental royalty-free background music!



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

Lots more questions from Procurement Says No - the world's best procurement podcast.

Now in a series of mini bite-sized podcast chunks.  Like dog food.

In episode 13 you ask for our thoughts on Amazon Business; how many suppliers is optimum; should you use an interim or a Big4 consultant and which consultancy is best - and should you work for one???

All of the procurement questions, all of the time.

www.procurementsaysno.com

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

Rich and Ed star on episode 56 of internationally renowned podcast "The Way We Source" - hosted by Sam Jenks and sponsored (them, not us) by Kodiac Hub - your end-to-end Supplier Relationship Management platform for strategic, sustainable and smart procurement blah, blah.

We answer the important questions:  Why does procurement say no?  Why do procurement people sometimes take themselves tooooo seriously?  Are we aligning or hindering? 

And some stuff about AI.   

And we talk about agile for procurement (or lean or continuous improvement); how easy it is to repatriate off-shore manufacturing (including some non-fact-checked spurious data); our 5 point plan for dealing with tariffs; the call to action for procurement folk ("go out and do something") and whether indeed, history will teach us anything at all.

It's also got the fabulous "TWWS" theme tune as an added bonus.   

It's lovely and someone else did all the work.  So that's super.



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

We've launched into the world of short videos on TikTok.   It's another thing we said we wouldn't do.

Anyway, here's the audio-only version, for those of you who really, really don't want to look at us.

We promise this is the last of our run of terrible procurement jokes

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

Procurement Says No - the world's best procurement podcast - gets lots of questions from our listeners all around the world.  

So we thought, let's put all of those questions into a series of mini bite-sized podcast chunks.  Like dog food.

In episode 12 you ask for help on creating a procurement 90 day plan (which you definately will stick to); how to save money on fuel buying; and whether using e-auctions is still a thing.

All of the procurement questions, all of the time.

www.procurementsaysno.com

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

Rich and Ed welcome CIPS supremo Ben Farrell and find out how the Blackthorn Rally is saving Paddington bear, giraffes and elephants; Ben's globe trotting including nearly meeting the Nigerian president, seeing just how big a typical Government Dept of Bribery & Corruption should be; and his passion for procurement - shared with CIPS volunteers around the world.

He also talks to us about the new CIPS strategy and HQ and invites us along for the ride; what's in it for mid-career procurement people; how to get from CPO to CEO; and how the public sector can surely do procurement better (spoilers - he wants to help!); whether we should ditch democracy for something that might actually work; plus global trade, tariffs and energy.

All this and re-imagining the procurement role for the future.

Fasten your seatbelt and let's "head to the storm".

www.procurementsaysno.com


https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ben-farrell-5?utm_medium=CR&utm_source=CL



https://youtu.be/zoFAeg7Aawk?si=wojYWF1MSwIvtS0u

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

Rich and Ed meet Alex Jennings from Alchemie Network to discuss whether AI can save us from Trump's tariffs and global meltdown.

This is the edited audio of Alchemie's live stream from July 2025, where we discuss the latest developments in the global tariff drama - agreements which have been made, deals which are close, which countries are on the naughty step, what it all means in economic terms and what you can do about it!

We also find out whether penguins exported to the US are subject to some of the highest tariffs; which country is exporting women's garments and diamonds to the land of the orange man; and we have (almost) conclusive proof of the existence of higher intelligence from space.

Plus - can students get away with using AI in their essays and dissertations (yep, at least 88% of them anyway); news on Ferrero/Kelloggs new innovation (chocolate coated corn flakes without corn syrup possibly); how much is an American F35 bomber; Deloitte's welfare scheme to prevent stress in the workplace, and changes to non disclosure agreements which we can't talk about here.



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

We've launched into the world of short videos on TikTok.   It's another thing we said we wouldn't do.

Anyway, here's the audio-only version, for those of you who really, really don't want to look at us.

We've nearly run out of procurement jokes thankfully - here they are...

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

We've launched into the world of short videos on TikTok.   It's another thing we said we wouldn't do.

Anyway, here's the audio-only version, for those of you don't really want to look at us.

We ask the important question - "what is the procurement elevator speech?"

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

We've launched into the world of short videos on TikTok.   It's another thing we said we wouldn't do.

Anyway, here's the audio-only version, for those of you who really don't want to look at us.

More crap jokes...these ones are slightly worse than the previous episode.

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

We've launched into the world of short videos on TikTok.   It's another thing we said we wouldn't do.

Anyway, here's the audio-only version, for those of you who don't really want to look at us.

Here is proof that there are no good procurement jokes...

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

We've launched into the world of short videos on TikTok.   It's another thing we said we wouldn't do.

Anyway, here's the audio-only version, for those of you who don't really want to look at us.

What is procurement?

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

Procurement Says No - the world's best procurement podcast - gets lots of questions from our listeners all around the world.  

So we thought, let's put all of those questions into a series of mini bite-sized podcast chunks.  Like dog food.

In episode 11 you ask us how to source travel - whether using a big travel agency still makes sense; what about using AirB&B?   Also, what is "above the line" marketing and why don't your marketing team work effectively with procurement types?   The old chestnut of the best category for the biggest savings; and whether we can recommend a Procurement Podcast!

All of the procurement questions, all of the time.

www.procurementsaysno.com

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

All of the procurement questions, all of the time.

Procurement Says No is probably the world's best procurement podcast - and we get lots of questions from our listeners all around the world, asking for our advice on a whole range of procurementy topics.

So we thought, let's put all of those questions into a series of mini bite-sized podcast chunks.  Like dog food.

In episode 10 you ask us whether a jump into consultancy would be a good career move; whether to go to an all-expenses-paid-including-the-weekend IT expo paid for by a supplier; what's the least fulfilling category to buy; and what's the next procurement band wagon we should all be jumping on.

www.procurementsaysno.com

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

All of the procurement questions, all of the time.

Procurement Says No is probably the world's best procurement podcast - and we get lots of questions from our listeners all around the world, asking for our advice on a whole range of procurementy topics.

So we thought, let's put all of those questions into a series of mini bite-sized podcast chunks.  Like dog food.

In episode 9 you ask us whether to go all in on an SAP upgrade, or go "best of breed"; decentralise or centralise your organisation; and whether to make up your procurement savings because no one knows how you work them out and no one cares anyway!

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