Art of Procurement

"Direct materials is the most under-innovated, untouched by modern technology of any spend area." - Spencer Penn, Co-Founder and CEO, LightSource
Direct spend makes up the lion's share of the procurement budget, but all too often, it's still managed in spreadsheets and disconnected tools. Today's volatile supply market and relentless cost pressures demand more. 
What is holding companies back from real transformation in direct procurement, and where do the smartest teams focus their innovation efforts?
In this AOP podcast episode, host Philip Ideson speaks with Spencer Penn, co-founder and CEO of LightSource. Drawing from his hands-on experience at Tesla and Waymo, Spencer explains why direct procurement's digital journey has lagged behind indirect, and what it takes to move from manual, reactive "firefighting" to scalable, collaborative value creation. 
If you're wondering how to unite engineering, procurement, and finance to drive structural cost reduction, or how to leverage tech for more than basic automation, this episode is a must-listen.
In this episode, Spencer talks about how to:
Make sense of why most direct procurement processes are still manual
Learn how collaboration between procurement, engineering, and suppliers drives lasting savings
See where legacy thinking and incentives stall change (and how to overcome it)
Discover what tech can enable and when people are essential
Find out why small sourcing decisions at scale become huge bottom-line wins
Links:
Spencer Penn on LinkedIn
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"AI has fantastic value when you look at spend analytics, sourcing decisions, and process efficiency, but to replace the infancy stage that allows you to have a relationship with stakeholders, I think, is a mistake." – Brad Keighley
Digitization and automation promise so much for procurement, but what gets lost if we let technology run the show? As organizations scale and regulatory pressure mounts, the ability to connect on a human level can become a procurement superpower. Ignore it, and procurement risks becoming just another system, not a strategic partner.
As a multiple-time CPO and procurement transformation leader, Brad Keighley has built teams for startups, pre-IPO rocket ships, and tech giants. In this episode, he shares how to structure procurement for growth while staying close to stakeholders, explains why focusing only on savings is a mistake, and offers practical approaches to scaling service without losing the personal touch.
In this conversation, Brad discusses how to:
Diagnose and fix legacy issues to win skeptical stakeholders
Sell the true value of procurement by leading with risk management and compliance
Build a "white glove" centralized service model for maximum spend capture and influence
Layer automation and analytics where it matters, without sacrificing partnership
Use stakeholder feedback to drive continuous improvement and protect procurement's reputation
Links:
Brad Keighley on LinkedIn
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"Efficiency should fund the future, not erase the people needed to deliver it." – Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director of Art of Procurement
2026 is going to be another year of volatility, but it will also be a year of immense opportunity for procurement pragmatists, the ones who are willing to do the work to build the future rather than just waiting for it to arrive.
In a tradition that dates back to 2018, Art of Procurement rings in the new year with Founder and Managing Director Philip Ideson's Annual Message. Each year's perspectives are shaped by hundreds of conversations with procurement leaders, providers, subject matter experts, and people both inside and outside the world of procurement.
This year, Philip reflects on changes being felt across the professional community and also shares his vision for the next evolution of Art of Procurement. 
In this episode, Philip elaborates on:
Which path to take in an exciting, but also overwhelming, digital procurement landscape
How procurement operating models need to adjust to take not just AI into account, but also the pure intent of the function
The 'elephant in the room' - which is not AI, but the readiness and culture that have to be prepared to receive and leverage the new opportunities it creates
Links:
Art of Procurement Annual Letters
Philip Ideson on LinkedIn
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"The first time that you speak with a supplier shouldn't be in a time of crisis. Our best customers work with us regularly, and we're constantly hearing from them." - Rick Bond, Chief Revenue Officer, Safeware
When a crisis hits, procurement must move at lightning speed… but without cutting corners. 
How do public agencies build systems that are nimble, compliant, and ready for anything? The answer to that question lies in proactive preparation, robust cooperative agreements, and the partnerships that power an effective emergency response.
In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Tammy Rimes, Executive Director of National Cooperative Procurement Partners, and Rick Bond, Safeware's Chief Revenue Officer. Together, they share what really happens behind the scenes when disaster strikes, and how contract strategies and supplier relationships can turn from routine to lifesaving overnight.
They also examine hard lessons learned from the pandemic, the critical role of due diligence, and why warehousing strategies are making a comeback. From practical war stories to high-level frameworks, this episode is a playbook for anyone navigating risk and rapid response.
In this episode, Tammy and Rick discuss how to:
Create ready-to-launch emergency contracts before you need them
Run fast but thorough due diligence, even with "easy" agreements
Build supplier relationships that go beyond the transaction
Balance just-in-time strategies with smart warehousing investments
Hold both parties accountable for resilience, not just price



Links:
Executive Briefing: Cooperative Procurement as a Tool for Emergency Preparedness
Tammy Rimes on LinkedIn
Rick Bond on LinkedIn
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After 23 episodes of dissecting procurement's incentive flaws, behavioral blind spots, and structural contradictions, the "Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement" podcast team closes season one with something different: reflection, humor, a little chaos, and a first look at what comes next.
In this episode, Rich Ham seizes the mic for a surprise "hostile takeover," pulling Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner into a rapid-fire look back at the most memorable moments of the season. What follows is part game show, part roast, and part highlight reel. In short, the perfect way to close a project built on saying the quiet parts out loud.
Rich counts down his "top seven" insights from guests like Martin Chilcott, Thomas Udesen, Kate Vitasek, and Omid Ghamami, and the topics they discussed, from decarbonization realities to incentive design failures, from short-termism to purpose-driven procurement. 
The list captures what this season repeatedly revealed: procurement isn't held back by a lack of talent or ambition, but by systems and incentives that don't reflect the impact leaders know they can deliver.
This episode isn't just a retrospective. It also marks the transition from discovery to design. 
After months of interviews, research, and internal debate, the team announces what's next: The Buylaws – a set of guiding principles for a healthier, more purposeful procurement incentive system. Early 2026 will bring a new mini-series dedicated to unpacking each one of these recommendations.
As we've learned, procurement's potential is enormous, but potential becomes purpose only when incentives, behavior, and business outcomes finally align.
Links:
Rich Ham on LinkedIn
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