728: If we had a crystal ball… Mid-year check in with Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner

“At the end of the day, we're trying to create this organization from which we have the ability to help the profession move forward with more than ever before. We think in terms of what each trend or change is going to mean to each team and what they can make of the related opportunities and challenges.” - Philip Ideson, Founder & Managing Director, Art of Procurement In this episode of the Art of Procurement podcast, Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner take a break from their usual roles interviewing procurement thought leaders and experts to reflect on the year so far in procurement, including emerging trends, economic pressures, election coverage, AI, and the always-evolving needs of the procurement community. Philip and Kelly also discuss the recent results of an AOP survey that reveals procurement’s increasing demand for quality, targeted content, and they share what they’ve been hearing from other procurement leaders about the impact of AI now that the “newness” has worn off and teams are getting serious about implementation, use cases, and business outcomes. In this episode, they reflect on: How economic shifts and policy changes are reshaping procurement strategies and operations AI’s practical applications in procurement and why experimentation and continuous re-evaluation are so important Upcoming events and projects from the Art of Procurement, including a new AOP website in the works, the official launch of AOP’s YouTube channel, and a special series planned for October that will provide a comprehensive analysis of potential policy impacts to procurement and the supply chain from the U.S. presidential election Links: Subscribe to This Week in Procurement Philip Ideson on LinkedIn Kelly Barner on LinkedIn