We could separate those web pages into three main categories:
- Forums where you can participate in the discussion
- Web pages, where you can read about the latest and best in procurement
- And newsletters, where news around Procurement and Supply Chain are aggregated, so you can read them all in one place
So let’s go. They are in no particular order, and all are free to read/join
Forums:
https://procurementfoundry.com/
This is basically a Slack channel with over 5,000 members with a procurement background. You can join a wide range of channels on a particular topic like direct or indirect procurement. It has as well more general channels like the water cooler channel, where any kind of discussion is allowed. While the majority of members are from the US, it is still very valid for anyone.
Chain pro, on the other hand, is more focused on the APAC region. It is nearing 1000 members and is quite new, so the groups and topics are still in development. The good thing is that they organize virtual meetups on various topics every week. The main focus, being APAC oriented, is on logistics and transportation. If you are interested or working in the region, a great place to connect.
Procurious is a page that is difficult to categorize. It has a great collection of learning videos. A blog that is full of the latest analysis of Supply Chain issues. News boards. And a forum with many topics. Being already a couple of years present, it is a nice and well-organized web page. Even though I said I will not give my preferences, this would be my first recommendation for everyone looking into the latest around procurement.
https://procurementleaders.com/
Procurement leader’s web page and community claim to target CPO level and procurement leaders. Hence, the articles and white papers are more focused on strategic procurement and team building. They have a marketplace where you can find companies that can help with a particular problem.
Web pages:
If we exclude organizations like CIPS and CILT, AOP (Art of Procurement) is one of the web pages that has the most content on procurement. Podcasts, blogs, webinars, white papers. They are also offering consulting services and have a wide network of Specialists that your company can hire as consultants or short term advisors, to help with a particular project or problem.
This blog is relatively new, created as an addition to Peter Smith’s book “Bad buying”. But this does not imply that you will not find interesting stories. Peter focuses on, in his own words:
” The things that go wrong with corporate buying and procurement – failures, frauds and f**k-ups”.
So be ready to read how projects failed miserably thanks to greed, lack of capability or simple stupidity.
I don’t think it is an overstatement that Spend matters has set the benchmark when it comes to Procurement related content. They have a full team, providing multiple high-quality articles on all kinds of procurement content. They do have a paid membership option. It will give you access to analysis and market reports. Still, the free content is more than enough if it comes to expanding your knowledge of procurement
https://procurementandsupply.com/
PASA (Procurement and Supply Australasia) is focused on South East Asia and Australia. So, as you can see, we have covered the entire world 😄😄😄
They provide numerous white papers and articles, as well as training. The seminars and webinars are arranged every month, with a mix of in-person (around Australia) and virtual webinars. The range of topics is quite wide, so everyone will find something suitable.
Newsletter:
Brian Cartwright created this web page focused on collecting news about the global Supply Chain. The news mainly tackles logistics, with a couple of Supply Chain topics popping up. If you want to quickly see what is going on, this is the right page for you.
https://www.supplychainbrief.com/
This page focuses not only on the latest news about Supply Chain. You can find blog posts, articles and white papers. It is owned by the Logistics & Supply Management Society, which is Singapore based. The selection of topics is wide and beyond the day-to-day news. You can read about IoT, digitization, Inventory management and sustainability, among others.
Intentionally, I have not included organizations like CIPS and CILT. Not because they are providing content of lesser relevance, but due to the fact that their focus is to serve the paid members. Hence, as a visitor, you are not able to access the main source of knowledge from those pages.
If you know more about procurement and Supply Chain pages I did not mention, please note them down in the comments. I will for sure include them in the next version of this post.
NOTE: All the logos belong to the respective websites.
