Telecom has been on an interesting and unique journey as a spend category. Gone are the days when all that was needed to deliver significant savings was a professionally conducted third-party audit or service rationalization/optimization. Today, most organizations are several years post audit, looking for new efficiencies in a category that is not only evolving, it is also encroaching on other categories of spend.

Dave Pastore is a Senior Director of Sourcing Operations at Corcentric where he specializes in telecom spend. It was his analytical background that led him to specialize in this category, plus a noticeable gap in procurement ownership over telecom, a traditionally siloed category.

In this interview, Dave shares his point of view with Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner on:

• How the line between IT and telecom has blurred over time, and why this is likely to continue
• Why telecom is simultaneously like the 'Wild West' from a new entrant perspective and also a rapidly consolidating industry
• The opportunities that exist to nurture collaboration between team members and between companies and third parties, and the value procurement can deliver by supporting these opportunities