With Linc Markham, Executive Workforce Solutions Advisor

The messy middle where services procurement and contingent labour overlap, is where value quietly leaks through misclassified work, duplicated outsourcing, and runaway change requests. AI, requisition-stage data, and stronger cross-team partnering are making this spend possible to spot, quantify, and route the right way.

11:09 - What grey spend actually is and why it matters

18:11 - Why it pays & matching work to the right channel

28:57 - Quantifying it & deciding how the work gets done

44:19 - The new grey spend: SaaS and AI agents

51:05 - Breaking silos & partnering for a win-win

With Sam Smith, President, Pontoon

Exploring how AI, workforce strategy, and evolving MSP models are reshaping the future of work. From services procurement and talent management to leadership and innovation, looking at how businesses can build smarter, more agile workforce solutions while keeping people at the center of transformation.

15:52 - The Rise of The Agentic MSP

39:54 - Utilizing Skills and Moving Towards Total Talent Management

48:38 - MSP and Technology Value

01:02:14 - Simplifying Services Complexity

01:17:20 - Suppliers and Strategic Workforce Planning

The shift from contingent labor to total talent management is reshaping how organisations approach services procurement. AI, data, and stronger oversight are enabling better control, visibility, and value from complex services spend.

With Betty Sweetman, Indirect Procurement Leader

04:31 - How AI Helps Address Complexity in Services

17:30 - From Contingent Labour to Outcomes in Total Talent Management

30:45 - Sourcing and Alignment in Services Procurement

52:11 - The Structural Bias Toward Direct Procurement

59:44 - Why Services Procurement can be a Competitive Advantage When Leveraged Properly

When services are clearly defined upfront, organisations gain more control, better outcomes and stronger partnerships. This discussion examines what needs to change early to support scalable, effective services procurement.

With David Orme, Global Head, Services Procurement, Pontoon

00:02:11 - Creating services procurement conversations

00:11:34 - The importance of a full services lifecycle

00:24:52 - The current services procurement tech landscape

00:36:04 - Leveraging the most suitable tech

00:49:44 - Achieving 'best fit' for innovation and agility

Many organizations are still early in their services procurement maturity journey. This podcast explores how starting small and evolving over time can unlock value and build the foundation for more advanced supplier sourcing, analytics, and governance in services.

With Joe David, Services Procurement & Contigent Workforce SME

09:51 - The evolution of services procurement understanding 

45:56 - Moving towards maturity in services procurement

54:39 - The possibilities in transforming the way you procure services

01:10:17 - How AI and technology can help to move the services procurement market forward

01:18:41 - Why operational service excellence is critical

Services procurement often evolves without a clear operating model, leaving spend fragmented and hard to govern. This conversation breaks down how to build the foundations, from intake and data to ownership and change management, that make services procurement work in practice.

With Erin Shwiff, Director Operations, Transformation & Strategic Initiatives, Western Union 

15:42 - 24:06 - The importance of data and centralization in services procurement

34:26 - 44:32 - Building your business case and making things happen 

44:32 - 54:08 - Bringing skills into services procurement

54:12-01:05:07 - Creating understanding and buy-in

01:11:48 - 01:01:20:06 - Where MSPs could be offering strategic value in Services Procurement

Making the right services procurement choices starts with understanding what needs to be delivered and where capability should sit. Organisations must weigh internal capability, external expertise, timelines, cost and risk to choose the approach that best fits the work.

With Noel Lai-Kit, Head of Services Procurement, London Stock Exchange Group

05:48 - 16:29 - Adaptability and evolution in services procurement

24:43 - 33:49 - The value of problem solving and strategy in services procurement

34:01 - 43:18 - Services & people - the grey areas in between

43:18 - 49:02 - The services procurement lifecycle

49:52 - 01:02:43 - The importance of data in services procurement

As services procurement grows, organisations struggle with limited visibility into who is delivering work and how value is measured. The conversation examines why that gap creates friction between procurement and the business, and what stronger governance enables.

With David Orme, Global Head, Services Procurement, Pontoon

12:29 - 19:10 - The main services procurement issues in the market

20:19 - 29:21 - Why are people struggling to get started

29:50 - 35:45 - The benefits of tackling services procurement

41:42 - 51:27 - The services visibility gap

57:03 - 01:02:21 - Bridging the services procurement gap

A holistic approach to services procurement looks beyond individual transactions to how work, data and accountability connect across the organisation. Having a broader view is critical for managing complexity, risk and value in services spend.

With Patti Vora, Independent Consultant

01:40 - The journey through Sourcing to Contingent & Services Procurement 

20:16 - Focusing on the PO doesn't give the full picture 

37:32 - Why organisations struggle to get value from professional services 

55:20 - The essential nature of control in services procurement 

01:03:47 - Data and supplier performance - the keys to strategy 

Managing services effectively requires different thinking than managing contingent labour or goods. Clear ownership, fit-for-purpose processes and realistic expectations are key to making services procurement work.

With David Orme, Global Head, Services Procurement, Pontoon.

18:02-23:59 - Why services demand different thinking

24:52-31:18 - The importance of data in services procurement

40:42-51:40 - Managing stakeholder resistance

59:23-01:04:45 - The key drivers for better managing services procurement

01:06:46-01:11:26 - Services procurement wins at Cox