In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads is joined by Oscar Fernandez, founder of ProCREWment and former Principal Procurement at mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) company FreeNow.

We dive into a compelling case study on building an effective procurement process using existing tools, without splurging on expensive enterprise suites.

Oscar shares how his small procurement team transformed chaos into clarity by leveraging Jira, Workato, and Yooz to automate intake-to-PO, approvals, and even contract renewals. This episode is a blueprint for procurement leaders operating in fast-growth environments with tight budgets and limited resources.

Improvising and Triaging your Tech Stack for Success

You’ll hear how Oscar turned Jira—typically used for IT support—into a fully functional procurement intake and requisition system, integrated with finance and legal workflows. Plus, why choosing a standalone e-sourcing tool like DeepStream delivered faster ROI than investing in an all-in-one platform.

Other topics covered include:

1. Why Jira became the backbone of their intake and approval flows
2. Using Workato to link tools and automate tasks across systems
3. How they structured parallel approvals to speed up decision-making
4. Automating contract renewals and spend visibility with Atlassian modules
5. Why DeepStream was the right sourcing tool for their needs
6. Tips for prioritising digitisation based on procurement maturity

A must-listen for procurement professionals seeking practical, flexible solutions to scale procurement operations.

Timestamps:

[01:46] Meet Oscar Fernandez, his procurement journey

[03:45] Starting with manual-heavy processes at FreeNow

[05:43] Early chaos: approvals and email overload

[07:26] Spotting inefficiencies and team scaling challenges

[10:12] Cost barriers to adopting full suites

[13:18] Jira as a no-code intake and requisition tool

[17:47] Automating approvals and connecting tools with Workato

[23:45] Choosing e-sourcing over analytics or SRM

[27:16] Why DeepStream fit their sourcing needs

[32:09] Advice for procurement leads with limited budget

[33:22] About ProCREWment—Oscar’s consultancy initiative

And that wraps up another episode of The Procurement Software Podcast!

Thanks again for listening, and do please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify. Every one helps!

We'll be back at the same time next month, so see you there.

If you want to learn more about Procurement Software, check out the useful links below.

Stay in touch!

1. Connect with Oscar Fernández on LinkedIn
2. Check out ProCREWment
3. Download our Tech Map for Enterprise
4. Download our Tech Map for Mid-Market
5. Download our Tech Map for SMEs
6. Find your perfect procurement tech solution in our Software Finder app
7. Sign up for the Procurement Software Newsletter
8. Book an Intro Call and let’s talk all things Digital Procurement!
9. Connect with James on LinkedIn