Last week saw the 12th Annual PASA Premier Confex – Australia & New Zealand’s largest independent procurement conference – take place at the Flemington Racecourse Conference Centre in Melbourne, welcoming over 500 delegates and almost 40 esteemed speakers.
Were you there? Did you miss out? Read on for the highlights and key takeaways!
Spanning two vibrant days (16-17 October), the conference saw a brand new theme for 2024 – ‘responsible procurement’.
The jam-packed program revolved around how procurement professionals can balance their work to meet multiple objectives – assure supply, manage down risk, get value for money and meet policy goals such as ESG.
Attendees heard from Richard Windeyer, Deputy Secretary at the Department of Finance and the new co-Head of the Federal Government’s recently announced Procurement & Contract Management Profession, explaining the strategy behind the scheme – which was a decision that was 20 years in the making.
There was also a fascinating fireside Q&A chat with Adam Tucci, CPO of BP, centred on stakeholder relations, while Qantas, BHP, Metro Trains, AGL, AusNet, Bolton Clarke and Cleanaway all provided keynote presentations.
Expert advice came from a variety of leading organisations including GEP, KPMG, Accenture, Grosvenor, Coupa, Ivalua and world-renowned AI expert Dr Alan D. Thompson.
The ATO explained the business advantages of e-invoicing, while the APCC endorsed the event.
PASA’s diverse line-up of speakers flocked to the conference from almost every state and territory in Australia, while we also welcomed some of New Zealand’s finest.
Over 100 lucky delegates witnessed a presentation of The Melbourne Cup and snapped a picture holding the trophy itself, which is worth a staggering $750,000 and weighs 1.8kg in pure 18ct gold!
Recognising the extraordinary achievements of successful procurement professionals throughout Australasia, the PASA Annual Procurement in Practice Awards – rebranded the ‘NIGELS’ in 2021 in memory of PASA Founder Nigel Wardropper – saw the shortlisted finalists in each category present their case study entries live in person.
TAFE NSW took home The Best Procurement Project 2024: Public Sector Award, which was sponsored and endorsed by the APCC. The winner was voted for by members of the audience on the event app. It was a close-run contest with other finalists including QBCC and the Port of Auckland.
Celebrating a team that has shown significant growth and development in their capabilities, the most prestigious award of the day, sponsored by GEP this year, was the Most Improved Procurement Team Award. The procurement team at SEEK took home the trophy, again voted for by the audience. Other finalists included SA Health, Metro South Health WA, Mornington Shire, TasNetworks and The Salvos.
More to come on the NIGELS Awards next week!
Lesley Wardropper, PASA’s Managing Director, said the event was a testament to the ANZ region’s thriving procurement industry.
“This year’s Confex was a tremendous success and once again proves that people see the value in getting together to network, share and learn in person,” she said.
“I would personally like to thank our brilliant sponsors and everyone who attended, contributed and worked behind the scenes to make PASA’s flagship event the biggest in the region for the twelfth year running.”
Did you miss out on ANZ’s most influential procurement conference? Watch this space for 2025 Confex details – coming soon!
