In a new episode of the Art of Procurement podcast, host Philip Ideson is joined by Paul Bagley, Director of Commercial Contracting at Acosta Group, to discuss how to bridge the gap between procurement and legal.
How are things with your legal department? Do you exist in perfect harmony or is there room for improvement? Could you bridge the gap to become the true collaborators and partners that you were always meant to be?
“Historically, the relationship between procurement and legal has been plagued by tension, friction and sometimes even outright conflict,” said Philip.
“But, as Paul Bagley told me, it doesn’t have to be that way.”
Paul and Philip tackle a number of topics in this jam-packed episode, including:
- The three key levers of contract negotiation
- Setting clear expectations through category management
- Removing barriers between teams
- Procurement as the lead negotiator
- Legal doesn’t need to be in every room
- Empowering procurement with clear guidelines
- The power of frontloading contract terms in RFPs
- Creating joint intake processes
- Moving beyond lowest cost
- Staying current on contract law
Paul, who is a trained attorney and also experienced in procurement, understands what it takes on both sides to bridge the gap.
“I understand that tension between procurement and legal could happen, but it really is a disservice to each other. It’s like two brothers fighting. It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.
Listen to the podcast here or via Apple and Spotify
