In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads is joined by Gregory Vider and Markus Sinz, co-founders of apadua, recorded live at their Indirect Procurement Days event near Frankfurt, Germany.

Drawing on their backgrounds as procurement practitioners and founders, Gregory and Markus share a grounded, thoughtful perspective on what AI really means for procurement. Rather than hype or job-replacement narratives, the discussion focuses on AI as an enabler that amplifies human capability, improves decision-making, and removes low-value administrative work.

The conversation explores apadua’s journey from a conventional sourcing platform to rebuilding an AI-native product from scratch, driven by deep user research rather than surface-level feature injection. James and the apadua team unpack why “human in the loop” remains critical, how procurement roles may shift towards more generalist and strategic profiles, and why differentiation in an AI-first world will come from people, not models.

Also discussed in this episode:

1. How to tell real AI capability from marketing noise
2. Why procurement adoption of AI will be gradual, not sudden
3. The future size and shape of procurement teams
4. Why apadua pursued ISO 27001 and what buyers should ask about cybersecurity

A reflective, pragmatic conversation on the future of procurement in an AI-enabled world.

[00:00] Podcast introduction and episode setup

[01:05] Final episode of 2025 and IPD event context

[02:45] Introduction to Gregory Vider and Markus Sinz from apadua

[03:20] Why AI creates confusion in procurement teams

[04:25] How to tell real AI capability from marketing hype

[05:45] AI as an enabler, human-in-the-loop vs automation

[12:15] Rebuilding apadua as an AI-native procurement platform

[15:50] How AI will reshape procurement roles and skill sets

[27:40] The future size and structure of procurement teams

[33:00] Cybersecurity, ISO 27001, and what buyers should ask

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.

1. Connect with Gregory Vider on LinkedIn and Markus Sinz on LinkedIn
2. Check out apadua
3. Download our Tech Map for Enterprise
4. Download our

In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads welcomes Matthew Spencer, procurement veteran and founder of FlockScore, a newly launched startup rethinking how supplier performance is captured and shared across industrial supply chains.

Matthew brings a rare perspective as a procurement practitioner-turned-founder, having led SRM and sustainability at Bekaert Group before identifying a critical market gap: supplier scorecards were siloed, static, and lacked ecosystem-level insight. FlockScore aims to change that, offering a collaborative, AI-powered model for tracking supplier performance.

We unpack how FlockScore’s “open contribute-to-access” model lets procurement teams upload anonymised supplier performance data in exchange for aggregated, comparative insights. Matthew explains how AI agents enrich these insights by scanning public sources for issues like recalls, shutdowns, or delivery disruptions, without exposing contributor identity.

Also discussed in this episode:

1. Why supplier performance often takes a backseat to compliance and innovation
2. The limits of traditional scorecards and why category-specific metrics matter
3. How FlockScore enhances, not replaces existing SRM and S2P systems
4. Why soft supplier feedback from stakeholders should be part of every scorecard
5. What makes FlockScore different from review platforms and peer benchmarking
6. A fascinating deep dive into how collective intelligence and AI are reshaping supplier evaluation, built for procurement, by procurement.

[00:01] Intro to Matthew Spencer, FlockScore

[01:14] Matthew’s background

[02:18] FlockScore analogy

[03:44] The “aha” moment and data gap externally

[06:02] Why supplier performance management is underrated today

[11:27] Engaging stakeholders effectively

[13:04] Open contribute-to-access model and credits

[18:50] FlockScore’s AI and difference to traditional tools offerings

[23:37] Cultural and category differences, flexible taxonomy and future vision for procurement

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.

1. Connect with Matthew Spencer on LinkedIn
2. Check out FlockScore
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 Entproc Newsletter
8. Book an Intro Call and let’s talk all things Digital Procurement!

In this episode of The Procurement Software Podcast, James Meads is joined by Gaurav Sharma, Head of Procurement Centre of Excellence at MTN, with a background that uniquely combines procurement expertise and data science.

We explore how Gaurav’s journey from category manager to leading digital transformation has shaped his view on procurement technology, user adoption, and the need for more practical, cost-effective solutions. Alongside his corporate role, he introduces his side project, SuperNegotiate, designed to simplify sourcing processes and enable tool-less digitisation for procurement newcomers.

Gaurav shares why many e-sourcing tools fall short of addressing real category manager needs, focusing instead on vanity features. He explains how AI and machine learning are already transforming sourcing, paving the way for outcome-based pricing models and moving procurement away from traditional RFPs.

Other topics covered include:

1. Why data science skills are becoming essential in procurement
2. How current tools fail to deliver true user-centric functionality
3. The growing demand for tech-savvy procurement professionals
4. Why outcome-based pricing could reshape procurement tech contracts
5. How Super Negotiate offers a lightweight entry point for digital procurement

A must-listen for anyone interested in the next generation of procurement technology and the evolving skill sets that will define future teams.

[[00:00] Introduction to Gaurav Sharma and His Unique Skills

[01:14] Journey from procurement to data science

[04:34] The future of procurement skills and technology

[08:55] Critiquing procurement tech and vanity features

[13:56] In-house solutions vs. traditional procurement tools

[21:11] Super Negotiate: a new approach to sourcing

[30:11] The future roles of procurement teams

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.

1. Connect with Gaurav Sharma on LinkedIn
2. Check out Supernegotiate
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