Samuel Touma
We meet Three P’s Samuel Touma to find out how he’s using his experience from sitting on `both sides’ of the sales and purchasing table to help clients embrace the changing world of procurement.
Hi Samuel, tell us a bit about your background.
I went to the Swedish truck manufacturer, Scania’s inhouse high school, where they were essentially educating the future managers of the company. However, rather than joining them, I went to university and joined the EF Education company, working as an international Sales Manager for three years, before moving to the Finance department. Eventually, I decided I wanted to move back to Sweden. Scania was the obvious choice and they had an opening in procurement.
What made you choose procurement?
I felt it would offer the best of two worlds – analytics and finance. Plus, I’d be sitting on the other side of the table, I’d worked with the sales, now I could do procurement. What I didn’t fully realize then was the important role that procurement has in business development, for instance, strategic sourcing and partner development.
Anyhow, I joined the IT and services sourcing team, where I was responsible for managing several major consultancy contracts. I was there for three years before joining Three Pin its start-up phase, doing everything from sales to consulting.
What key changes have you seen in the procurement industry?
For many years, procurement has been seen as a bit old-fashioned. But that’s changed. Digitalization, like in so many other industries, is now an essential part of procurement. And the events of the last few years, i.e., covid and the war in Ukraine, have forced procurement departments to be more agile to manage the supply chain issues thrust upon the industry. Outsourcing has also become more common. For instance, I helped a large international manufacturer outsource the operational part of their procurement – the day-to-day administration of placing orders for pens, small tools, paper, cleaning equipment, essentially anything up to a specific threshold value. It was a major undertaking that involved transferring procurement procedures, employees,and knowhow, as well as putting the processes in place to ensure a successful and long-term relationship with the new supplier.
This highlights one of the key changes in the procurement industry – the relationship between buyers and sellers has changed dramatically.
How have relationships changed?
I mentioned buyers and sellers sitting on different sides of the table earlier. But that’s no longer the case, or at least that’s what we promote at Three P. Buyers and sellers need to collaborate. We need to act as business enablers and realize that our suppliers are a vital part of that. Why? Because a transparent and trusting relationship can deliver far better results for all parties. It’s Value-Based Sourcing. Rather than only looking for the best price, you also broaden your perspective and look for the best value, but the two don’t have to be exclusive.
Tell usa bit more about Value-Based Sourcing
Value-Based Sourcing is about allowing the supplier to bring added value to the entire procurement process. As experts in their field, they have a lot to contribute and that can begin at an early stage. For instance, in the fast-moving world of IT, it can be challenging to know what the best option for your company is. Writing detailed RFPs requires experts you may not even have in your organization – especially if it’s not your core business. Together with one Three P client we put the company network communications out for tender based on one premise: “We want a reliable network for the next five years that can cope with the new demands on technology.” It was then up to the suppliers to pitch for the contract using their expertise. This brought added value to our client and the procurement process.
As-a-service, which is now transitioning from IT services to products, also offers added value. For instance, rather than buying a product like industrial batteries outright, you can now buy power, which includes servicing and replacement over the contract lifetime. There is added value in knowing power will be supplied and replacements will be provided when needed at no extra cost. Of course, this option is not for everyone. As a procurement specialist, you must decide what is the best choice for your business – what will help facilitate operations and drive sales.
How are you helping clients with these and other procurement challenges?
Procurement is going through a massive transformation, which can make it difficult for many companies to know where to focus. If your day-to-day is solving supply chain issues, you won’t be digitalizing and streamlining procurement operations. We can help with the day-to-day procurement to free up the necessary time, or alternatively, we can develop procurement strategies that will enable your organization to thrive. This can be anything from implementing a new or tailoring an existing digital procurement system, to identifying new sourcing partners or developing new procurement processes. We can even help you hire new procurement team members. And importantly, as consultants, we can share best practices and lessons learned from past projects so you don’t fall intoprocurement pitfalls. We can even help you get the necessary organizational buy-in for positive change.
Finally,what do you do when you’re not working with procurement?
I’m a big ice hockey fan and like to meet up with friends on a regular basis to play hockey. It’s something I’ve done since I was a kid and hope to keep it up for a long time.
