Conference Day Two

Conference Day Two

Thursday 4th December 2025

7:30 am Check-In & Light Breakfast

8:30 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Transforming Team Efficiency

8:40 am Fireside Chat: Understanding How Digital Solutions Need to Evolve to Meet the Needs of Strategic Procurement Models

  • Sean Tiehes Field Supply Chain and Logistics Director, CEC

Synopsis

  • Identifying the current limitations of solutions on the market
  • Evaluating the digital capabilities required to successfully support centralized procurement, from data visibility to workflow integration
  • Collaborating with software providers to improve existing tools and ensure solutions align with evolving procurement needs

9:20 am Audience Discussion: Exploring the Way AI Tools Will Transform Speed, Accuracy & Efficiency of Procurement

Synopsis

  • Uncovering where AI can deliver the greatest impact by identifying high-value use cases in sourcing, analysis and decision making
  • Providing an overview of current AI tools on the market and evaluating their relevance to your operations
  • Understanding how teams are applying AI tools for supplier tracking, demand forecasting and risk mitigation to improve agility and resilience

10:30 am Morning Networking Break

Maximizing Organizational Influence

11:30 am Building a Centralized Function that Spans Diverse Markets & Categories to Enhance ROI of Total Business Spend

Synopsis

  • Understanding the spending and procurement habits across different market specialisms to identify opportunities for potential timeline and source alignment
  • Using this data to buy market leadership in to shifting mindsets and workflows to leverage your centralized services
  • Revealing the structure and expertise of a procurement team that is agile enough to work across multiple product lines

11:50 am Strengthening Preconstruction & Procurement Collaboration to Uncover New Opportunities to Influence Cost, Schedule & Quality Benefits on Projects

Synopsis

  • Establishing formal touchpoints and governance between preconstruction and procurement teams to clarify ownership, approval processes and feedback loops
  • Flowing bid and contract documentation insights to procurement teams earlier to ensure purchasing decisions reflect client priorities
  • Sharing successful project outcomes that resulted from early procurement involvement to reinforce the long-term value of your model

12:30 pm Networking Lunch Break

1:30 pm Developing Mutually Beneficial Payment & Contract Terms to Strengthen Supplier Relationships

  • Rebecca Corbin Director of Supply Chain Contract Management, DEPCOM Power Inc

Synopsis

  • Defining clear liability, warranty, and commissioning responsibilities in direct procurement setups to reduce conflicts and ensure accountability
  • Navigating contract negotiations to balance financial risk and payment terms between contractors and suppliers for smooth cash flow management
  • Incorporating future-proof legal language and tariff contingencies into contracts to mitigate risks from regulatory changes and supply chain disruptions

2:10 pm Improving Long-Term Demand Planning to Stay One Step Ahead in the Race for More Jobs

Synopsis

  • Implementing demand planning strategies that go beyond forecasting to assess reusability, flexibility and risk
  • Using forecasting tools and market intelligence to identify long-lead, regulated, or high-risk materials worth prioritizing for early sourcing
  • Balancing cost, risk, and opportunity in early procurement by evaluating what materials are critical, time-sensitive or tied to incentives like tax credits.

Fragmentation for Unified Procurement

2:40 pm Confronting Ongoing Industry Hurdles to Managed Supply Chains to Facilitate Growth of Centralized Procurement Functions

  • Sean Tiehes Field Supply Chain and Logistics Director, CEC

Synopsis

  • Identifying key bottlenecks and points of fragmentation that prevent spend aggregation
  • Engaging stakeholders across the value chain to address channel conflict and build alignment around shared procurement goals
  • Driving practical shifts toward aggregated spend strategies without requiring wholesale industry change by identifying realistic next steps in procurement evolution

3:20 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks

3:30 pm End of Advancing Construction Strategic Procurement 2025