Top Five Stories in Procurement

Strait of Hormuz: How Some UK Medication Could be Cut Off

As the conflict continues in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, there is growing concern about how the UK can source key medical supplies.

There has been some concern throughout the year, particularly around sourcing aspirin in the UK, as the BBC reported back in January that the cost of the drug has skyrocketed by 1,000% as a nationwide shortage grips the UK, according to reports from frontline pharmacists.

The supply chain crisis has seen some wholesalers hike prices to staggering levels, as one pharmacist reported being charged £7.82 for a single box of aspirin, a medication that typically costs just 38p.

Now, this is continuing, with the fear being more widespread to off-patent medicines.

As reported by Pharmacy Business, Mark Samuels, Chief Executive Officer at Medicines UK, which represents manufacturers of the cheap, off-patent drugs known as generics that make up 85% of medications used by the NHS, said: “The escalating conflict in Iran, and the wider instability across the Middle East, poses a significant risk to future UK medicine supplies.

Franck Lheureux: Navigating the Procurement Paradox

Modern procurement is defined by a paradox: it has never been harder to do the job, yet the function’s impact has never been greater.

Franck Lheureux, CEO of Ivalua, explores the strategic elevation of the procurement professional in a world of geopolitical volatility and sustainability mandates. Franck breaks down why most AI pilots fail, how to use a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach to find success and how Ivalua’s agentic platform is "re-enchanting" the profession.

Why has Zip Appointed an AI General Manager?

Zip, a leading AI platform for enterprise procurement, has announced the hire of Michael Denari as General Manager of AI.

Michael joins from Canva, where as Global Head of IT he built and scaled the company’s enterprise AI strategy across a 5,000-person global organisation.

In his new role, he will lead Zip’s AI business end-to-end, including GTM strategy, revenue, customer success and internal AI transformation, as well as work closely with product and engineering teams on AI product development.

“We’re entering a moment where every enterprise is facing pressure to show real ROI from AI, and most are still figuring out where to place their bets,” says Rujul Zaparde, Co-Founder and CEO of Zip.

How King Charles III is Inspiring Circularity

The implementation of circularity across the UK is seeing royal backing, as Circularity in Practice, inspired by His Majesty King Charles III, has been launched.

EMR (EUROPEAN METAL RECYCLING LIMITED), a global leader in circular materials, has joined as a founding member, supporting a nationwide effort to turn circular economy thinking into practical action across UK industry.

Circularity in Practice brings organisations together to rethink how materials are used in the places where we live and work – keeping valuable resources in use for longer through reuse, remanufacturing and high-quality recycling.

EMR supports this due to the simple reality: tomorrow’s products depend on today’s materials. Every day, materials sitting in workshops, factories, vehicles and landfills hold the potential to power the next generation of vehicles, buildings, wind turbines and infrastructure. At EMR, the team believes their role is to keep those materials in use.

Bill Firth, General Manager Business Development at EMR, was a guest speaker at the Circularity in Practice launch event on 16 March.

How the UK Government is Modernising Public Procurement

The UK Government strategy will shift how £400bn of annual public procurement is managed, moving away from outsourcing towards a "Britain-first" approach.

In an article penned by Chris Ward, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven and Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office, the government outlines a major pivot in procurement policy. The administration is redirecting £400bn in annual spending away from automatic outsourcing and toward domestic industry.

Ward states that, each year, billions are spent on government contracts – and he believes that using this capital to invest in British businesses and support British workers should be a "no-brainer".