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A listener asks a simple question that every procurement professional should take personally: what can we do right now to stay future-proof over the next five years? Our first instinct is to joke about AI hype and quitting to “find yourself”, but the real answer sits underneath the banter: the best way to future-proof your procurement career is to build durable skills that survive new tools, new job titles, and the next wave of “must-have” tech.

Then we do something oddly practical for a show full of chaos, we open up CIPS past papers from the mid-1990s and read what counted as expert purchasing knowledge. International purchasing case studies, transfer pricing, global contract terms, countertrade, customs duties, and a surprisingly sharp question on procurement ethics across different countries. It’s a reminder that supply chain management is not just strategy slides and stakeholder engagement, it’s also trade mechanics, contracting, logistics, and knowing how to protect delivery, quality, and long-term performance.

We also compare those older exam themes with modern CIPS Level 5 and Level 6 modules, and you can hear the shift towards category management, negotiation, teams, and stakeholder management. The takeaway is not nostalgia, it’s balance: keep your commercial fundamentals strong, stay curious about technology like AI, and don’t let the “new” procurement role erase the hard edges that still matter when contracts go wrong.

If you enjoyed this, subscribe, share it with a procurement mate, and leave us a review. What skill do you think will matter most in procurement by 2030?

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Please get in touch as we love to hear from you listeners! You can use the "text" function above or drop us on email: 2lukes1cip@gmail.com or visit our website www.letstalkprocurement.co.uk

It would also mean the world if you can drop us a cheeky 5* rating on your platform of choice,

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We turn a silly pun challenge into a serious guide to passing the Advanced Practitioner project and building change that lasts. It ends with a live CIPS results reveal at the airport and a cheer as the plane boards. Will Luke 10 get his final pass of the journey? Will we ever hear from him again??

• how to frame an assignment title that wins approval
• primary research using stakeholder interviews
• programme vs project and why it matters
• structuring a 10,000-word business case
• behavioural science for stakeholder buy-in
• efficiency tactics that save time and build trust
• cost–benefit analysis and implementation planning
• project surgeries, timelines, and self-discipline
• live results reveal and next steps for travel

Support the show

Please get in touch as we love to hear from you listeners! You can use the "text" function above or drop us on email: 2lukes1cip@gmail.com or visit our website www.letstalkprocurement.co.uk

It would also mean the world if you can drop us a cheeky 5* rating on your platform of choice,

Cya Later

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We answer a listener’s question on breaking into procurement, then unpack how frameworks speed buying while staying compliant. Along the way we share real CCS evaluation insight, social value pitfalls, and where a DPS can beat a framework.

• translating a law degree into procurement advantage
• core procurement cycle from need to contract management
• interview tactics using everyday buying examples
• stakeholder triage and relationship cadence
• what framework agreements are and why they matter
• CCS evaluation panels and pass–fail social value
• pros and cons of frameworks for buyers and suppliers
• when to consider dynamic purchasing systems instead
• transparency, audit trails, and market access trade-offs

“Only a low low price of $59.99. Non-negotiable. Only... you can negotiate up.”

Support the show

Please get in touch as we love to hear from you listeners! You can use the "text" function above or drop us on email: 2lukes1cip@gmail.com or visit our website www.letstalkprocurement.co.uk

It would also mean the world if you can drop us a cheeky 5* rating on your platform of choice,

Cya Later