How to ACE the First 180 Days in a new procurement leadership role

In our latest panel discussion 'How to ACE the first 180 days in a new procurement leadership role' featuring Tom Mills, Emma Craney, Oscar Fernández and Dan Gianfreda, the panel explored what procurement directors must prioritise in their first six months. Here, we’ve distilled the key takeaways from the discussion:

The first 30 days

When you start a new role, resist the urge to immediately roll out a transformation programme or switch ProcureTech platforms. Procurement is often under-resourced, reactive, and lacks strategic focus - the first step is to really understand where you are today.

Practical steps:

• Baseline assessment: Map spend, suppliers, active RFPs, and existing tools.
• Stakeholder listening tour: Engage business leaders to hear what’s working, and what’s failing.
• Evaluate processes: Is procurement still reactive? Or are there early signs of proactive Source-to-Contract maturity?
• Quick wins: Automating reminders in RFPs or streamlining supplier onboarding can demonstrate instant value.

The bottom line: Don’t start by pushing technology. Start by showing you understand the business needs first.

Days 30 - 90

Once you’ve assessed the needs of the business and the procurement function, show stakeholders that procurement can add measurable value beyond cost savings. Don’t underestimate the public relations involved in procurement. You have to shift perceptions from ‘cost police’ to ‘strategic enabler.’

Practical steps:

• Deliver quick wins: Run an RFP through your chosen eSourcing platform and demonstrate speed, transparency, and supplier engagement.
• Communicate results: Share savings and supplier insights in executive-ready summaries.
• Procurement maturity assessment: Map where your function currently stands on the maturity curve — from Reactive → Proactive → Strategic → Best-in-Class — to establish a baseline and guide next steps.
• Stakeholder wins: Position procurement as removing friction, not adding to it.

Remember: Credibility isn’t about technology alone - it’s about proving procurement can deliver faster, smarter outcomes.

Days 90 - 180:

By the 90-day mark, leaders expect a clear direction. This is when procurement must pivot from firefighting to building the strategic foundation.

“Procurement is at its best when it becomes a true business partner. That’s where it shifts from transactional to competitive advantage.” - Oscar Fernández

Practical steps:

• Strategic roadmap: Present a 12–24 month plan covering your Source-to-Contract process and supplier collaboration.
• Digital maturity: Assess whether existing ProcureTech is fit for purpose or if new solutions are needed.
• Supplier partnerships: Move beyond RFPs as transactional events - use them to drive innovation, resilience, and long-term value.
• C-suite sponsorship: Align procurement with business strategy, risk management, and sustainability.

Position technology as an enabler, not the destination. The roadmap should balance people, process, and digital tools.

Missed the discussion? Hear from our experts - view the on-demand replay here

Golden rules for procurement leaders in the first 180 Days:

Throughout the discussion, the panel shared five universal truths:

• Show quick wins, then scale. Demonstrate immediate value from RFPs in the first few weeks if you can, then expand.
• Don’t reduce procurement to savings. Link Source-to-Contract initiatives to risk reduction, speed, and business outcomes.
• Relationships first, technology second. Without buy-in, even the best ProcureTech won’t land.
• Shift the narrative around procurement from tactical to strategic.
• Empower your team. Give them the tools, autonomy, and visibility to shine.

For actionable tips for the first 90 days in a new procurement leadership role - download the whitepaper - written by Tom Mills

Summary

Your first 180 days in procurement leadership are a balancing act: you must listen deeply, deliver early wins, and build a long-term strategy that unlocks business value.

Procurement has never had more opportunity - with modern ProcureTech, AI-powered eSourcing, and automated analytics, leaders can transform their first six months into the launchpad for long-term success.

Start small, scale from there

DeepStream delivers best-of-breed AI-enhanced eRFx software with supporting source-to-contract modules. Our tech delivers the essential features that empower procurement teams to mature, step by step, without risking digital overwhelm. We prioritise usability, ensuring our solution is the simplest, cleanest, and most user-friendly in the industry, bolstered by our strategic customer success function.

The procurement tech space is filled with hype, overselling, and mis-selling of sweeping, end-to-end digital transformation initiatives. Yet these projects fail because teams are sold overly-complex solutions they’re expected to ‘grow into’. This leads to tech overwhelm, low adoption, and wasted investment.

Our customers start by implementing the least amount of tech needed to achieve their immediate goals, helping them ensure rapid value realisation. Want to benchmark your procurement maturity?

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