Next Level Purchasing

09/03/2026

Thirty years in procurement and supply chain taught one thing worth repeating: experience matters, but so does being able to demonstrate what you know.

That's what the CPOx pathway is built for. Specialist, Professional, Manager, Executive certification programs designed around what each career stage actually requires. You'll earn recognition at the level you're working at now and build toward the one after it.

Want to start smaller? Individual courses and express courses let you target a single skill. Either way it's self-paced, practical, and usable on the job the same week you start.

🎟️ Use code SUMMER25 for 25% off certifications, individual courses, and express courses.

🗓️ Offer runs through September 15, 2026.

Claim 25% off: https://zurl.co/fDreT

Jeff Dean Adam Merritt

09/02/2026

Executive confidence in Procurement's role shaping digital transformation dropped from 91% to 68% in a single year.

That figure comes from the 2026 Economist Enterprise report "Procurement at a crossroads: from optimism to realism," covered this week by SupplyChainBrain.

✔️ 60% of executives now rank digital transformation as their top Procurement priority, up from 38% a year ago
✔️ 32% say unclear ROI is the single biggest barrier to AI adoption, nearly double those citing integration issues
✔️ 56% report no improvement in Procurement decision-making from AI over the past 12 to 18 months

The pattern is consistent. Adoption isn't the problem. Proving value is.

Automating routine tasks pays off quickly. Improving decision quality takes trusted data, connected systems, clear governance, and people who know what to do with what the tools surface.

Read the full analysis by Gordon Donovan, Global VP of Research, Procurement and External Workforce at SAP: https://zurl.co/NXdrn

Trusted data, connected systems, governance, capable people. NLPA Consulting works on all four alongside Procurement teams: https://zurl.co/kv1OV

The organizations that can prove where AI creates value — and demonstrate that value consistently — will define the next chapter of procurement transformation.

09/01/2026

What if you could show leadership measurable capability growth without blowing the training budget?

Through September 15, NLPA is taking 25% off CPOx certifications, express and individual courses with code SUMMER25. It's the right window to enroll your team.

Here's what your team walks away with:
✔ Training mapped to the level each person is actually working at
✔ Frameworks they apply in live sourcing and supplier work
✔ CE credits that make capability growth visible to leadership

Full certifications for the people ready to move up a level. Express and Individual courses when one targeted skill is all that's needed.

Interested in group pricing? Reach out to Adam Merritt at [email protected] to talk through team training options.

🎟️ Use code SUMMER25 and get 25% off certifications, individual courses, and express courses.

🗓 Offer expires September 15, 2026

Claim 25% off: https://zurl.co/mBdfg

08/31/2026

DID YOU KNOW?

The average business loses 9.2% of its annual revenue to contract mismanagement. Top performers hold that leakage to just 3%. (World Commerce & Contracting)
Source: https://zurl.co/uTnxQ

That leakage isn't a legal problem. It's the negotiated savings, rebates, and supplier terms Procurement worked hard to secure, quietly eroding after the ink dries.

Tighter approval chains, clearer ownership, and real visibility into contract ex*****on are what keep that value from slipping away.

See how to close the gap: https://zurl.co/xBSNq

08/28/2026

Decision governance is the supply chain trend flying under the radar in 2026, and it might matter more than the flashier ones.

Gartner just released its top Supply Chain technology trends for 2026, with agentic AI and physical AI topping the list. But as AI-enabled systems take on more autonomous decisions, from supplier evaluations to demand forecasting, Gartner says the frameworks and guardrails around those decisions are becoming just as critical as the technology itself.

Autonomy without governance is exposure, not progress.

Source: https://zurl.co/5zlrC

08/26/2026

Supplier disruptions, sourcing shifts, and tariff uncertainty don't pause while you fill a leadership seat.

NLPA's Fractional Procurement Support gives your organization senior-level expertise exactly when you need it, without the timeline or overhead of a full-time hire.

You get:
✔️ Interim Procurement leadership
✔️ Strategic sourcing ex*****on
✔️ Spend analysis and category strategy
✔️ Executive-level advisory support

It's not a replacement for your team. It's reinforcement, built around what you're actually trying to accomplish.

Schedule a consultation: https://zurl.co/pWsQd

08/24/2026

Procurement teams stopped waiting on IT to figure out AI. They're building the skill themselves.

60% of procurement organizations are now embedding AI expertise directly into their own teams, according to ProcureAbility's 2026 CPO-CIO Report. The same report found that while 96% of procurement and IT teams collaborate to some degree, 54% still aren't aligned on how AI should be governed.

Translation: waiting on another department to sort out AI is slowing people down, so the professionals getting ahead are learning it themselves instead.

NLPA's certification paths are built around exactly this: procurement strategy that already accounts for how AI fits into the work.

Explore NLPA certifications: https://zurl.co/TSWCI

08/24/2026

Much of the conversation around quantum computing focuses on speed, processing power, and future possibilities. Those conversations matter, but they miss something more immediate.

Quantum computing will accelerate decision making. It will not fix poor processes, unreliable data, or weak governance.

Whether it's Procurement, Supply Chain, finance, logistics, or operations, the organizations with standardized processes and trusted data today will be the ones positioned to actually benefit when quantum technologies mature.

The question isn't whether quantum computing will change business. It's whether your organization is building the operational foundation to benefit from it.

Download your complimentary copy: https://zurl.co/wQ1Pm

08/21/2026

Gartner's 2026 research is direct: organizations pausing entry-level hiring because of AI could face hiring premiums of 15% or more for early-career talent by 2030. No pipeline today means an expensive scramble tomorrow.

Source: https://zurl.co/0mngv

If you're rethinking how your Procurement team builds bench strength, our Next Generation Procurement Talent Management express course is built for exactly this moment.

In 60 to 90 minutes, you'll walk away with practical strategies for developing junior talent, closing skill gaps, and building a team that scales with your organization instead of straining against it.

✔️ Focused, applicable lesson format
✔️ Included with Premium Membership
✔️ Practical frameworks you can use immediately

Explore the course: https://zurl.co/3JRNQ

08/20/2026

There's usually one skill standing between you and the work you want to be trusted with.

Maybe it's the negotiation where you knew you left money on the table. The cost analysis you'd rather someone else present. The contract you signed off on without feeling fully sure.

Individual courses let you fix that one thing without committing to a full certification. Each goes deep on a single skill: negotiation, cost analysis, supplier performance, or contract writing. Self-paced and built to use in your current role.

And when you're ready for the full credential, these courses count toward the CPOx pathway. Nothing you learn goes to waste.

🎟️ Use code SUMMER25 for 25% off CPOx certifications and individual courses.
🗓️ Offer expires September 15, 2026 at midnight.

For CPOx Certifications: https://zurl.co/dvXkd
For Individual courses: https://zurl.co/v2Oim