Featuring:

Gina Bhawalkar, Principal Analyst and Jeffrey Rajamani, Senior Analyst

Show Notes:

For years, the procurement function has been working to find new ways to add value to the business. Most recently, that has meant taking a bigger role in driving sustainability and accessibility initiatives. In this episode, Principal Analyst Gina Bhawalkar and Senior Analyst Jeffrey Rajamani explore this shift and dig into how procurement teams are becoming key players in enterprise-level ESG (environmental, social, and governance) strategies and digital accessibility programs.

Rajamani opens the discussion by reviewing procurement’s expanded responsibilities beyond managing expenses. He highlights its new focus on supply chain resilience, innovation, and sustainability, noting that ESG considerations are among procurement’s key priorities in many organizations. He emphasizes the role that procurement plays in supplier collaboration and explains how applying the 80/20 rule can help procurement focus its sustainability efforts on the organization’s most important suppliers.

From there, the discussion turns to accessibility, with Bhawalkar defining it as the practice of ensuring that employees and customers of all abilities can interact with a company’s products and services seamlessly. “Accessibility doesn’t just happen naturally. Organizations are creating entire programs around digital accessibility,” she points out. Compliance is certainly a major driver, she says, noting regulations such as the European Accessibility Act, which requires accessible products and services from businesses operating in EU member states by 2025. Bhawalkar explains that, by demanding supplier accountability on accessibility, procurement helps companies not just comply with regulations but also redefine their approach to innovation and customer experience. “When you think of accessibility as having broader benefits and making things better for all customers, the opportunity becomes clearer,” she says.

The conversation also includes some very practical advice for procurement leaders looking to start — or accelerate — their sustainability and accessibility efforts. For example, Bhawalkar says requiring an accessibility conformance report from technology suppliers is a good way to ensure that your suppliers have accessibility as a priority.

The episode closes with each analyst providing some predictions for what to expect in these areas in the year ahead, so be sure to stick around for those.