It’s been all go at PLN this week as we gear up for the biggest event in the procurement calendar, which will see procurement chiefs flying into London from around the world to attend the Procurement Leaders Awards and Forum.

Every year debate rages about how much recognition procurement gets as a function. Some say that it grew in the aftermath of the banking crisis when procurement was called up and asked to do what it does best – create value and cut costs. But where are we today?

The May edition of the Procurement Leaders Intention survey gave us the first opportunity to compare results and uncovered some interesting trends - particularly around the issue of cash flow.

It's been another busy week here at Procurement Leaders as we put the finishing touches to the next issue of the magazine, which is packed full of the latest news and views from the procurement world.

As many of you will have seen, there have been a few new features added to the Procurement Leaders website over the last couple of weeks, which began with the launch of the new 'Spotlight On' series and last week saw 'Procurement Intentions' added to this list

I was bought the autobiography of UK businessman and The Apprentice ringmaster Sir Alan Sugar and surprisingly to me it was his view of e-auctions that really stood out.

Protectionism, global risk management, the imminent demise of the CPO role as we know it - this week has been awash with challenging subjects that threaten to shake the profession to the core.

This week procurement teams once again showed how they continue to help businesses through the tough economic climate as cost saving initiatives bared fruit for some while others are utilising procurement to get ahead of the competition.

The news this week was dominated by stories regarding suppliers to some of the UK’s most well known organisations as well as to the Olympics. Globally the last few weeks have been dominated by similar stories - supply risk, responsible procurement and talent have all been high on the agenda of late.

I was recently told by someone within the aerospace industry about a little trick airlines use to cut costs and it got me thinking about the importance of the small things companies can do without implementing wide ranging schemes.