The Weekly Pull #004: Procurement Hot Takes of The Week

What I’ve Been Nerding Out On

Took advantage of the summer slowdown to do what any sane person does on vacation: build IT procurement tools.

Not gonna lie — I’m a bit jealous of whoever gets to use these on their first vendor negotiation. I sure didn’t have this stuff when I got thrown into IT contracts.

Meet the IT Procurement Vault. Six flagship tools for surviving vendor pressure, messy renewals, and licensing chaos:

1. IT procurement playbook - 30+pg Master guide on modern IT buying (licensing traps, renewals, AI risks).

2. Renewal Prep Checklist - 180-day plan, stakeholder map, QBR cheat codes.

3. Licensing models cheat sheet - SaaS, core, usage, BYOL, decoded with examples.

4. How to Challenge Licensing Models - 10 vendor scenarios, 7 counters, clause tactics.

5.  Redhat Negotiation Kit and 5 Critical Clauses in SaaS Contracts. - Bonus assets for subscribers.

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Lifetime updates included. Everything’s also available separately (except the Playbook).

Signals This Week - What just Happened:

#1 – EU Human Rights Due Diligence.. watered down 

Source: Reuters 

The EU’s CSDDD got diluted like bad coffee (have you heard about “nechezol”?) : enforcement delayed to 2028, applies only to tier-1, and liability softened.

Why it matters: 

• Corporate buyers in regulated industries will face patchwork accountability rather than a unified standard. 

• Sellers may thumb their noses at deeper audits — leaving you with unchecked risks. 

What you should do: 

1. Don’t stop at tier-1 — go where the risk is.

2. Ditch “trust” and verify, especially in high-risk geographies.

3. Benchmark to UK/US standards, not EU’s new floor. 

 #2 – “Buy European” - Make Europe Great Again (MEGA) 

Source: Reuters

New rule caps Chinese content at 50% in public procurement and blocks access to EU health and defense contracts.

Why it matters: 

• Private buyers will feel the ripple — especially in tech, medtech, dual-use.

• Qualification just got messier for non-EU suppliers.

What you should do: 

1. Start auditing supplier origin data now.

2. Add EU-source clauses to your contracts.

3. Think: local partners, EU sourcing desks, faster compliance.

#3 – US–EU Flirt with a 15% Tariff Truce (for now) 

Source: Reuters 

A 15% mutual tariff deal may happen… or we get slammed with 30% duties and a $93B trade brawl by August 1.

Why it matters: 

• High-risk: autos, med devices, packaging, industrial goods.

• You can’t hedge last-minute if it blows up.

What you should do: 

1. Run impact scenarios for both outcomes.

2. Add duty passthrough clauses.

3. Lock down buffer stock and alt sources, now.

#4 – EU Forms Critical Chemical Alliance 

Source: European Commission 

EU wants to boost local production of “strategic” chemicals with state aid and lighter regulation.

Why it matters: 

• Pharma, agrochem, and manufacturers may get better access if they align.

• Supply chain reshuffling incoming.

What you should do: 

1. Map purchases tied to critical chemicals.

2. Ask vendors if they’re alliance-eligible.

3. Prioritize aligned suppliers during renewals.

The Bottom Line:

What It Means to You

If this week had a theme, it’s this:
You’re on your own — and the rules keep shifting.

The EU says it cares about sustainability… then waters it down.
It says “Buy European”… but you still need to buy globally.
It sets up alliances… but no one tells you how to qualify.
And tariffs? Let’s just say your sourcing strategy might expire before your contract does.

So here’s what it means for us, the buyers in the trenches:

• Due diligence isn’t dead — but now you have to define it. Don’t wait for regulation to tell you how deep to go.

• “Buy European” is no longer optional. Start treating origin tracking like a core KPI, not a checkbox.

• Tariff chaos is not a what-if. Build contingency sourcing like your budget depends on it (because it does).

• Chemical supply chains will get political. Get ahead by mapping dependencies before suppliers ghost you.

In short?
Procurement isn’t reactive anymore.
It’s strategic. Political. Risk-first. And if you’re not reading between the policy lines, you’ll miss the cost impact until it hits your P&L.

Stay paranoid, stay nerdy.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT… I’ve gone viral

Until next time,

Zvi