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The Weekly Pull #005: Procurement Hot Takes of The Week

The Weekly Pull #005: Procurement Hot Takes of The Week

Why Flags and Borders Now Belong in Your Sourcing Strategy

Ana Zvijinschi
August 04, 2025

Howdy, fellow nerds —

Another week down — no more slow-roasting, thankfully — and I’ll admit: I’m running low on “hot” procurement headlines. But maybe that’s a good thing.

Sometimes the slowdown is space to process the chaos we've already been handed.

So this week’s WHAT JUST HAPPENED section doubles down on two recurring themes that keep evolving beneath the surface:

Buy European — because it’s no longer optional
Geopolitical Risk — because it’s no longer “macro”

But first —

To all of you who’ve subscribed, read, shared, and messaged — THANK YOU.
It’s wild watching this nerdy little corner of the internet grow each week.
If you’ve followed my work on LinkedIn, you’ve probably seen slightly different takes from what I share here — so I want to ask:

Or you can simply hit “reply” and let me know — your feedback is GOLD as I shape this community.

What I’ve Been Nerding Out On

I’ve decided to add a Weekly Special to the newsletter and publish it on Thursdays.

Last week I talked about how IT procurement is nothing but easy. I break down licensing models, common redflags in renewals, and how to stay on top of them.

Check it out here.

For next week I’m preparing a new piece on Asia Strategy amidst all the current changes and how to future proof it - I’ll expand on disruption risk and regulatory exposure with risk management as a performance indicator. China, Vietnam, India, Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia - will all be there.

Signals This Week - What just Happened:

#1 – ‘Buy European’ Drives Demand for Sovereign Tech

Source: Reuters

EU policy is tightening: public IT tenders must favor European cloud, AI, and infrastructure providers to reduce dependence on U.S. tech giants. The push is backed by procurement regulation changes.

Why it matters:

If you run IT sourcing in Europe—or rely on EU contracts—you’ll need to align with “Buy European” rules or risk disqualification.

What you should do:

List suppliers by region and compliance to local-content thresholds.
Engage European providers—or co-buy to create compliant bundles.

#2 – Geopolitical instability tops corporate risk agendas

Source: Oxford GlobeScan Global Corporate Affairs 2025 Survey

According to the 2025 Oxford‑GlobeScan survey, 75% of global executives rank geopolitical risk as their greatest short-term concern—a clear shift in board-level attention

Why it matters:

U.S.–China cooling echoes market volatility: Could impact AI component sourcing and trigger new export limits.
Oil sanctions risk supply disruption: May affect production costs and weaken inflation hedges.
Southeast Asia transit routes under threat: Raises exposure in manufacturing and global logistics.
EU budget may limit financial resilience: Could reduce trade partnerships and strategic funding options.
African peace opens supply corridors: Enables mineral sourcing for electronics, EVs, and energy tech.

What you should do:

Track bilateral shifts in trade policy—especially U.S.–China moves affecting AI and semiconductor exports.
Stress-test energy sourcing—evaluate supply shock scenarios and contingency plans.
Map supplier exposure in hotspot regions like Southeast Asia for destination risk.
Monitor EU financing frameworks—investors and buyers aligned with EU partners may feel ripple effects.
Update mineral sourcing plans for electronics and battery manufacturers around DRC stability developments.

The Bottom Line:

What It Means to You

For a while now, procurement has shifted from price, specs, and SLAs to flags, borders, and whose name is on the datacenter deed.

The EU is building a digital fortress — and if your vendors fly the wrong flag, you may be out of the running.
At the same time, geopolitical risk isn’t “macro” anymore. It’s microscopic. It's in your transit times, your tariff lines, and your quarterly risk register.

Here’s what this means if you're the one owning the PO/renewal:

“Buy European” is moving from rhetoric to requirement. If your shortlist still includes non-EU vendors with fuzzy ownership or cloud location? You’re behind.
Geopolitical risk is no longer just war headlines — it’s licensing delays, AI chip bottlenecks, Southeast Asia shipping premiums, and energy price volatility.
Supplier origin, local content thresholds, and sovereign compliance aren’t audit topics — they’re dealbreakers.
QBRs and renewals should now include: regional dependency reviews, mineral sourcing impact, and alignment with EU industrial policy.

In short?

If you're not sourcing with a political filter, you’re already exposed.

You’re not just a buyer anymore.
You’re a risk translator. A procurement diplomat.

Stay nerdy. Stay (geo)political.