20 years in procurement. Here’s what I actually learned.

Nobody tells you this when you start in procurement: The cheapest supplier is rarely the cheapest decision. I learned this the hard way. 20 years across China, Europe, US. Good sourcing isn’t about price or speed. It’s about the decision you won’t regret in 6 months. China = scale. Europe = flexibility. US = speed + compliance. The hard part? Knowing which one the situation actually calls for. Most people skip that question entirely.