Check-In & Networking Breakfast

Welcome/Keynote 

A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH DUKE ENERGY’S SOURCING LEADERSHIP

Hear directly from Duke Energy’s procurement executives on the bold strategies powering their success in a rapidly evolving sourcing landscape.

PEER CONNECT

Break into roundtables for candid conversations on IT procurement issues, trends, strategies and tactics. In this interactive peer-to-peer discussion participants share their experiences and learn what works well for others.

STRATEGIC PLAYBOOK FOR MICROSOFT EA RENEWALS

NPI’s Microsoft licensing expert will share recent changes to Microsoft licensing and what’s currently motivating Microsoft sales and account teams. You will learn how to avoid common pitfalls that lead to overspending, and proven tactics to rein in enterprise Microsoft spend.

PUBLIC CLOUD SOURCING WORKSHOP

As spending on the public cloud increases, so does the risk of overspending and suboptimal contract negotiations. This session explores the dynamics and challenges of public cloud sourcing and contracting, and what IT buying teams can do to overcome them.

MASTERING LEVERAGE: TURNING DATA AND PROCESS INTO NEGOTIATION POWER
FEATURED SPEAKER: JAMIE MARTINO, SVP AT IT DIVERSITY

Negotiation success in technology procurement often hinges on how effectively organizations understand and apply leverage. This keynote will provide a practical framework for analyzing, quantifying, and enhancing leverage throughout the sourcing lifecycle. We’ll explore how procurement teams can incorporate benchmarking insights and leverage tactics into their standard work processes, ensuring structured preparation for negotiations and alignment among stakeholders. Formalizing these practices creates repeatable strategies that strengthen position and improve outcomes through policy alignment, standardization, and governance. We will also touch on how AI-driven tactics can accelerate these goals while minimizing time investments, enabling procurement teams to work smarter without sacrificing rigor.

Lunch

AUDIT DEFENSE BEST PRACTICES

As the enterprise software landscape continues to shift and intensify. It’s important to anticipate the potential audit appetite for your primary enterprise software vendors. In this session, NPI will review current audit tactics and approaches for major enterprise software vendors and offer guidance on the actions you can take now to minimize potential audit impact.

Closing Remarks
We’ll conclude promptly at 1:30 PM so you can get back to your day, inspired with new ideas, opportunities, and networking connections to build upon.

Duke Energy Private Session  (employees only)