Steve Hughes (left) has over 30 years of experience in procurement, first whetting his appetite for the field as a buyer for Hallmark Cards. When he joined College Board in 2016, he found a CW program that was not being proactively managed. Putting his procurement background to work, Hughes upgraded and revamped the program, working closely with Carlos Burgos, the dedicated category manager for HR-related topics on his team.

“The whole attitude around an MSP adding value to our CW program has been transformed,” Hughes says. “We’ve significantly changed the view of the MSP/CW solutions from a negative perception to one that’s a positive asset to the organization.” As the chief procurement officer for College Board, Hughes manages a team of 12 people.

Recently, the organization went live with a brand-new digital procurement solution that provides a more user-friendly interface and the ability for the organization to operate from mobile devices. Replacing the old, outdated procurement system, this new SaaS-based tool enables users to electronically manage and store contracts, run RFPs, and manage requisitions, POs, payments and suppliers. Hughes notes that the development of digital tools has been transformative for the CW space, especially when it comes to new VMS tools. He predicts that as the demand for contingent workers grows, the need for easy-to-use software and electronic tools will grow as well.