Your former employees are your next bench.

From The Sourcing Paradox series · Week 4: The way forward · First shared on LinkedIn, October 29, 2026

When AI changes the shape of a procurement team, the usual answer is exits: fewer roles, people out the door, and their knowledge gone with them.

Deloitte Insights describes another way. Its authors frame the workforce as an ecosystem that includes alumni, advisors, vendors and retired experts. They describe talent ramps that move people into new roles rather than simply out.

For procurement, I think that ecosystem is unusually valuable. Your former buyers know your suppliers, your systems and your history. Your prior category leads know which negotiations went wrong and why.

Three ways I'd use it:

1. Keep a list of former buyers and category managers, and stay in touch. Help them transition to what's next.
2. Bring experts back on call for the hard negotiations.
3. Use fractional specialists for depth you need occasionally, not every day.

The knowledge you'd lose in a layoff doesn't have to leave for good. It is not in your long-term interest. When did you last ask a former employee for advice: this month, this year, or never?

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This post draws on The Sourcing Paradox, a free Procademai™ report for procurement leaders and professionals (section 6.3).

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Sources

• Kulasooriya et al. (January 2026), Navigating the AI-enabled workforce shift: From managing exits to orchestrating ecosystems, Deloitte Insights. Source

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