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In a series of columns this year, I’ll share 10 theories that I believe will drive investments in earlier-stage (angel/seed and Series A/B) start-ups in the procurement technology market. For perspective, Thesis 1 looked at automation and vendors in that space. Thesis 2 looked at providers of marketplace solutions. Thesis 3 looked at UI/UX technology and adoption in the start-up stage. Thesis 4 dug deeper into bridge solutions. Thesis 5 looked at push savings. 

Today, let’s dig deeper into the rise of supplier collaboration.

While COVID-19 has disrupted the U.S. economy in ways which were practically inconceivable a year ago, it has also overturned long-standing, fundamental assumptions of how businesses must operate. Organizations, for example, are finding that they can operate with a larger remote workforce, they can flex their now-significant contingent workforces, and they have access to technology that can make business transformation possible. This should also be a time for procurers of contingent workforce and services (CW/S) to re-evaluate and reset their assumptions. Right?

This is the third part of the “Coronavirus impacts the world of work” series focusing on contingent workforce/services management in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each part of the series aligns to one of the four stages of the crisis that we mapped out in the spring:

• Reactive/acute stage: Coronavirus affects the world of work — How can businesses cope with the COVID-19 outbreak? (March 2020)
• Transition/mitigation stage: Coronavirus affects the world of work: Facing the next phase of the crisis (April 2020)
• Recovery/upswing stage: Coronavirus impacts the world of work: Achieving agility in an uncertain economic recovery (Current)
• Long-run/business-as-usual stage (TBD)

Part 3 of this series now addresses what we called the recovery/upswing stage, looking at what it means, assessing the current environment and trends, and presenting considerations for organizations and CW/S practitioners.