Vikas Tikare
Bangalore
Summary
A seasoned Procurement Professional with over 18 years of extensive experience in strategic sourcing, vendor management, cost control, procurement leadership and end-to-end P2P process. Proven track record of driving significant cost savings, optimizing supplier performance, and ensuring alignment with organizational goals. Expertise in leading bid/RFx functions, negotiating contracts, and implementing best practices to enhance efficiency and mitigate risks.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
2006
2006
years of post-secondary education
4
4
Languages
Work History
Global Category Manager, IT
Baxter
02.2023 - Current
- Global Category Manager for IT Category, focusing on IT Professional Services, fixed cost engagements and IT contingent labor
- Responsible for $80M annual spend
- Owns global supplier relationships with key strategic suppliers ensuring performance, compliance to contractual terms, and continuous improvement
- Collaborate with senior leadership to develop and execute global category strategy that align with company objectives and enhance operational efficiency
- The strategy includes supplier consolidation, re-negotiation of commercial terms, process improvements and new cost saving initiatives
- Directed various bids/RFx achieving best commercial terms and value
- Achieved hard dollar cost savings of $3.5 M in 2024 and $3M in 2023
- Spearheaded the transition of IT Contingent Workforce from a Time & Material model to a Fixed-Cost or Managed Services model, driving significant cost reductions
- Perform supplier evaluations and provide constructive feedback ensuring delivery of high-quality products/services while meeting cost and sustainability targets
- Conduct vendor capability discussions to identify new suppliers, critically evaluate capabilities and financials before inviting them to bid
Manager, Procurement – GITC and R&D
Baxter
12.2016 - 01.2023
- Led the Procurement function for Baxter's Global IT Capability Center (GITC), managing all indirect categories with the support of one buyer
- Oversaw procurement activities for the center with 600+ employees and an annual spend of $20M
- Categories included Facility Management, IT, Contingent Workforce, Employee Transportation, Travel, and Office Stationery
- From December 2016 to March 2019, expanded responsibilities to lead procurement for Baxter's R&D department, overseeing operations across two offices and two R&D labs with an average annual spend of $15M, supported by a team of two additional buyers
- Assumed the additional role of APAC Category Manager for Contingent Workforce and HR Services Categories in November 2020, driving regional procurement strategies and enhancing operational efficiency
- Led multiple bids / RFx for several Indirect commodities including Facility Management, Design & Construction, IT Equipment, Contingent Workforce, Employee Transportation, Travel, and Lab Equipment
- Spearheaded the implementation of the MSP (Managed Service Provider) program and FieldGlass tool for Contingent Workforce hiring in India
- Led an RFP initiative to transition Contingent Workforce/Staff Augmentation spend from the US to India, achieving annual savings of $1.7M
- Managed supplier relationship with all the major IT manpower / Staff Augmentation vendors providing around 400 contingent labors with annual spend of $ 14 M
- Led two Design and Construction projects (Office and Lab Space); Project 1: Area - 25k Sq.Ft
- And Spend – $1.5 M; Project 2: Area - 67k Sq.Ft
- And Spend – $6 M
- The Scope included Selection of the General Contractor, RFPs for selection of subcontractors of various packages, and coordination with Global Projects & Ops Team
- Directed successful implementation of the Coupa tool for the Bangalore offices, streamlining procurement processes
- Led the migration of over 50 contracts to a new Indian legal entity of Baxter
Assistant Manager, Procurement / Vendor Due Diligence
Fidelity Investments
07.2014 - 12.2016
- Performed vendor due diligence investigations ensuring compliance and risk mitigation
- As part of the Category Operations Group, directed multiple bids/RFx across different categories, including Print, IT, Professional Services, and Facility Management
- Managed bid processes for selecting Architects, Construction Managers, and Project Managers to support Fidelity Real Estate Corp (FREC)
- Led bids and reverse auctions for Professional Services, IT staff augmentation, and print categories driving competitive pricing and vendor performance
- Extensive experience running eSourcing events/RFx on the Emptoris eSourcing tool
- Collaborated with global category teams to develop bid strategies and support project execution
Global Category Analyst
Novozymes South Asia Pvt Ltd
11.2011 - 06.2014
- Global Category Analyst, part of Sourcing Development & Analytics department which worked as a team of internal consultants to Global Sourcing / Category Management team
- Led several bids/RFPs for different categories in India including Facilities Management, Security Services, Travel and employee transportation
- Project Manager for Sourcing Engagement Manager initiative for managing stakeholder relations and driving sourcing involvement
- Conducted spend and payment terms analysis across various regions to identify cost-saving opportunities
- Administered the global implementation of Ariba eSourcing tool
- As the administrator for the tool, lead several global eSourcing initiatives / RFx
- Led market research initiatives to identify new sources of supply, critically evaluate supplier capabilities and financials
Sourcing Strategist
IBM India Pvt Ltd
04.2008 - 09.2011
- Developed and implemented sourcing strategies for natural gas, fuel oil and MRO categories
- Led bids / RFx initiatives achieving best commercial terms, cost and vendor performance
- Implemented process improvements that resulted in cost savings and enhanced customer service
- Lead initiatives for consolidating supply base to curtail tail spend and increase engagement with core strategic suppliers
- Conducted market research to identify and assess new suppliers
- Assessment included critical evaluation of vendor capabilities and financials analysis
- Performed fair value analysis on contracts/purchase orders to ensure competitiveness
- Led periodic supplier evaluations and shared critical feedback with the vendors
Procurement Operations Team Lead
IBM India Pvt Ltd
04.2006 - 03.2008
- Led a 12-member procurement operations team based out of India and Vietnam
- The team managed procurement operations for multiple commodities including MRO, Facility Management, Design and Construction, Facility Services, Environmental, Built to specification and Production Packaging
- Ensured all PR to PO SLAs are met by the team, maintaining high level of audit readiness
- Managed transition of multiple procurement operations and processes to Vietnam
- Spearheaded multiple procurement transformation projects to reduce PR to PO cycle time, increase hands free POs and Increase catalogue usage
- Completed a Six Sigma Yellow Belt project to reduce cycle time of requisitions that required category managers’ involvement
Education
M.B.A -
ICFAI University
Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) - undefined
Karnataka University
Skills
Strategic Sourcing
Timeline
Global Category Manager, IT
Baxter
02.2023 - Current
Manager, Procurement – GITC and R&D
Baxter
12.2016 - 01.2023
Assistant Manager, Procurement / Vendor Due Diligence
Fidelity Investments
07.2014 - 12.2016
Global Category Analyst
Novozymes South Asia Pvt Ltd
11.2011 - 06.2014
Sourcing Strategist
IBM India Pvt Ltd
04.2008 - 09.2011
Procurement Operations Team Lead
IBM India Pvt Ltd
04.2006 - 03.2008
Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) - undefined
Karnataka University
M.B.A -
ICFAI University
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