Vikas Tikare

• Global Category Manager for IT Category, focusing on IT Services that include fixed cost engagements, IT Professional Services and IT Contingent Labor with the support of one FTE
• Responsible for $100M annual spend globally
• Owns global supplier relationships with key strategic IT suppliers ensuring performance, compliance to contractual terms, and continuous improvement
• Achieved hard dollar cost savings of $3.5 M in 2024 and $3M in 2023
• Leads vendor relationship and governance of Outsourced Business Services contract of $165M with a leading IT services provider
• Collaborates with senior leadership to develop and execute global IT services category strategy that aligns with company objectives and enhances 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
• Spearheaded the transition of IT Contingent Workforce from a Time & Material model to a Fixed-Cost or Managed Services model, driving significant cost reductions
• Performs supplier evaluations and provides constructive feedback to them ensuring delivery of high-quality products/services while meeting cost and sustainability targets
• Conducts vendor capability discussions to identify new suppliers, critically evaluate capabilities and financials before inviting them to bid

• 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

• 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, 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

• 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

• 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