Rick Stevens is the Global Leader of Procurement at GoDaddy, responsible for the company's global procurement strategy, sourcing, supplier management, and contract governance. He is passionate about transforming procurement into a strategic business function that delivers measurable value through commercial excellence, supplier partnerships, and operational discipline. Rick frequently speaks on procurement transformation, contracting, strategic sourcing, leadership, and creating value beyond savings.
Tuesday March 9, 2027
4:10 PM Debate Remix: Make Vs. Buy…Or Both?: Determining The Best AI Procurement Strategy For Your Organization
The decision to build or buy AI tools has become one of the most important strategic questions facing sourcing teams today. As both agentic and generative AI tools and company investments in these capabilities accelerate, leaders must weigh cost, speed, scalability, and control to determine the right strategy for their organizations. Participants will argue for the approaches they feel offer the best outcomes and lead to the most successful results.
Key takeaways:
- Evaluating if building, buying, or mixing the two is the best strategy for agentic and generative AI tools for procurement
- Understanding the key factors that influence these decisions
- Identifying where hybrid AI strategies are emerging as practical long-term approaches
Debating for Make:
Debating for Buy:
Richard Stevens, Head of Procurement, Senior Director of Global Procurement, GoDaddy
Debating for Both:
Jesse Ramirez, Director, Strategic Sourcing - IT, Engineering & Customer Operations, Etsy
Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Richard.
Download The Latest Agenda