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  • March 26, 2026, 1pm ET

Tech Stack Triage: Navigating Budget Cuts, Vendor Bloat, and AI Hype

Your organization’s tech stack probably looks like a junk drawer right now. Three tools that do basically the same thing. A pilot that never ended. And now everyone wants to know: should we build our own AI solution or buy one?

Procurement teams are in a unique position to lead these conversations, but only if you know how to frame them. This session breaks down how to run a tech stack review that actually results in decisions, how to facilitate build vs. buy conversations without getting steamrolled by IT, budget restraints, and identifying consolidation opportunities that won’t create more problems than they solve.

Key Takeaways:

  • A practical framework for tech stack reviews that lead to real action
  • How to structure build vs. buy conversations with technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Warning signs that consolidation will backfire, and when it’s worth the effort
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Who you will hear from

Michael Shields

VP of Procurement

Tropic

Julia Braun

Sr Director, Head of Enterprise Procurement

Highspot

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speaker bios

Michael Shields is VP of Procurement at Tropic. He has worked in Procurement for 15 years – as a full time employee, college professor, advisor and consultant. Although he has experience on both the direct and indirect side, the last 8 years has been focused on indirect with a heavy emphasis for managing SaaS spend – an area of explosive growth for many companies. Prior to tropic, Michael led procurement at two other companies – Qualtrics and MX. He has proven incredibly adept at standing up the function and developing a process and team that are respected as valued partners. His playbook increases visibility and control while creating a strong user experience. He understands the value of networking both externally (to collaborate and share ideas) and internally to champion the cause of procurement and deliver value that stakeholders can understand and appreciate. Michael is committed to the cause of elevating the procurement professional as well as improving the perception of procurement in the business world.

Julia Braun – With 25+ years’ of global Procurement experience, Julia has worked across multiple industry verticals, including technology, retail, and financial services. She specializes in commercial negotiation, sourcing and procurement transformation, contingent workforce solutions, and third party risk management.

Based in Bellevue, WA, Julia has held leadership and head-of-function roles at some of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic brands.