Your category.
Your negotiation.
Your Friday afternoon.Your Friday afternoon.
Fifty procurement people, from a few years in to Head of Procurement. Bring whatever is stuck on your desk this week, and work it through with people who have done it before.
50 founding placesBy selection
Fifty founding places, by selection. Each square is a Friday.
At a glance
- When
- Fridays, 3pm MelbourneSixty minutes, live on Zoom
- Starts
- Opens Mon 8 Feb 2027First Friday Fix on 12 Feb
- Founding cost
- Six Fridays freeThen AU$600 a year + GST
- Apply by
- Fri 5 Feb 2027Or sooner, if all fifty are taken
You’re good at this job. Your week just doesn’t show it.
Most of what holds you back never makes it into a development plan. It’s the stakeholder who keeps moving the goalposts, the supplier who won’t budge, and the meeting you replay on the drive home.
From what procurement professionals told us, most common first.
- 01
Stakeholders who can’t say what they want, change their minds, or go around procurement.
Almost everyone - 02
Not landing with executives: the story doesn’t stick and the CFO doesn’t see the work.
- 03
Confidence, and the nagging sense of being found out.
- 04
Stuck in operational work, with no route into category management.
- 05
Procurement isn’t valued, or takes the blame.
- 06
No clear next role, career direction or pay rise.
- 07
Paperwork and reporting instead of the actual work.
- 08
Negotiating without the full picture or any leverage.
Here is where a year of Fridays takes it.
You’re good at this job. Your week just doesn’t show it.
Most of what holds you back never makes it into a development plan. It’s the stakeholder who keeps moving the goalposts, the supplier who won’t budge, and the meeting you replay on the drive home.
01The answer arrives in the car park, after the meeting.
A year of Fridays on: You have it in the room, because you have rehearsed the pressure.
02Someone else describes your result to the executive.
A year of Fridays on: You put a number on it in words a CFO repeats.
03A four-minute question sits in your head for three weeks.
A year of Fridays on: You bring it on Friday to people who have solved it before.
04The supplier says no and you go blank.
A year of Fridays on: You know which pushback is real and where the deal still moves.
05A stakeholder happy with the status quo stalls the work.
A year of Fridays on: You know who decides, who blocks, and how to bring them along.
06Quiet competence gets you kept, not promoted.
A year of Fridays on: A run of banked outcomes, and people senior enough to say your name.
10 percent of what we know comes from courses. 90 percent comes from doing the work and from other people.
10% · CoursesCourses, certifications, study
90% · Work and peopleDoing the work, reading the room, learning from people who have done it
10% · CoursesCourses, certifications, study
90% · Work and peopleDoing the work, reading the room, learning from people who have done it
Your head start. What others reach in five years on the job, reached in about 1.5 to 1.75 years of Fridays. Then it compounds.
Courses teach you 10%. We work on the other 90.
The other 90 comes from doing the work and from people who have done it before. That is what a Friday is for. No certificate. It shows up in your next negotiation.
“You could spend 3 to 5 years learning by yourself in an organisation. Or you could learn from the people in the community and shorten your learning curve to 1 to 2 years.”
Based on the 70-20-10 model of workplace learning: about 70% from experience, 20% from other people, 10% from courses. A rule of thumb, not a measurement.
The Friday Fix. 3pm Melbourne, every week.
Sixty minutes, same slot. The format rotates across the month, and urgent work overrides it. Five have already run. Every session is recorded, so a bad week at work does not cost you your month.Sixty minutes, same slot. The format rotates through the month and urgent work comes first. Every session is recorded, so a bad week doesn’t cost you the month. Five have already run.
Click one to see more.
You send in a problem. Two get picked. The group works on them. You keep what you learn.
Each Friday of the month is a different kind of session.
Real screenshots and notes from a past session. Names and details are hidden.
- By Wednesday
You submit a case
The live category, negotiation or stakeholder problem on your desk.
- Thursday 5:00pm
Two get picked
A day ahead, so the session is prepared around them. On teardown and prep-room weeks, the two the room learns most from. The members channel is there for the rest.
- Friday 3:00 to 4:00
The room works it
Mixed on purpose, a few years in through to Head of Procurement, so nobody is the most senior person in every conversation.
- Monday
It stays with you
The recording, and the members channel: post Tuesday, get a straight answer before Friday.
- 01By Wednesday
You submit a case
The live category, negotiation or stakeholder problem on your desk.
- 02Friday 3:00pm
Two get picked
On teardown and prep-room weeks, the two the room learns most from. Not every case is taken on the day, so the members channel is there for the rest.
- 033:00 to 4:00
The room works it
Mixed on purpose, a few years in through to Head of Procurement, so nobody is the most senior person in every conversation.
- 04After
It stays with you
The recording, and the members channel: post Tuesday, get a straight answer before Friday.
The room tests the assumptions, works through the options and lands on practical next steps. You take the new perspective back to work on Monday.
The format rotates. Urgent work overrides it.
- Week one
Teardown
Someone puts a live project on the table. The room pulls it apart and puts it back together.
- Week two
The prep room
A negotiation you have coming up. Plan it, rehearse it, and pressure-test whether your stakeholder still backs your walk away.
- Week three
Skill drill
Framing an ask. Handling a price increase. Language that survives the first objection.
- Week four
Concept or case
A real engagement broken down properly, including what went wrong. Ends with how you use it this month.
Friday Fix #2, cost savings strategies to beat inflation. Click any slide to see it full size.
A member was told to find opportunities across their category and had no idea where to start. We built the hypotheses, worked out how to test each one, and they left with a pipeline they could take to their sponsor.
Twenty five years in the seat. In the room with you every Friday.
“Ashokk genuinely cares about the development of the people he coaches, a rare quality in most mentors. He has great subject matter expertise, and he always believed my success was his success.”
DJ BajajPartner, Kearney · From Ashokk’s coaching work, before The Practice existed.- Client side
- Supplier side
- Consulting side
Ashokk is in the room every week, with a rotating faculty of guests: people who have run the function, people who sell to it for a living, and operators from outside procurement entirely.
“Ashokk genuinely cares about the development of the people he coaches, a rare quality in most mentors. He has great subject matter expertise, and he always believed my success was his success.”
DJ BajajPartner, Kearney · From Ashokk’s coaching work, before The Practice existed.“130+ projects across 15+ sectors, from three sides of the table. The Friday Fix is me in the room every week, with a rotating faculty of guests: people who have run the function, people who sell to it for a living, and operators from outside procurement entirely.”
- Client side
- Supplier side
- Consulting side
Ashokk N MenonFounder, Host of the Friday FixMore from Ashokk: Operating in the Margins, his free newsletter and podcast. Or book a confidential 1:1.
Who it is for, and who it isn’t.
Fifty places, chosen for the mix. Read both lists before you put your name down.
This is for you if…
- You’re good at this job, and you want people to see it. Not just your manager. The people who decide who gets the next role.
- You want your pay to catch up with the value you deliver. You save the business real money. You want to be paid and promoted like someone who does.
- You’d rather bring a real problem than sit through another slide deck. A stalled negotiation, a stakeholder who won’t engage, a number Finance won’t accept.
- You can give one hour most Fridays. Forty sessions only pay off if you turn up.
- You want to learn from people who have done the job, not just taught it. Ashokk, and the industry experts he brings into the room.
- You’re happy to have your thinking tested in front of peers. That is where the confidence comes from.
This is not for you if…
- You want a certificate for the wall. We build skill, not credentials.
- You want to watch quietly and never speak. The room works because people bring real problems.
- You want someone to do the work for you. We sharpen your thinking. The doing stays with you.
- You want theory for its own sake. If it won’t help on a Tuesday afternoon, we skip it.
- You’re happy where you are. That’s fine. This is for people who want the next step.
Experience The Practice for freeSit in on a Friday Fix. Free.
Join a free Friday Fix before deciding whether to become a member. One hour on Zoom, Fridays 3 to 4pm Melbourne.
Bring a real procurement challenge, hear how experienced peers approach it, and see how the room works.
One hour on Zoom, before you decide on a membership. Bring a real procurement challenge, hear how experienced peers approach it, and see how the room works.
- Separate from the six free founding Fridays, and they don’t count towards them.
- Optional. You can apply for a founding place without coming to one.
The pre-launch Friday Fix sessions have finished. Apply for a founding place.
Almost there. One step left.
Know someone who’d bring a good problem? Send them the link. It’s free for them too.
Want a founding place as well? That’s a separate application. Apply for a founding place.
Your founding price, locked in for five years.
The first founding Friday is 12 February 2027. Membership opens on Monday 8 February.
| Founding membership12 months from the day you pay | $600.00 |
| Your first six Fridays12 Feb to 19 Mar 2027, before you pay anything12 Feb19 Feb26 Feb5 Mar12 Mar19 Mar | Free |
| GST | $60.00 |
| Total, per year | AU$660.00 |
That’s $15 a session plus GST, across at least 40 live Fridays.
Price locked for five years if you renew each year. No five-year commitment. $1,239 a year plus GST for everyone after the fifty, with one free month.
AU$660 including GST
Your first six Fridays are free.
- 12 Feb
- 19 Feb
- 26 Feb
- 5 Mar
- 12 Mar
- 19 Mar
Free until 24 March 2027. Your price stays the same for five years if you renew each year. No five-year commitment.
- $15 a session plus GST, across at least 40 live Fridays a year.
- $1,239 a year plus GST for everyone after the fifty, with one free month.
Founding applications close 5 February 2027, or earlier if all 50 places are filled. Places are offered by selection.
Click one to see more.
When it runs and what comes with it.
How you join, when you pay, and renewal.
Cancelling, refunds and tax.
- Fridays, 3pm Melbourne
- October to early April: 5pm Auckland, 12pm Singapore, 9:30am India, 8am Dubai
- From April: Singapore, India and Dubai run an hour later
- The Friday Fix every week: at least 40 live sessions a year
- Every session recorded, members only, for your membership year
- The members channel
- Templates, models and prep sheets
- The category management fundamentals, pre-recorded
- A curated monthly pick
- No card details are needed to apply.
- Nothing is taken automatically.
- If you decide not to continue, don’t pay: your access ends after the free period and you owe nothing.
How it works, renewal, cancelling, refunds and tax
- Apply for a founding place
- If you’re selected, you join the six free Fridays
- Before they end, you get an invoice and a payment link
- Your paid year starts when you pay it
- Optional every year
- Nothing renews automatically
- Before your year ends you get a renewal invoice, and you choose
- During the free period: tell us, or simply don’t pay the invoice, and you owe nothing
- After you’ve paid: your membership runs to the end of the year you paid for, and you can choose not to renew
- Nothing is paid during the free period, so there is nothing to refund
- Once you pay for a membership year, the fee isn’t refundable
- Most likely a self-education expense. Check with your accountant
- Invoice available
- Monday 8 February 2027
- First Friday Fix: Friday 12 February, 3pm Melbourne
- Fridays, 3pm Melbourne
- October to early April: 5pm Auckland, 12pm Singapore, 9:30am India, 8am Dubai
- From April: Singapore, India and Dubai run an hour later
- The Friday Fix every week: at least 40 live sessions a year
- Every session recorded, members only, for your membership year
- The members channel
- Templates, models and prep sheets
- The category management fundamentals, pre-recorded
- A curated monthly pick
- Apply for a founding place
- If you’re selected, you join the six free Fridays
- Before they end, you get an invoice and a payment link
- Your paid year starts when you pay it
- Nothing is taken automatically
- No card details are needed to apply
- If you decide not to continue, don’t pay: your access ends after the free period and you owe nothing
- Optional every year
- Nothing renews automatically
- Before your year ends you get a renewal invoice, and you choose
- During the free period: tell us, or simply don’t pay the invoice, and you owe nothing
- After you’ve paid: your membership runs to the end of the year you paid for, and you can choose not to renew
- Nothing is paid during the free period, so there is nothing to refund
- Once you pay for a membership year, the fee isn’t refundable
- Most likely a self-education expense. Check with your accountant
- Invoice available
What members ask first.
Were you given a founding seat card? Accept your invitation here.
Were you given a founding seat card?
Will I ever get my own problem looked at?
Two cases on teardown and prep-room weeks, submitted by Wednesday, and I pick the two the room learns most from, so not every case is taken on the day.On teardown and prep-room weeks I pick two of the cases submitted by Wednesday, the two the room learns most from. Not every case is taken on the day. The members channel is there for the ones that aren’t. In between you watch other people’s, which in the early months is the better half of the deal.
If you want a lifeline on your own problems, book a confidential 1:1 to talk about an ongoing arrangement. It’s typically $5K to $15K a year, depending on the number of sessions, the tenure and the level of support.
Is this new? Am I a guinea pig?
I am not in Australia. Is this for me?
Is what I bring confidential?
I am fairly junior. Will I be out of my depth?
Someone on my team sent me this. What does it cost me as their manager?
What if it is not for me?
How are the fifty chosen?
Who it is for, and who it isn’t.
This is for you if…
- You’re good at this job, and you want people to see it. Not just your manager. The people who decide who gets the next role.
- You want your pay to catch up with the value you deliver. You save the business real money. You want to be paid and promoted like someone who does.
- You’d rather bring a real problem than sit through another slide deck. A stalled negotiation, a stakeholder who won’t engage, a number Finance won’t accept.
- You can give one hour most Fridays. Forty sessions only pay off if you turn up.
- You want to learn from people who have done the job, not just taught it. Ashokk, and the industry experts he brings into the room.
- You’re happy to have your thinking tested in front of peers. That is where the confidence comes from.
This is not for you if…
- You want a certificate for the wall. We build skill, not credentials.
- You want to watch quietly and never speak. The room works because people bring real problems.
- You want someone to do the work for you. We sharpen your thinking. The doing stays with you.
- You want theory for its own sake. If it won’t help on a Tuesday afternoon, we skip it.
- You’re happy where you are. That’s fine. This is for people who want the next step.
Who it is for, and who it isn’t.
This is for you if…
- You’re good at this job, and you want people to see it. Not just your manager. The people who decide who gets the next role.
- You want your pay to catch up with the value you deliver. You save the business real money. You want to be paid and promoted like someone who does.
- You’d rather bring a real problem than sit through another slide deck. A stalled negotiation, a stakeholder who won’t engage, a number Finance won’t accept.
- You can give one hour most Fridays. Forty sessions only pay off if you turn up.
- You want to learn from people who have done the job, not just taught it. Ashokk, and the industry experts he brings into the room.
- You’re happy to have your thinking tested in front of peers. That is where the confidence comes from.
This is not for you if…
- You want a certificate for the wall. We build skill, not credentials.
- You want to watch quietly and never speak. The room works because people bring real problems.
- You want someone to do the work for you. We sharpen your thinking. The doing stays with you.
- You want theory for its own sake. If it won’t help on a Tuesday afternoon, we skip it.
- You’re happy where you are. That’s fine. This is for people who want the next step.
I am fairly junior. Will I be out of my depth?
I am not in Australia. Is this for me?
Will I ever get my own problem looked at?
Two cases on teardown and prep-room weeks, submitted by Wednesday, and I pick the two the room learns most from, so not every case is taken on the day.On teardown and prep-room weeks I pick two of the cases submitted by Wednesday, the two the room learns most from. Not every case is taken on the day. The members channel is there for the ones that aren’t. In between you watch other people’s, which in the early months is the better half of the deal.
If you want a lifeline on your own problems, book a confidential 1:1 to talk about an ongoing arrangement. It’s typically $5K to $15K a year, depending on the number of sessions, the tenure and the level of support.
Is this new? Am I a guinea pig?
How are the fifty chosen?
Is what I bring confidential?
Someone on my team sent me this. What does it cost me as their manager?
What if it is not for me?
Founding places close Fri 5 Feb 2027, or sooner if all fifty are taken.
Get in before it opens. Then bring the work.
Apply for one of the fifty founding places. I read every application before choosing the fifty. No cost and no card details at this stage.
- NowApply
- By emailSelection decision
- From 12 FebSix free Fridays
- By 24 MarChoose whether to continue at $600 a year plus GST
- Apply
- Selection decision
- Six free Fridays from 12 Feb
- Choose whether to continue at $600 a year plus GST
Nothing is charged until 24 March 2027, and only if you choose to continue. Founding members keep the $600 plus GST rate for five years, as long as they renew each year.and only if you continue.
Want to see a session first? Try a free Friday Fix. It’s optional.
Thank you. Your application has been received.
I read every application before choosing the fifty. You’ll get a decision by email. If you’re selected, you’ll get the year’s calendar and your place in the six free Fridays from 12 February.
Want to see a session while you wait? Try a free Friday Fix.