ISM—Carolinas-Virginia, Inc.

A practical guide to cost intelligence for volatile markets

Procurement leaders are under more pressure than ever — from executives demanding cost justification, from suppliers pushing through price increases, and from a volatile market where tariffs, labor shifts, and input cost swings can change overnight. The expectation is clear: procurement should protect margins, manage risk, and advise the business with confidence.

Most teams are still working with two imperfect tools. Spend analytics show where money went. Commodity indexes show what's happening in the market. But neither explains why the cost of the specific products you buy is changing — and neither gives you the data to push back on a supplier, protect a margin commitment, or brief your CFO with confidence.

That gap is where procurement shifts from reactive to strategic.

Cost intelligence closes it. By modeling the actual cost drivers behind the products you buy — materials, labor, energy, manufacturing inputs, tariffs — procurement teams can understand in real time what a product should cost, why a price changed, and whether a supplier increase is justified or inflated. That's not a report. That's a defensible position

In this webinar, Daniela Osio, CEO and Co-Founder of Dalinea, will show how leading procurement organizations are using cost intelligence to:

• Protect margins — identify where you're overpaying before a contract renewal, not after.
• Manage risk — understand your exposure to raw material volatility, tariff shifts, and single-source dependencies before they become P&L problems.
• Lead supplier negotiations — challenge price increase requests with cost-level data instead of market benchma.
• Advise finance with confidence — bring a forward-looking cost view to the business, not just historical spend summaries.
• Move procurement from a cost center to a strategic function — with the data to anticipate cost changes, not just explain them

Attendees will walk away with a framework for understanding where cost intelligence fits in their current stack, what it unlocks that spend analytics and benchmarks cannot, and how to use industry-level cost insights to become the most informed voice in the room when supply chain decisions are being made.

Learning Objectives:

How to use product-level cost modeling to challenge supplier narratives and protect negotiating power

Lead supplier negotiations — challenge price increase requests with cost-level data instead of market benchmarks.

What "proactive cost management" looks like in practice — real examples from procurement teams managing direct materials volatility

How to use cost intelligence to brief finance and the C-suite with credibility

How industry cost insights can transform procurement into a strategic advisory function

This webinar provides knowledge regarding the many benefits that come with being a part of the ISM community. Join us and learn about the essential tools, vibrant community, and exceptional learning that enhances your professional development. You'll also gain insight into the array of programs, services, and resources that are available to you through your membership.

The ISM World experience gives you the opportunity to be face-to-face with thought leaders, peers and suppliers and have dedicated time to build your network and expand your knowledge on critical topics impacting the supply management profession. Get inspired by amazing keynotes, interact in engaging breakout sessions and have fun swapping supply chain “wins” (and war stories) in a variety of attendee celebrations and small group experiences.