"Hello everyone, I'd like to share my experience with Sir Joshua Kuriakose during our meeting. Initially, I posed a targeted question regarding the skillsets necessary for my advancement in the field of procurement, given my background as a supply chain management candidate. However, Sir Joshua took the opportunity to provide me with a comprehensive overview of all the supply chain operations, including procurement. We spoke about how the pre-award stage sets the groundwork for procurement, focusing on issuing detailed RFPs or IFBs to outline requirements and evaluation criteria. With lots of real-life cases of evaluating bids, negotiating with shortlisted suppliers, and finally selecting a supplier, ensuring transparency and competitiveness. In the award stage, we interacted about the focus shifting to selecting the winning bidder based on the best value for money, formally awarding the contract, and conducting a post-award review, including how this stage ensures the chosen supplier meets all criteria and that the procurement process was conducted fairly. Additionally, we spoke about the post-award stage, which encompasses the implementation, operation, and close-out phases, where the contract is actively managed to ensure compliance with its terms, address any issues, and adapt to changes as needed. Monitoring and management are key to achieving the contract's goals. I.e., zero-defect mentality. Finally, Sir explained how the contract closeout stage involves finalizing all obligations, conducting performance reviews, and ensuring all parties are satisfied with the outcome. This stage varies across organizations but is essential to formally concluding the SCM process. Your guidance provided me with a clear, step-by-step guide and answers to my questions, emphasizing the importance of each stage in achieving efficient and compliant outcomes. Thank you so much for your time, sir. "