My recent post on the series of interviews I had with Ariba garnered considerable interest and feedback. By far the most interesting (and insightful) comments came from the Commonwealth of Virginia. What was compelling about the Virginia response was their willingness to provide a perspective from what they referred to as the “other side of the fence.” What was refreshing is that the subsequent interview revealed an extremely capable group of people whose passion for procurement was only rivaled by their commitment to a vision. A vision that was centered on gaining a thorough understanding of the processes that defined the Commonwealth’s procurement practice as well as the unique requirements of a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders.