Procurement and Cost Optimization Masterclass With Strategic Sourcing Expert

We welcome you to “SaaS Masterminds,” Season 2 of the CloudEagle podcast. In this episode, Prasanna Naik, Co-Founder of CloudEagle.ai, hosts David Santamaria, Senior Manager of Strategic Sourcing at Datadog, as our esteemed guest.
David reflects on his journey from a marketing graduate to a seasoned sourcing expert with over a decade of experience across industries such as pharmaceuticals, media, and tech. His experience highlights the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and building cross-functional relationships.
The conversation goes into the challenges and strategies of modern sourcing. David emphasizes the importance of earning trust within an organization by proactively engaging with stakeholders, showcasing value through smaller deals, and building credibility as a strategic partner. At Datadog, he has played a key role in creating a lean but effective sourcing function that focuses on streamlining procurement and driving cost optimization across the organization.
David also shares how Datadog transitioned from a reactive approach in 2023 to a more strategic, proactive sourcing process for 2024. He discusses the importance of category management, supplier relationship building, and aligning procurement strategies with the company’s rapid growth. Additionally, David sheds light on how cross-departmental collaboration has been critical in fostering efficiency and reducing unnecessary SaaS spend.
A major focus of the discussion is on SaaS cost optimization and how Datadog analyzes license usage and supplier contracts to uncover cost-saving opportunities. David explains how identifying underutilized features, consolidating vendor agreements, and proactively managing renewals have helped Datadog achieve measurable financial efficiency.
Don’t miss this engaging conversation with a seasoned sourcing leader, offering valuable insights into relationship-building, strategic sourcing, cost optimization, and transforming procurement into a strategic advantage.