Written by: Aaron Pries, Technology Consultant
You're not imagining it - prices are off the rails right now.
The global marketplace is in flux. Ongoing tariff wars, a whirlwind of new regulations, and the dismantling of others (sometimes seemingly overnight) have created a landscape where pricing is both chaotic and unpredictable.
Adding to these inflationary pressures is a disrupted supply chain still reeling from post-COVID shifts. The result? A perfect storm that’s forcing businesses to pause, pivot, or completely rethink their strategies.
If you don’t have a procurement specialist on your team, now’s the time to bring one on—or outsource it. Without that expertise, you risk overpaying and facing significantly longer lead times.
Last week, I sat down with April Roach, Xamin’s seasoned procurement expert and trusted “boots-on-the-ground" resource when it comes to navigating vendor relationships and supply chain turbulence. April has spent years going to bat for our clients, and she’s got a sharp eye for spotting trends before they hit the headlines.
She informed me that networking equipment prices have increased about 20% year-over-year, mainly due to the chip shortages. She also mentioned that factors such as freight costs have increased 20-30% in the past 18 months due to fuel cost volatility.
Beyond the fuel and chip bottlenecks, April mentioned many manufacturers and suppliers are already preemptively raising prices based on speculation around supply chain disruptions related to tariffs. “It’s not typical for hardware manufacturers to send broad communications warning of price hikes,” she said. “But with the volume of inquiries they’re fielding, they’re now openly forecasting 5–10% increases in the coming weeks.” In other words, these aren’t hypothetical shifts—they’re already in motion.
"Quotes are moving targets right now. These companies cannot guarantee that the prices aren't going to change from day to day" April said.
In fact, April shared a recent example where a client received a quote for a workstation refresh. After taking just 48 hours to review it with their leadership team, they returned to accept the quote—only to find the price had already increased by several percentage points. The window for locking in pricing is shrinking fast, and delays, even short ones, can come at a cost.
She recalled another recent situation with a banking client who needed networking equipment and assumed it would be routine order – placed and delivered in a few weeks. But the reality hit harder than expected when they tried procuring the equipment on their own.
The client was stunned to learn their expected few-week delivery timeline had ballooned to nearly four months! Pressed for time, they asked us to source the equipment to meet their deadlines. We managed to track down what they needed but the original order couldn’t be canceled—leaving them stuck with double the expense and inventory they hadn’t planned for.
Lessons learned? In today’s volatile supply environment, assumptions based on “how it used to be” can cost you—both in time and money. Procurement delays are real, and they’re accelerating. It can pay dividends to have a specialist who knows the landscape and can get creative with solutioning without sacrificing performance.
If your business depends on timely hardware delivery or cost-controlled purchasing, now’s the time to get proactive. A procurement specialist can help you navigate the shifting landscape, avoid surprises, and make smarter, faster decisions before delays or price hikes catch you off guard. Talk to us today!
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