Category: procurement leadership

Fractional CPO vs Interim CPO vs Consultant: What is the Difference and Which Do You Need? Three labels, three very different propositions If you have ever been pitched procurement support and walked away unsure what you actually agreed to, you are not alone. The labels get used loosely. Consultant, interim, fractional, advisor, partner. They sound […]

Procurement Outsourcing FAQ: 15 Questions CFOs Ask Before Signing CFOs do not buy procurement outsourcing the same way they buy software or a recruitment retainer. They are committing a function, a spend base, and a slice of governance to a third party for at least 12 months. The questions below are the ones I get […]

What a Fractional CPO Actually Delivers in the First 90 Days The first 90 days of a Fractional CPO engagement need to move quickly. Three months is plenty of time to understand where the main procurement issues sit, decide what needs attention first and start delivering some commercial results. I tend to break those first […]

The Day the FD Realised Nobody Owned £24m of Spend How a £40m Manufacturer Outsourced Procurement and Improved Margin by 4% The story below combines elements from several manufacturing businesses I’ve worked with. The commercial outcomes are real, but some operational details have been changed to protect client confidentiality. Most manufacturers don’t lose margin because […]

Signs You’ve Outgrown Ad Hoc Procurement I knew something wasn’t quite right before we’d even opened the first spreadsheet. It wasn’t because anyone complained about suppliers. Nobody mentioned procurement. In fact, the business considered itself well run. Orders were being placed, invoices were being paid and production was moving. From the outside, everything looked perfectly […]

Procurement Strategy Outsourcing: When the Strategic Brain Sits Outside the Business Not every business needs a Chief Procurement Officer. Most need a procurement strategy. There’s a common misconception that if your business doesn’t have a Chief Procurement Officer, you’ll either need to hire one or accept that procurement is simply transactional. In reality, there’s a […]

The Real Cost of Not Having a Procurement Lead Procurement isn’t a cost. Not having it is. Most SMEs never make a conscious decision to operate without procurement leadership. It just happens. The Managing Director is focused on winning new business. The Finance Director is juggling cash flow. Department managers buy what they need when […]