ESG Is No Longer a Side Project, Procurement Is Now Driving It Procurement and ESG are now far more closely connected than most organisations realise.The latest CIPS Global State of Procurement & Supply 2026 Report shows procurement is increasingly becoming the function responsible for delivering ESG commitments across supplier networks and operational supply chains. And […]
CFO + Procurement: The Dream Team for Fixing Margins Procurement cost reduction is becoming a bigger priority for CFOs and finance teams as margins tighten and operating costs continue to rise. Most businesses do not suddenly lose margin overnight. It usually happens gradually. Supplier increases creep in. Contracts renew without challenge. Different departments buy the […]
Everything Looked Fine… Until It Didn’t I recently carried out a desktop due diligence review ahead of a supplier onboarding decision. On the surface, everything stacked up. UK registered company. Active status. No sanctions or adverse media. A professional-looking website positioning the business as an established industrial supplier. At a glance, most would move forward. […]
How a UK Virtual Procurement Team Reduces Costs and Improves Efficiency Why a UK virtual procurement team is becoming essential A UK virtual procurement team is becoming a practical solution for businesses with procurement leadership in place but limited delivery capacity. Many organisations have a Head of Procurement, but no team to execute. Procurement exists, […]
Your Contract Pipeline Is Probably Not as Under Control as You Think If Everything Feels Urgent, Something Is Wrong In my experience, most organisations believe they have a handle on their contract pipeline, until they look a bit closer. That is usually when the reality shows up. Expiring contracts creeping up, procurements starting too late, […]
Consultancy vs Fractional Procurement Support: One Sells Activity, The Other Delivers Outcomes Most procurement consultancies look good on paper. Big teams, structured methodologies, polished outputs. But strip it back and ask one question: Did it actually deliver the outcome? That is where the model starts to fall apart. More organisations are moving towards fractional procurement […]
A Pound Saved Is Worth More Than A Pound Sold Most businesses naturally focus on sales. More customers, more orders, more revenue, more growth. That makes sense. But there is a commercial truth that often gets overlooked: a pound saved usually has more impact on the bottom line than a pound sold. The reason is […]
Managing Supply Chain Risk: Don’t Wait for the Shock Most supply chains look fine, until suddenly they are not. Managing supply chain risk is no longer just a concern for global corporates. It matters just as much for SMEs and growing businesses, especially those relying on imported goods, single-source suppliers, or tight delivery windows. One […]
Self-Serve Procurement: Why It Goes Wrong! Self-serve procurement is designed to let employees buy quickly within approved rules, using catalogues, automated approvals and integrated finance controls. In large organisations it can work brilliantly, but when governance slips it drives maverick spend, invoice backlog, and real compliance risk in both public and private sector. Done badly, […]