Many procurement transformation roadmaps are project plans wearing a different label. They list initiatives. They assign owners. They set timelines and track completion. What they do not do is explain the logic of why the initiatives sit in that order, what the sequencing depends on, or what needs to be…
Why most procurement decisions cannot survive a serious question from finance. The short version. Most procurement savings claims fall apart under a finance review. The reason is foundational: spend data is partial, supplier records are stale, baselines are missing, and the working is held in someone’s head. This article shows…
Why your fourth analytics program will fail for the same reason as the first three. Last year I sat in a steering committee for a global industrial group running roughly $2.3bn through indirect procurement across 38 countries. The CPO opened with a slide titled “Why this time is different.” It…
TLDR: Most procurement transformations fail not because the goal was wrong, but because the order of operations was. Technology is bought before processes are fixed. Operating models are redesigned without a proper baseline. Savings targets are set before anyone checks whether the team can execute them. The common cause is…
Two CPOs. Both looking for external help. Both told to “get a consultant in.” The first has just had a critical supplier fail to deliver on a major contract. The contract terms, on closer inspection, expose the organisation to significant liability. A probity review has found procurement processes that wouldn’t…
Every CPO has a theory about where their procurement function is strong and where it falls short. Usually those theories are right, or close enough. The problem is that theories don’t unlock budget! They don’t convince a CFO to fund a governance redesign or a capability programme. And they don’t…
The procurement technology conversation has shifted. A year ago, the question was “should we invest in AI?” Now it’s “how do we reorganise around it?” That shift is visible in the programme for ProcureTECH 2026, the region’s largest independent eProcurement event, hosted by our friends at PASA on 26th March…
A supplier consolidation across four business units. The analysis is rigorous: $12 million in addressable savings, reduced supplier complexity, stronger contract terms, better risk coverage. The business case clears the steering committee. Then the friction starts. IT flags integration risk with existing platforms.Operations wants continuity guarantees the transition timeline can’t…
Maverick spend in large organisations is rarely rebellion. It is usually a decision made under pressure: this path looks faster, clearer, or more predictable than going through procurement. If bypass keeps happening in your organisation, the question is not whether stakeholders respect policy. It is whether your function makes engagement…
In Part 1 of this series, we asked the question “→ How Do You Handle Internal Stakeholders Who Bypass Procurement?” in which we explored relationships vs governance. Yes, process and governance are critical. But when enforcement is your primary value proposition, you’ve created the very problem you set out to…
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Comprara acknowledges the traditional Aboriginal owners of country, recognises their continuing connection to land, water and community and pays respect to Elders past, present and future.
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