Procurement's 90-Day GPO Implementation Handbook
Save money faster and easier.
A no-nonsense guide to unlocking indirect spend savings in 90 days with the help of a group purchasing organization.
- Speed-to-savings is real and measurable. GPOs accelerate savings without sacrificing governance or supplier quality.
- A group purchasing organization is designed to complement your procurement strategy. Members are always in control.
- Savings within 90 days is practical thanks to a structured process. It's not just "join and hope" for savings - it's a phased rollout designed for successful adoption and sustained impact.
- Clean, comprehensive spend data is foundational to identifying savings opportunities
- Proven results across categories with value that reaches far beyond cost savings.
Savings in 90 Days or Less
Procurement teams are under constant pressure to do more with less. Deliver savings faster, improve spend visibility, and reduce risk, all without disrupting the business or overloading strapped teams.
If you’re looking for a practical way to gain control of indirect spend and show measurable impact quickly, this handbook is for you. This guide outlines how procurement teams can effectively partner with a group purchasing organization (GPO) within 90 days as part of a broader, holistic procurement strategy.
Rather than replacing strategic sourcing or forcing process change, a GPO complements existing efforts by providing immediate access to pre-negotiated contracts, reducing the effort it takes to source. With the right approach - and the right GPO partner - procurement teams can move faster without sacrificing control.
The result? Earlier savings, simpler execution, and a stronger foundation for long-term procurement impact.
Big Wins Shouldn't Take Years
Most procurement professionals are taught the same rule of thumb: quick wins are incremental, while meaningful, double‑digit savings take months - or even years - of sourcing events, negotiations, and internal alignment. Strategic sourcing is valuable, but it’s also resource‑intensive.
Group purchasing challenges that assumption.
Working with a GPO allows procurement teams to bypass much of the leg work by leveraging contracts that have already been competitively sourced and negotiated. Instead of starting from scratch, you gain immediate access to preferred pricing across common indirect spend categories. This means procurement teams can move fast, stay in control, and start capturing savings without adding complexity.
What is Speed-to-Savings?
Speed‑to‑savings is the ability to generate real, measurable cost reductions quickly without compromising supplier quality, compliance, or procurement governance. GPOs like Una make this possible by doing the hard work upfront.
Our sourcing team continuously evaluates suppliers, negotiates pricing and terms, and maintains contracts across a wide range of indirect categories. When you join, the entire portfolio is ready to be used as you see fit right away.
As a Una member, you gain access to:
- More than $100B in combined purchasing power
- 2,500+ pre‑negotiated supplier contracts
- Best‑in‑class pricing and average savings of 18-22% across core indirect categories
Why the 90-Day Timeline Works
Ninety days represents our proven path from first conversation to fully onboarded, value‑driving membership, savings and all. Access to Una’s contracts often happens within 30–60 days, and some organizations see discounted pricing within weeks of joining.
The full 90‑day window allows time to layer in the complete onboarding process:
- Activate initial savings opportunities
- Review results and adoption
- Identify additional categories for expansion
- Transition smoothly into ongoing member support
The goal isn’t just fast savings, it’s sustainable, repeatable impact.
Group Purchasing Basics
A successful GPO implementation starts with the right foundation. A bit of preparation beforehand helps ensure a smooth onboarding and faster results.
Understand How GPOs Work
A GPO aggregates demand across multiple organizations to negotiate better pricing, terms, and service levels with suppliers.
There are two primary types:
- Vertical GPOs focus on a single industry, such as healthcare or hospitality.
- Horizontal GPOs span industries and concentrate mostly on indirect spend categories (office supplies, shipping, food, JanSan, and MRO for example) that nearly every organization shares.
Horizontal GPOs (like Una) are especially effective for procurement teams looking to drive savings outside of highly specialized or strategic categories.
A Brief History of GPOs
The GPO model originated in healthcare over a century ago, helping hospitals reduce costs on essential supplies. Over time, the model expanded across industries as organizations recognized the value of aggregate buying power.
Today, GPOs help businesses of all shapes and sizes control indirect spend through volume‑driven pricing and standardized contracts.
Understand How GPOs Make Money
Understanding how a GPO makes money is an important part of evaluating whether it’s the right fit for your procurement team. Most GPOs generate revenue in one (or more) of the following ways:
- Supplier administrative fees: This is the most common model; when purchases are made through a contract, the supplier pays the GPO a small percentage of the transaction value.
- Member fees: Some GPOs charge directly through one-time onboarding fees, annual membership dues, or participation fees tied to spend volume.
- Minimums and commitments: In some cases, “free” membership comes with minimum purchase requirements, long-term commitments, or penalties for low utilization.
For procurement teams, these structures matter. Member fees reduce net savings, while minimums and commitments can limit flexibility and complicate category strategies.
Una’s Fee Structure
Una membership is always free. There are no onboarding fees, no annual dues, and no purchasing requirements. Our model is funded by supplier admin fees and members decide which contracts to use and when.
In short, Una makes money by helping you save money. Suppliers benefit from increased volume and predictable demand, while procurement teams gain access to competitively sourced contracts without added cost or obligation.
Keep in mind that a transparent revenue model reduces risk and friction during GPO implementation. With Una, procurement teams can confidently evaluate opportunities, move quickly, and integrate group purchasing into their broader strategy all while knowing they remain fully in control.
Define Your Goals
Clear objectives help shape your onboarding and ensure you get maximum value from your membership.
Common goals may include:
- Achieving a specific percentage reduction across indirect categories
- Consolidating and simplifying the supplier base
- Improving spend visibility and compliance
- Reducing sourcing and contract management time
These goals guide supplier recommendations, category prioritization, and success measurement.
Prepare Your Spend Data
Spend data is the foundation of savings identification. During onboarding, Una reviews your data to benchmark current pricing and identify opportunities.
The cleaner and more complete the data, the clearer the savings picture.
For many procurement teams, this is the most time‑consuming step and it’s valuable regardless of whether you work with a GPO. Accurate data enables better forecasting, supplier management, and decision‑making across procurement.
Modern spend tools and analytics platforms can help streamline this process and accelerate readiness.
GPO Implementation in 90 Days
This timeline reflects a typical Una onboarding. Teams that are well prepared may find that we’re able to move even faster.
Days 1 - 14
- Complete Una’s online form and identify priority categories
- Schedule and attend a discovery call
- Share spend data for a free cost analysis
- Review savings opportunities and confirm next steps
The Discovery Call
This conversation is focused on alignment and opportunity.
Our team will discuss your procurement goals and success criteria, the benefits of a GPO beyond cost savings, and provide high‑level comparison of current pricing versus Una benchmarks.
There is no obligation to proceed.
The Cost Analysis
Una benchmarks your spend against our supplier network to identify potential savings.
Data is anonymized and handled securely, and the process is designed to be fast and low‑lift for your team.
Days 15 - 28
Once opportunities are confirmed, Una handles behind-the-scenes work to activate your membership so you can start saving as a GPO member right away:
- Membership setup and contract access
- Supplier recommendations aligned to your goals
- Ongoing check‑ins to maintain momentum
When your membership is active, you’re ready to access discounted pricing.
Days 29 - 60
Supplier selections are happening and you’re able to spend (and save!) on contract:
- Select which supplier contracts to use
- Maintain direct supplier relationships
- Continue buying through existing processes
Una’s contracts are designed to complement your procurement strategy, not replace it.
Days 61 - 90
With early results in hand, the focus shifts to optimization:
- Review your savings so far
- Identify additional categories or unmet needs
- Refine your approach to maximize long‑term value
After this period, you’ll transition to Una’s Member Experience team for ongoing support, category reviews, and continuous savings identification.
Ongoing Value: Saving Money & Time
Time is money, and GPOs like Una excel at reclaiming it.
Traditional supplier discovery and assessment is reduced dramatically or skipped entirely. Una's vetted network of hundreds of suppliers means you can dive straight into implementation. Pre-negotiated contracts shorten timelines from months to weeks, allowing procurement teams to reallocate effort toward higher‑value initiatives.
For lean teams especially, this means faster ROI, greater agility, and more capacity to focus on strategic work.
Start Your GPO Implementation Today!
For procurement teams under pressure to deliver faster savings with fewer resources, group purchasing offers a practical, proven path forward. Implemented thoughtfully, a GPO doesn’t replace strategic sourcing or long-term category management - it strengthens them.
By addressing common, non-strategic indirect spend categories through pre-negotiated contracts, procurement teams can unlock immediate value while preserving time and capacity for higher-impact work.
Implementing a GPO doesn’t have to be complex or drawn out.
With the right preparation and the right partner, procurement teams can begin accessing discounted pricing within weeks and realize meaningful savings within 90 days.
More importantly, those early wins create momentum, building credibility with stakeholders, improving spend visibility, and laying the groundwork for sustained improvement across categories.
The Una Difference
Una’s model is designed to support this reality. With no cost to join, no required commitments, and no disruption to existing purchasing processes, procurement teams stay firmly in control.
You choose which contracts to use, when to use them, and how group purchasing fits into your broader strategy. Una’s role is to reduce friction, accelerate execution, and help uncover savings that might otherwise remain locked away in fragmented spend.
The case studies highlighted above demonstrate what’s possible: fast access to savings, measurable impact across multiple categories, and ongoing value as needs evolve.
Whether you’re managing procurement for a single organization or supporting dozens of locations, group purchasing can be a powerful lever for speed, efficiency, and resilience.
If you’re ready to see what a 90-day GPO implementation could unlock for your team, the next step is simple.
Start the conversation, explore the opportunity, and decide without obligation whether group purchasing is the right fit for your procurement strategy.