8 No-Brainer Reasons to Join a Group Purchasing Organization

By Hugo Britt | December 6, 2022

In business, a “no-brainer” is a decision that is so easy or obvious that it requires very little debate. Procurement no-brainers include low-risk, high-return activities like centralizing data, paying suppliers on time, and optimizing processes.

8 Reasons to join a group purchasing organization

We may be biased, but we’d like to add one more important no-brainer to this list: joining a group purchasing organization (GPO).

Here’s why.

There are zero costs or fees.

At Una, our pricing structure is set up so membership is always free to join and free to use. Every time you purchase through an Una contract, we are paid an administration fee by the supplier. In turn, we use the administrative fee to finance our services, allowing us to make and keep membership free for our members.

In other words, we make money by saving you money.

Free membership might sound too good to be true, but the reasoning is simple. Suppliers are motivated to pay admin costs because it essentially guarantees an increase in volume sold thanks to the collective buying power of Una’s membership.

There are no lock-ins, either.

In addition to never charging a membership fee, Una does not require members to purchase from certain suppliers or commit to a specified purchase volume. As a result, you are in control.

Not only are you not locked in, but your time is also freed up in the process. By using a GPO, you’re bypassing the time-consuming RFP and negotiation processes and instead, gaining the flexibility to impact other areas within procurement.

Access to deep supplier discounts? You bet.

If you have meaningful indirect spend in the tens of thousands of dollars, using a GPO will give you access to average savings of up to 22% through the power of group purchasing.

Una leverages over $100 billion in buying power with a portfolio of over 2,000 supplier contracts that are always free to use.

Lower risk? Yes, please.

Una’s long-term, stable relationships with top suppliers gives members confidence and security amid challenges such as global shipping disruptions. But it isn’t just the risk of supply security that we can help with. Una can also help reduce the risk of maverick spend, poor transparency, and spiralling indirect costs.

GPOs help get you aligned with your strategy.

GPOs like Una don’t seek to replace or impose a new procurement strategy on your organization. Instead, group purchasing  comes alongside your existing procurement strategy and adds value in the form of additional cost savings and reduced risk via stable supplier relationships.

Una’s team of Sourcing Advisors will work with you one-on-one to determine what success looks like and where group purchasing fits in order to best reach your goals. 

You'll receive unmatched support, and who doesn't like that?

Our team of Sourcing Advisors are here to provide support at every step of the way. We see ourselves as your partner in procurement and an extension of your procurement team. We provide guidance and advice to help organizations accomplish their strategic goals.

In many ways, we’re like a procurement consultancy without the fees. As part of our discovery, we complete a comprehensive spend analysis, identify areas to tackle first, and then strategize to further complement your overall procurement strategy, all with the goal of helping your business become more profitable.

There are short-term AND long-term savings to be found.

Una offers more than immediate, once-off savings. We act as a true sourcing accelerator by working with you to discover value on two levels.

  • First, we offer turn-key procurement solutions that empower you to achieve category quick wins that will prove the value of a GPO to your stakeholders. These immediate savings in time, cost, and effort are generated from our pre-negotiated contracts that give our members access to the incredible power of group purchasing.
  • Then, we move on to long-term strategies that make your business more profitable. These are the benefits that flow from increased visibility, consolidation of spend, streamlining of purchasing, and risk reduction. We help organizations move faster, save more, and work smarter.

When you join a group purchasing organization, you look like a sourcing hero.

A GPO isn’t coming for your job – we’re here to make you look better doing it.

Our members control the GPO relationship, not vice versa. Think of the GPO as an additional resource that is taking on selected non-core categories, thereby enabling your team to focus on higher-value strategic sourcing.

Once you offload the non-strategic and indirect spend, you can focus on your core business and what you were hired to do. Partnering with a GPO gives your procurement function the opportunity to expand the scope of its control and enhance its relevance to the organization.

Join for free and start saving

So, what are you waiting for? GPO members get immediate access to unprecedented cost savings, and a team dedicated to providing support for all things procurement.

Need more information? We get it, entering into a partnership is a big deal. That’s why Una has developed an entire resource center filled with tools and information geared towards educating and empowering procurement. Explore our catalog of articles, guides, playbooks, and more to learn how a group purchasing organization can work for you.

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Do you have questions about group purchasing? Wondering how a group purchasing organization works to save you money, time, and effort? 

Una’s team of Sourcing Advisors is here to help. Contact us to learn more.

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