Procurement Consulting Services Without the Fee
By Hugo Britt | April 7, 2022
Organizations engage procurement consultants to drive down costs, provide a procurement health-check, build new capabilities, drive technological or process transformation, and tackle difficult tasks such as getting to grips with tail spend.
But with businesses across the U.S. spending $64.4 billion per year on consulting services, is there a way to access procurement advisory expertise without the hefty fee?
Yes!
At Una, we’re more than a group purchasing organization. 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. 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.
In short, we see ourselves as your partner in procurement and an extension of your procurement team. We provide support, guidance, and advice to help organizations accomplish their strategic goals.
Results-based procurement consulting services without the price tag
What consulting services does Una provide? Rather than using a one-size-fits-all program, we operate at the direction of our members to elevate their existing spend management strategies and formulate a path to procurement success.
Organizations have different procurement priorities. Many of our members engage us for help in uncovering hidden savings or taming tail spend. Others want to boost their spend analytics and reporting or improve supplier relationships.
Let’s explore a few of the ways Una provides our members with free procurement advisory services.
Formulating a procurement strategy
While many of our members already have sophisticated procurement strategies, new procurement teams often engage us for help in understanding where to start. This is an area where we can provide expert advice.
Together, we can help:
- Uncover hidden spend and improve visibility.
- Review your spend processes and identify improvements.
- Show you exactly where savings can be found.
Understanding your goals
You’d be surprised how many procurement teams are looking to generate results without first understanding what their goals are. That’s why the first step when working with a GPO like Una is to have a discovery call with one of our expert Sourcing Advisors to see how we can best address your needs together.
We will ask a series of questions, including what your goals are, what problems need to be solved, and the best way to proceed.
The questions we ask may include:
- What does success look like to you?
- What do you think a GPO can do for you?
- Are you focused on savings, or something else?
- Are you getting the most value out of your suppliers?
Both parties will come away from this call with a clearer understanding of your unique definition of procurement success and how we can work together to realize your strategy.
Build new capabilities
How does the saying go? “Teach someone to fish and feed them for a lifetime,” right?
While many procurement consulting services offer stop-gap solutions that meet immediate needs, they neglect the capability improvements that build long-term success. At Una, we help create the foundation needed for future value-creation, such as increasing visibility, building analytics capability, or streamlining processes.
Technology
Technology isn’t always the silver bullet needed to solve procurement challenges, but it’s a vital piece of the puzzle and essential for creating a single source of truth for spend visibility. At Una, we’re familiar with all source-to-pay (P2P) and analytics tools. For new procurement teams, we can help you select a game-changing procurement tech solution as part of your digital transformation.
Spend analytics and reporting
Without spend analytics, procurement consultants are flying blind. The team at Una digs deep into your spend categories to understand the opportunities in your current supplier landscape, spend history, and more. This enables us to present immediate solutions and long-term strategies that are based on your unique data.
Ultimately, we help boost your spend visibility to unlock savings opportunities and reduce risk. And don’t forget – this service is complimentary.
Supplier relationship management
Developing value-creating relationships with suppliers is worth the effort, but it takes time. Organizations that want to access the benefits from great supplier relationships but don’t have months (or years) to spend building a Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) program may choose to leverage the excellent relationships Una has built with our suppliers. Una members can speak directly with an account manager and national account director for each supplier.
Save time spent on RFX, negotiation, and contracting
Many organizations engage procurement consultants to manage a sourcing program for specific categories because they simply don’t have the time or resources to spend on months-long RFX processes, evaluation, selection, negotiation, and contract creation.
Instead of paying someone else to do the hard work, why not bypass this entire process… for free?
Una members have access to thousands of pre-negotiated contracts. If we don’t have the right contract to meet your needs, our sourcing experts can leverage our supplier network to obtain that contract on your behalf.
How to access procurement consulting services for free
Una membership and the benefits that come with it are always free. There are never any purchasing requirements and you’re never locked into contracts. We provide an “in” so every organization can save big on the items they need, and follow up with the resources to accelerate your sourcing program in every category.
Ready to unlock the benefits of a procurement advisory service without the fee? Visit www.una.com/signup to get started.
