Development of a Sourcing Strategy for a global provider of professional assurance services

Our client is a leading global provider of professional assurance services that help businesses manage risk, improve sustainability and achieve their goals. With over 30 years of experience, it has established itself as a trusted partner to a diverse range of clients in over 120 countries worldwide.

Our client operates in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, food and beverage, healthcare, and more. Their services include certification, training, assessment, and verification, all of which are designed to help organisations operate more efficiently and effectively.

With a global network of over 5,000 employees, our client has a wealth of expertise and knowledge that they use to help their clients achieve their goals.

Challenge

Following completion of a large separation and becoming an independent business it had become apparent that our client did not have a single cohesive approach to IT Sourcing which was aligned to the business’s strategic objectives. Furthermore, with the recent onboarding of the new Chief Digital Information Officer, it was imperative that this was addressed as a priority so that our client could progress in identifying the correct types of partners and methods of engagement to deliver optimal value within the context of the business.

Furthermore, with the ambition to move towards a refreshed Enterprise Resource Planning Solution, our client required our expertise and in-depth knowledge of this market space to identify the appropriate strategic development and integration partners to enable the transformation agenda of streamlining business processes for improved efficiency and productivity.

Solution

In developing the Sourcing Strategy for our client we opted for a tailored approach to ensure the organisations unique needs and challenges were addressed. Our first step was to conduct a thorough analysis of the organisation’s current sourcing practices in each of their key IT areas, this included a broad coverage of hardware, software, connectivity and networks and managed services procurement. From there we were able to breakdown further into sub-categories and supplier relationships and contracts to identify the inefficiencies, risks and opportunities for improvement.

With this information we worked closely with key stakeholders within the organisation including the Head of IT Procurement, the Chief Digital and Information Officer and Platform Owners to develop a Sourcing Strategy with a clear and actionable roadmap that aligned to the overall business goals and objectives and addressed the risks and inefficiencies identified.

We prioritised transparency and collaboration throughout the process, ensuring that our clients was fully informed and involved every step of the way. Our ultimate goal was to deliver a sourcing strategy that was actionable, measurable, and sustainable, whilst clear in identifying and delivering “quick wins” and also achieving longer term success and growth.

Outcome

The Sourcing Strategy provided our client with a concise framework and tangible set of actions to reduce inefficiencies and risks, and progress with strategically aligned opportunities. Sourcing categories, sub-categories and specific supplier relationships were assessed, and recommendation provided to enable optimum sourcing approaches and arrangement types and build efficiency into the sourcing operation.

The governance aspect of Sourcing was also explored, and expert advice given so that the organisation could exercise tighter control around sourcing practices and build cohesion across the IT organisation. Further, the requirements of the organisation were quickly understood so that we were able to advise our client accordingly with regard to the sourcing approach of a future development partner to enable their transformation agenda.

In summary, we provided our client with the comprehensive roadmap and direction needed to mobilise clear streams of work to reduce inefficiencies, build control and open further opportunity for cost saving within the IT Sourcing practice.

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