Skip to content
FortisBusiness Advisory
Protect · The margin and the downside

Procurement & Cost Control

Procurement and cost control that drops straight to the bottom line

A pound saved on cost is worth far more than a pound of extra sales. We review what you buy, who you buy it from and what you pay, then negotiate, re-tender and put controls in place so savings stick.

Aerial view of a shipping container yard

You probably need this if

  • Supplier prices have crept and nobody has challenged them in years.
  • You buy the same category from a dozen different vendors.
  • Contracts auto-renew without anyone noticing.
  • Purchase decisions happen without approval or a budget to check them against.

What good looks like

  • A category-by-category view of every pound you spend.
  • Lower prices locked into written agreements with the right suppliers.
  • Fewer suppliers, simpler administration and better terms.
  • Controls that stop costs drifting back once we have left.

Who it is for

Businesses spending £250k or more a year on suppliers, materials, utilities, insurance, fleet, software or subcontractors who suspect they are paying too much but do not have time to prove it.

Spend analysis first

We pull twelve months of purchase data from your accounting system and categorise every pound. Within a couple of weeks you will see where the money goes, which suppliers dominate, where spend is fragmented across many vendors and where prices have crept.

Negotiate, consolidate, re-tender

For each significant category we decide the right approach: renegotiate with the incumbent, consolidate volume onto fewer suppliers, or run a proper competitive tender with a clear specification and evaluation criteria. We handle the process and the conversations.

  • Materials and stock
  • Subcontractors and labour agencies
  • Utilities, telecoms and fuel
  • Insurance (via independent brokers)
  • Software, subscriptions and IT
  • Fleet, plant and equipment
  • Professional services

Controls so savings stay saved

Savings evaporate without controls. We put in place purchase order approval, preferred supplier lists, contract renewal calendars and a simple monthly spend report so costs do not drift back.

The margin bridge

Every pound removed from cost lands in profit.

ILLUSTRATIVE MARGIN BRIDGERevenueCost of salesProcurement: materials, subcontract, logisticsOverheadsRestructuring: premises, people, processRiskCover via FCA-authorised partnersProfitWhat is left to reinvestProportions are illustrative. Every pound removed from the middle bars lands in the last one.

Procurement works on the cost of sales. Restructuring works on overheads. The right cover, through FCA-authorised partners, stops a single event wiping out the year. Together they protect what is left.

How it works

  1. 01

    Spend analysis

    Twelve months of purchase data categorised and ranked by opportunity.

  2. 02

    Strategy

    For each priority category: renegotiate, consolidate or re-tender, with a target and a timeline.

  3. 03

    Execute

    We run the negotiations and tenders and manage the switch-over.

  4. 04

    Control

    Approval workflow, preferred supplier list, renewal calendar and a quarterly cost review.

Questions

Procurement FAQs

How much can we realistically save?

It varies by sector and how recently spend was last reviewed. We do not quote a figure until we have seen your data, but we will tell you honestly if we think the opportunity is too small to justify the fee.

How are fees structured?

Either a fixed project fee or a share of verified savings over an agreed period. We will recommend whichever suits the size of the opportunity.

Will this damage our supplier relationships?

Not if it is done professionally. Good suppliers expect periodic reviews. We run a fair, transparent process and keep the incumbent in the running wherever they deserve to be.

Talk to us about procurement.

A thirty-minute conversation, no charge and no pitch. Tell us where the business is and where you want it to be, and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.