Independent procurement advisory. Croydon, London

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Savings that show up in the accounts

Every figure here was measured against a baseline agreed with the client’s finance team before work began. Names are withheld, because confidentiality is part of what our clients hire us for.

How we count a saving All results

Engagement ledger, extract

Names withheld

EngagementSectorResultStatus
Restaurant group, 60 sitesFood and drinkHospitality£1.8m a yearValidated
Acquisition targetDue diligencePrivate equity£4.2m a yearIdentified pre-deal
Logistics provider, 400 vehiclesFleetLogistics£1.1m a yearValidated
Care home operatorInterim teamHealthcare£900k a yearValidated
National retailerCarriersRetail£760k a yearTracking, month 9 of 24
Food manufacturerPackagingConsumer goods£640k a yearTracking, month 14 of 36
Retail group, PE backedCapability, found by client teamRetail£520k a yearValidated

Illustrative. Validated means checked by the client’s finance team against its own ledger. Tracking shows the month of the contract term.

Exhibit C · Engagement ledger · page 1 of 1

How we count a saving

Procurement savings are easy to inflate and hard to find in the accounts. These are the rules we work to, written into every engagement letter.

Engagements completed since 2018
641
Third-party spend reviewed
£480m
Median time to first validated saving
13 weeks
Commissions taken from suppliers
None, ever

1. To December 2025.

Savings definitions

Schedule 2 of our standard engagement letter

  1. Hard savings only in the headline

    A saving is a lower price or a lower volume for the same requirement, measured against the signed baseline. It is counted once, on an annual basis.

  2. Cost avoidance is reported separately

    Price rises we resisted are shown in their own column and never added to the headline figure.

  3. The baseline is signed before work starts

    Twelve months of invoices, agreed line by line with your finance team, and fixed in writing.

  4. Finance validates every line

    Each month your team checks new invoices against the new terms. Anything it cannot see in the ledger, we do not count.

  5. What we exclude

    Changes in volume, scope, exchange rates or specification that we did not negotiate, and one-off credits.

  6. How long we track

    For the full term of each new contract, typically 24 to 36 months. Shared-savings fees stop after an agreed period, usually 12 months.

Schedule 2 · Savings definitions · page 1 of 1

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A chef plating dishes under copper lamps

HospitalityCost reduction

Food and drink supply renegotiated for a 60‑site restaurant group

reduction in food and drink costs
12%
annual saving, validated by finance
£1.8m
distributors, on cost-plus terms
11 to 2

The problem

A fast-growing restaurant group had added sites through acquisition and was buying through eleven distributors on inherited terms. Prices had outpaced menu increases for two years and finance could not see where the margin was going.

The approach

We built a line-level baseline from twelve months of invoices, consolidated specifications with the culinary team, and ran a two-stage tender for broadline and specialist supply. Every product change was tasted and approved by the head chef before award.

The result

Two distributors now supply the whole estate on transparent cost-plus terms with quarterly price reviews. Savings were validated by the group’s finance team every month of the programme.

They found savings our own team had stopped looking for, and every number was signed off by my finance team before it went into the board pack.

Finance Director, national restaurant group
Discuss a similar project
A worn ledger on a dark table

Private equityDue diligence

Supply-side review of a target business ahead of acquisition

from data room access to final report
3 weeks
savings identified in the cost base
£4.2m
supplier contracts reviewed
140

The problem

A mid‑market private equity firm was bidding for a multi-site services business with a three‑week exclusivity window. The investment committee needed to understand supplier risk and how much of the cost base could be improved after completion.

The approach

Working in the data room alongside the financial and legal advisers, we reviewed 140 supplier contracts, benchmarked the thirty largest categories against current market rates, and flagged change-of-control clauses that affected the deal.

The result

The firm went to committee with a quantified savings case and two contract risks priced into its offer. Our 100-day plan was launched in the week the deal completed.

We had three weeks to understand a target’s supply base. They gave us a clear view of the risk and a savings case we could put into the model with confidence.

Operating Partner, mid‑market private equity firm
Brief us on a deal
Pallets and cartons in a warehouse

RetailLogistics

Carrier contracts consolidated for a national retailer

reduction in distribution costs
14%
a year, tracked against the ledger
£760k
carriers, with stronger service levels
9 to 3

The problem

A national retailer was using nine carriers for store replenishment and home delivery, each on different rate cards and service terms. Delivery costs were growing faster than sales, and nobody owned the overall picture.

The approach

We mapped every lane and volume, wrote a single specification covering store and customer deliveries, and ran a competitive tender with service levels and fuel adjustment built in from the start.

The result

Three carriers now cover the network on consistent service levels and transparent fuel indexation. The transition took eight weeks and every store delivery landed on time.

Discuss a similar project

HealthcareProcurement as a service

Interim category team for a care home operator

to have two specialists in the team
10 days
annual savings on renewed contracts
£900k
of interim cover and full handover
4 months

The problem

A care home operator lost its head of procurement and a category manager within a month, just as its major food and facilities contracts came up for renewal.

The approach

Two of our interim specialists joined the team within ten working days, took over the live renewals and worked to the operator’s clinical and compliance standards. Alongside the day-to-day work they documented every process for the incoming permanent hires.

The result

Both renewals completed on time with savings, and a full handover pack was ready on the day the new head of procurement started.

Two experienced buyers were working inside our team within a fortnight. They followed our policies, trained our people as they went, and left us stronger than they found us.

Head of Procurement, healthcare provider
Request a specialist
Plain cardboard boxes stacked against a wall

Consumer goodsResponsible sourcing

Packaging tender for a food manufacturer

reduction in packaging costs
8%
less virgin plastic across the range
22%
annual saving, validated by finance
£640k

The problem

A food manufacturer faced rising packaging prices, new extended producer responsibility charges, and a major retail customer asking for less plastic in every pack.

The approach

We worked with the technical team to redesign specifications, then tendered primary and secondary packaging with recycled content and EPR cost weighted alongside price.

The result

The new contracts cut cost and plastic at the same time, and gave the sales team hard evidence for its next round of retailer reviews.

Discuss a similar project
A white delivery van parked at night

LogisticsSpend analytics

Fleet running costs brought under control for a logistics provider

a year out of fleet running costs
£1.1m
vehicles reported by depot and vehicle
400
from raw invoices to first dashboard
6 weeks

The problem

A logistics provider running 400 vehicles had grown quickly and could not see its total fleet cost. Fuel, tyres, maintenance and leasing were all managed separately at each depot.

The approach

We built a spend cube from depot invoices and telematics data, renegotiated fuel cards, tyres and maintenance nationally, and reviewed the leasing profile ahead of the next fleet renewal.

The result

Fleet cost is now reported monthly by vehicle and depot, and the business entered its replacement cycle with a clear view of total cost of ownership.

Discuss a similar project

RetailProcurement capability

A procurement function built for a private equity backed retail group

found by the client’s own team in year one
£520k
maturity score, out of five, after twelve months
1.9 to 3.4
category playbooks written with the team
9

The problem

A retail group bought by a private equity firm had a three-person buying team, no category plans and a value creation plan that depended on lower costs. The new owners wanted the savings to keep coming after any advisers had gone.

The approach

We scored the function against a five-level maturity model, agreed a target with the CFO, and built approval controls, tender templates and nine category playbooks with the people who would use them. Each buyer ran a live tender with our coaching.

The result

A year on, the team runs its own tenders and reports savings monthly against a signed baseline. The £520k found in year one came from the client’s own buyers, not from us.

We hired them to make themselves unnecessary, and they did. The team now runs tenders we used to pay advisers to run.

Chief Financial Officer, retail group Name withheld at the client’s request
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