Rethink the strain, so you can focus on the gain

The challenge of a perfect storm

In a world where procurement functions are now managing far more than just value delivery or product/service fulfilment, many organisations are deploying increasingly sophisticated and nimble solutions to ensure they sustain their focus on what really matters.

The global pandemic has brought resource pressure into sharp focus. Many organisations have had to divert scarce resources away from mainstream procurement activities and towards the management – and sometimes micro-management – of supply resiliency. All this at a time when regulation, governance, and controls are becoming more and more demanding – even onerous.

Traditional methods are failing

Many procurement teams have attempted to deal with the conundrum of ‘finite resources versus infinite wants’ by segmenting their supplier base. In recent years, however, it has been found that segmentation alone isn’t enough. There has been relentless pressure to move suppliers into higher tiers or to deploy more comprehensive management attention into the lower tiers, or both. 

The opportunity

At Infosys Portland, we believe the answer lies in going back to a basic business principle – focusing on what’s at the core. And, by extension, letting others focus on what is not core for you, but forms part of their core offering. 

The good news is that there are well-established third-party capabilities available to help shoulder the procurement burden. This is Infosys Portland’s sweet spot. We are far more efficient and effective in managing large swathes of the procurement process, simply because it is our core business. 

Agility and flexibility are at the heart of our Procurement-as-a-Service offering. Some clients require end-to-end management and support for specific, selected categories, whereas others prefer support across many categories but only in discrete sub-processes. These may include the provision of commercial intelligence, delivery of sourcing events, contract administration, and in-life performance management.

Turbocharging

Our highly efficient and effective procurement support can turbocharge an organisation’s Procurement function to allow its scarce, and often expensive resources to focus on the strategic, rather than the operational, thus adding true value right at the top of the functional maturity curve. Releasing such capacity has enabled clients to go deeper into relationship management (internally and externally), value release, proactive risk management, top-line growth contribution, sustainability, and social value. These are all highly strategic activities that are often beyond the reach of a team’s overburdened capacity.

Unburdening procurement enables a return to re-investing in otherwise under-managed, but essential activities. In short, we take the strain, so you can focus on the gain.

Beyond administration

Today’s Procurement-as-a-Service offering goes well beyond the hitherto common go-to territory of back-office administrative tasks, such as three-way matching and payables. It’s now about enhancing effectiveness, as much as it is about efficiency.

Responding to this environment, we have developed offerings to provide real expertise at the point of need. This can range from single category experts, procurement technologists, or supplier risk specialists, to provision full teams in the above and other procurement disciplines. All are supported by best of breed technology.  Savings in excess of 15% are not uncommon – but we pride ourselves on prioritizing and delivering total value.

If this service overview has piqued your interest, please drop us a line at info@infosysportland.com. We’d love to discuss how we can help.