Maverick spend is not solved by measuring compliance after the decision. Procurement needs to make the right path easier when the business need first arises.
Key takeaways
- 01
Metrics can reward the workaround
Spend under management and purchase-order coverage measure process artefacts, not whether procurement influenced the decision. Under pressure, teams can satisfy the metric through retrospective paperwork without improving sourcing.
- 02
Fewer suppliers is not always better
Consolidation can reduce administration in standardised categories. In complex services, the same target can favour a familiar incumbent over a better-fitting challenger and weaken competition.
- 03
Downstream controls arrive too late
Guided buying helps when requirements and approved suppliers are already known. For services, requirements develop through conversation; a no-PO-no-pay rule cannot undo a provider choice made before procurement became involved.
- 04
Start where demand arises
Capture and structure the business need before an informal supplier commitment. A useful intake process and an open supplier search give stakeholders a reason to involve procurement rather than bypass it.
About the author
In this Medium post, apadua co-founder Gregory N. Vider examines how procurement metrics shape stakeholder behaviour and why early demand capture matters more than retrospective compliance checks.
