10 Signs You’re Already Doing Procurement (You Just Haven’t Realised Yet)

1. You’re trying to control spend, but it’s like trying to control cats

You: “We need to tighten up on spending.”
Everyone else: *Orders everything anyway*

No matter how much you try to rein in costs, do purchases keep slipping through the cracks, like flour through a sieve? That’s a sign right there. One day, it's an expensive subscription auto-renewal no-one seems to know about. The next, someone's put a €500 lunch on the company card. Meanwhile, the finance team is left muttering, “How? HOW?” like a broken chatbot.

Think about: Integrating procurement with finance tools so you can actually see what’s being spent in real-time (before you get hit with another unexpected bill).

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2. You approve purchases after the fact

Ever had an ‘urgent’ WhatsApp about a software license renewal? Maybe you had to approve an invoice because someone cornered you in the staff kitchen?

Yep, that’s basically a procurement process. A horrible one, but still a process. Albeit one with zero visibility or accountability, and a healthy dollop of chaos. If approvals live in your inbox (or worse, your brain), things will slip through.

Think about: Centralising approvals so spending isn’t based on who shouts the loudest.

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3. Your supplier list reads like a phone book of bad decisions

Sound familiar? If this sounds familiar then congratulations - you’re doing procurement without supplier management. After all, why have one marketing agency when you could have seven? Why negotiate with one IT vendor when you could keep adding new ones every quarter?

Think about: Supplier consolidation. Fewer vendors mean better negotiation power, stronger relationships, and less chance of waking up to another invoice from a company you swear you’ve never heard of before.

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4. Budgeting feels like pinning the tail on the donkey

If you’re closing your eyes, taking a deep breath and throwing out a number in place of budgeting, we need to talk. When spending happens willy-nilly, forecasting cash flow is about as accurate as a pub darts player. If finance teams are expected to keep the business running smoothly - but without clear sight of where the money is actually going - you’ve got a problem.

Think about: A structured procurement process that creates spending visibility and makes budgeting less of a mystical art form.

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5. Your team is spending waaaaay too much time on admin

You need to be thinking about the big picture, but you’re getting hung up for far too long each day on small details. Chasing down invoices and approval emails all need doing, but it’s hard to juggle the hours they take when you’re also being asked to find time for strategy.

Think about: Automation - let the robots handle the repetitive stuff so you can focus on work that doesn’t make you want to cry into your coffee.

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6. You didn’t plan on a career in professional price comparison yet here we are

Your CEO wants you to find savings everywhere. Your IT manager demands the best software. Meanwhile, you’re googling the cheapest options like someone trying to book a last-minute holiday on a budget.

Without structured procurement, cost-cutting turns into a never-ending scavenger hunt with no real strategy.

Think about: Supplier benchmarking and contract negotiation best practices, so you’re not just panic-buying based on what looks cheapest at the time.

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7. You’ve more contract renewals to deal with than a pro football team

“Oh, crap. That software contract auto-renewed again.” Sound familiar? Without a centralised contract management system, companies end up paying for stuff they don’t need, missing renegotiation windows, and accidentally throwing money down the drain.

Think about: Getting a contract management tool that sends you alerts before it’s too late (and maybe stops the CEO from yelling when the next contract auto-renews).

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8. Your supplier selection criteria appears to be vibes-based

“Why do we keep using this vendor?” If the answer is “Steve recommended them”, then you’re playing procurement roulette. You need to stop vendor selection being based on gut feelings or convenience and replace it with real data, benchmarks and evaluation. Beats vibes every time.

Think about: Implementing vendor evaluation criteria, so you’re not stuck with underperforming suppliers.

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9. You spend half your time putting out fires

Your Slack notifications are just a list of problems. Invoices are missing. A supplier wants payment yesterday. Someone panic-bought a software tool that nobody knows how to use. If procurement is just one long crisis management session, something has gone very, very wrong.

Think about: A structured procurement system that prevents surprises instead of just dealing with them. (Because let’s face it, nobody dreams of a career in procurement firefighting.)

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10. You know it can be better than this. Much better.

You know this isn’t sustainable. Procurement needs to be an actual function, not just something that happens accidentally. Maybe that means investing in procurement tools. Maybe it means hiring someone to actually own it. Maybe it just means starting small and getting quick wins. But something needs to change.

Think about: Plotting out a procurement maturity roadmap, because a little structure today prevents a whole lot of pain later.

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So are you ready to take your procurement to the next level?

A structured procurement system doesn’t just save money, it can save time, reduce stress, and make finance teams’ lives easier. If you’re ready to find out more, we’d love to talk.

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