Procurement Consulting

At Athena, we offer procurement consulting and software solutions across a diverse range of areas. With specialists across all areas of procurement, we have the skills and expertise to guide you through the procurement process, including devising a procurement strategy for your next business venture and equipping your stakeholders and wider team members with the skills and capabilities to manage procurement on an ongoing basis.

With 19 years of procurement expertise across defence, government, NHS, construction, and technology markets, we provide practical, hands-on consulting that delivers measurable results. Our approach is straightforward: we work alongside your team to understand your specific requirements, identify the highest-impact opportunities, and implement solutions that deliver lasting improvement.

What Is Procurement Consulting?

Procurement consulting is a specialised service that helps organisations optimise their procurement function and achieve business objectives. Procurement consultants work with clients to analyse their procurement processes, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategic sourcing plans that align with their business goals. By leveraging specialist expertise, consultants can help businesses reduce costs, improve supplier relationships, and increase operational efficiency.

Procurement consulting involves a range of activities including procurement process analysis and optimisation, supplier relationship management and development, strategic sourcing and category management, procurement transformation and change management, and supply chain optimisation and risk management. The scope of engagement varies depending on the client's needs, from targeted interventions on a specific procurement challenge through to comprehensive transformation programmes that reshape the entire procurement function.

How Procurement Consulting Can Help Your Business

A focused procurement strategy is essential for business success, ensuring that an organisation meets its goals, whether that is user experience improvement, profitability, sustainability, or growth. Our procurement advisory services help organisations across several key areas.

We help businesses develop stronger supplier relationships through structured supplier management, performance measurement, and collaborative engagement. For guidance on measuring supplier performance, see our guide to supplier performance reviews (/post/how-to-undertake-a-supplier-performance-review). We help enhance operational efficiency by streamlining procurement processes, eliminating waste, and reducing the time and cost associated with sourcing and purchasing. We support organisations in reducing supplier costs through market analysis, competitive tendering, and negotiation. Our contract negotiations service (/services/contract-negotiations) provides specialist support for high-value or complex supplier negotiations. We help businesses streamline their supply chain to improve resilience, reduce lead times, and manage risk. And we support organisations in managing high-risk procurement projects where the complexity, value, or strategic importance of the procurement requires specialist capability.

Seeking an independent procurement consultant can also help your business look beyond existing activities to establish new opportunities for growth and competitive differentiation.

Sector-Specific Procurement Expertise

Defence Procurement

We have direct experience supporting organisations through Ministry of Defence procurement processes, from initial registration and framework applications through to bid preparation and contract management. Our team holds Security Check (SC) clearance and understands the specific compliance requirements, evaluation approaches, and commercial expectations that apply across defence procurement. We have supported clients in securing over £2 million in defence cyber security contracts (/case-studies/ps3m-defence-cyber-security-contract-secured-for-unsung-ltd) and have delivered multiple successful framework registrations for defence suppliers. For a comprehensive guide to MoD procurement, see our article on UK MoD procurement: how to win defence contracts (/post/uk-mod-procurement-how-to-win-defence-contracts).

NHS and Healthcare Procurement

NHS procurement spans more than ten major organisations, each operating distinct frameworks and processes. We help suppliers navigate this complexity, from identifying the right frameworks and procurement bodies through to preparing compliant, competitive submissions. We have delivered successful NHS framework registrations (/case-studies/two-successful-nhs-framework-registrations-delivered-for-my-heart-care) and understand the specific requirements around accreditation, social value, and clinical governance that apply across healthcare procurement. See our guide to winning NHS contracts (/post/how-to-win-nhs-contracts-via-tenders-and-frameworks) for more detail.

Construction Procurement

The construction sector relies heavily on frameworks and pre-qualification arrangements. We support construction businesses in identifying and accessing the right frameworks, preparing competitive bids, and managing the commercial aspects of construction contracts including open book pricing (/post/benefits-of-open-book-pricing) and incentive-based contracting (/post/enabling-incentive-based-contracting). We have supported a construction client in securing a position on the £1.5 billion PB4 Public Buildings Framework (/case-studies/successful-award-on-ps1-5bn-pb4-public-buildings-framework-for-construction-client). For a current overview of available frameworks, see our guide to construction procurement frameworks for 2026 (/post/construction-procurement-frameworks-strategic-access-opportunities-for-2026).

Technology Procurement

Technology procurement carries specific challenges including rapid product cycles, complex licensing models, and the need for integration with existing systems. Our technology procurement service (/services/technology-procurement) provides specialist support across hardware, software, cloud services, and managed service procurement. We supported BDR Thermea through a £20 million IoT procurement process (/case-studies/ps20m-iot-procurement-process-led-for-bdr-thermea) and work with technology partners including ISPnext to deliver source-to-contract procurement solutions.

Do You Need Procurement Strategy Consulting?

A procurement strategy should be a fundamental part of every organisation's ongoing business development. A thorough procurement strategy helps to identify activities that are not delivering a high return on investment and seeks new opportunities to enhance profitability and competitiveness.

Whilst a procurement strategy should be a priority for all organisations, those looking to transform key aspects of their business through digital innovation, international expansion, or customer relationship management will particularly benefit from procurement consulting services. Our sourcing consultants also prove invaluable for businesses experiencing rapid growth, where consultants can help put in place the necessary systems to acquire new talent, outsource effectively, and establish new supplier arrangements. We also assist stakeholders with procurement strategy development, offering expertise in supplier acquisition and management to scope out procurement plans. Our purchasing consultants can advise you on how to approach and negotiate better rates from your suppliers.

Developing In-House Procurement Capabilities

Our procurement management consultancy equips your organisation to maintain control of your procurement strategy development over the long term. Rather than creating dependency on external consultants, we work with your team to build the analytical skills, processes, and commercial capabilities needed to manage procurement on an ongoing basis.

We work with your team to cultivate strategic capabilities, from the skills needed to develop new supplier relationships and conduct critical commercial analyses, through to operational efficiencies such as establishing procure-to-pay (P2P) integrations. This approach ensures long-term development and growth for your organisation, creating a capability that continues to deliver value well beyond the consulting engagement.

Our Track Record

Our procurement consulting engagements have delivered measurable results for clients across multiple sectors. At Johnson Matthey, we delivered £2.45 million in procurement savings through strategic sourcing and supplier renegotiation (/case-studies/johnson-matthey). At Fujitsu, we supported a revised contract model that achieved £9 million in savings through commercial restructuring and supplier negotiations (/case-studies/fujitsu). We have supported a £150 million investment for Broadway Partners through supply chain strategy consulting (/case-studies/supply-chain-strategy-supported-ps150m-investment-for-broadway-partners). We delivered a £20 million transformation programme for Yodel (/case-studies/ps20m-transformation-programme-delivered-for-yodel). And we have secured framework positions for clients across G-Cloud, DOS, NHS, and construction frameworks.

We hold our own positions on G-Cloud 14 and DOS 7 (Lots 1 and 3), giving us first-hand knowledge of the application process and the requirements of public sector frameworks.

What to Consider Before Selecting a Procurement Consulting Firm

With procurement strategies offering significant benefits for your business, it is important to select the right consulting firm for your needs. When evaluating procurement consulting providers, look for evidenced success working with businesses in your industry area, demonstrated through case studies, testimonials, and verifiable references. Look for an experienced team of procurement professionals with relevant work experience in your sector and contract type. A free discovery call or consultation to discuss your requirements and explore potential solutions is a good indicator of a client-focused approach. Ensure that working styles and values are aligned, because procurement consulting involves close collaboration and trust. And look for case studies showing previous success in similar projects, with measurable outcomes.

Why Choose Athena for Procurement Consulting?

We believe that too much of the business world is conducted in the shadows. Unscrupulous suppliers, hidden costs, and failure to deliver what was promised are challenges that too many organisations accept as normal. Our procurement approach equips your business with the knowledge and skills to protect yourself, reduce your costs, and be on the front foot when making purchasing decisions.

We believe in transparency, fairness, and openness. We forge all of our supplier relationships in line with this ethos, ensuring that both clients and suppliers are on the same page from day one. By instilling this philosophy in your own procurement activities, your team can learn to reduce costly mistakes and miscommunications and generate positive, profitable, long-term relationships with your suppliers.

Contact us to arrange a free discovery call and discuss how our procurement consulting services can support your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a procurement consultant do?

A procurement consultant analyses your procurement processes, identifies opportunities for improvement, and develops strategies to reduce costs, improve supplier relationships, and increase efficiency. Depending on the engagement, this can range from a targeted review of a specific category of spend through to a comprehensive transformation of the entire procurement function. Consultants bring specialist expertise and market knowledge that most organisations do not have in-house.

How much does procurement consulting cost?

The cost of procurement consulting varies depending on the scope and duration of the engagement. At Athena, we offer flexible engagement models ranging from short advisory sessions through to embedded consulting support over several months. We are transparent about our fees and will provide a clear proposal before any engagement begins. In most cases, the savings delivered through procurement consulting significantly exceed the cost of the consulting engagement itself.

When should I hire a procurement consultant?

Organisations typically benefit most from procurement consulting when they are facing a specific high-value or complex procurement, looking to reduce costs across their supplier base, preparing for a significant business change such as growth, transformation, or new market entry, lacking internal procurement expertise for a particular requirement, or looking to build long-term procurement capability within their team. If you are unsure whether consulting is right for your situation, contact us for a free discovery call to discuss your requirements.

What industries do you work with?

We work across defence, NHS and healthcare, construction, technology, facilities management, and professional services. Our experience spans public sector, private sector, and regulated industries. The common thread across all our engagements is procurement and commercial expertise applied to deliver measurable outcomes for our clients.

Do you provide procurement software as well as consulting?

Yes. We partner with ISPnext to deliver source-to-contract procurement software solutions covering procurement software (/technology/procurement-software), contract management software (/technology/contract-management-software), spend analytics software (/technology/spend-analytics-software), sourcing software (/technology/sourcing-software), and vendor management software (/technology/vendor-management-software). We also work with clients to implement and optimise these platforms as part of broader procurement improvement programmes.

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