Data and Analytics: Transforming Spend Data into Commercial Intelligence

Data is the lifeblood of commercial thinking. Our Data and Analytics service provides the rigorous framework to transform fragmented spend data into actionable commercial intelligence. We ensure your business decisions are guided by data, allowing you to identify opportunities, track performance, and guarantee a measurable return on investment.

7 Step Solutions helped us redesign our marketing procurement, which led to a 20% reduction in agency costs and a £1.8M annual saving.

Marketing Director, American Manufacturer

If you are looking for a partner that can integrate seamlessly into your organisation, reduce costs, improve business profits and Procurement performance, I would highly recommend 7 Step Solutions.

Chief Financial Officer for a £1bil private sector organisation

7 Step Solutions have supported our business at pace to deliver rapid savings and sustained profit improvement. Having an expert, flexible and scalable partner for projects and peaks in demand has been invaluable to our success.

Operating Partner - leading alternative investment firm focused on Private Equity, Private Credit, and Real Estate

7 Step Solutions have delivered a step change improvement in our Procurement culture and performance, aligning Procurement activity to business goals alongside rapid delivery of cost, process and technology improvements.

Chief Procurement Officer for a £600mil private sector organisation

I required a partner that could provide cost effective augmented Procurement expertise and resource on demand. 7SS ticked all the boxes. What is also great about 7SS is I feel they really understand my sector, care about my business and deliver real outcomes. Their reputation as commercial and procurement experts is well deserved.

Principal, Value Creation

Their speed and agility were remarkable. They quickly integrated with our team and delivered a tangible, positive impact on our bottom line.

COO, Global Logistics Company

They truly understood our business and delivered a solution that was not only commercially robust but also perfectly aligned with our strategic objectives.

Head of Finance, European Private Equity Firm

7 Step Solutions bring a real laser like focus and commercial aptitude, considering not just Procurement supply side activity like some advisories, but business wide efficiencies, savings and improvements along with first class change management.

Director - global investment firm overseeing £20b portfolio

7 Step Solutions are my go-to partner for Procurement support. Whether a cost out project, M&A support or a strategic procurement transformation initiative, 7SS white glove service and commercial acumen has consistently delivered a high return on investment.

Partner - global investment firm focusing on acquiring and transforming companies across diverse industries worldwide

7 Step Solutions significant reputation in Private Equity is a testament to their commercial and procurement expertise, white glove service, working at pace and delivering tangible results consistently. It is easy to understand how these key qualities I have witnessed for many years have transferred in their services to multi-sector industries.

Director - Global Investment Firm

Data-Driven Decision Making is Your Commercial Edge

Inaccurate or fragmented data leads to poor purchasing decisions and significant value leakage. Our expertise in Data-Driven Decision Making ensures that every strategic action is founded on rigorous analytics and validation. We provide the clarity and confidence needed to move away from guesswork and towards a commercially disciplined operating model.

What Expert Data and Analytics Delivers

ROI-Focused Outcomes
Our process is specifically designed to use Spend Analytics and supplier metrics to drive measurable ROI, contributing to our average 10:1 commercial return.
Enhanced Performance Metrics
We establish clear, effective performance metrics and dashboards, enabling you to capture and communicate procurement’s full value across the business.
Master Data Management (MDM)
We help you clean, validate, and maintain high-quality data, which is essential for accurate reporting and compliance.
Identifying Hidden Value
Through in-depth analysis, we uncover savings opportunities, process gaps, and areas for optimisation that are invisible in traditional reporting.

Our Data and Analytics Services

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Spend Analysis and Classification

Rigorous cleansing and classification of your spend data to provide a consolidated, accurate view of purchasing activity and supplier engagement.
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Business Intelligence (BI) Reporting

Designing and implementing user-friendly dashboards and reporting tools that provide real-time visibility and actionable insights for stakeholders.
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Baseline and Opportunity Modelling

Establishing clear cost baselines and quantifying savings opportunities to build robust business cases for strategic initiatives.
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Data Strategy and Governance

Defining a clear strategy for data collection, storage, and usage that aligns with your overall Digital Strategy and supports scalable growth.

Our proven process

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Data Collection & Analysis
We begin by examining all relevant spend and contract data to build a clear baseline of your current situation.
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Interview
We engage with key business buyers and stakeholders to understand your buying processes and requirements, filling in the crucial details that data alone cannot provide.
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Baseline & Opportunity Development

We benchmark your current state against industry best practice to identify tangible opportunities for savings and value creation.

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Validation & Recommendation
We validate our findings with your team and present a clear, prioritised delivery roadmap based on value versus ease of implementation.

Case Studies

We achieved a 20% reduction in marketing agency costs, saving $1.8M annually.

Business Challenge

A US based leading global provider of account-based marketing (ABM) solutions had been operating with the same broker for a number of years. They had a good relationship with the broker and due to the positive service received, believed there was no opportunity for further cost optimisation based on what they were being informed. 

Solution

7 Step Solutions executed a rigorous, commercial-focused sourcing process to optimise the client’s insurance coverage. We began with a Market Analysis and Broker Selection, moving to a Detailed RFP with Benchmarking to gain market transparency. Using this data, we led the Coverage Rationalisation to eliminate over-insurance and concluded with Competitive Negotiation and Selection to secure enhanced, tailored coverage at an optimal premium.

Outcomes

The successful strategic intervention delivered dual commercial success by eliminating risk and improving coverage. By rationalising the insurance policy and recalibrating liability limits to industry benchmarks, the project ensured the program perfectly aligned with operational risk, delivering an exceptional 20x ROI against the consulting fee. Furthermore, the new broker introduced proactive risk mitigation workshops and ongoing claims support, creating a sustainable culture of risk awareness for critical exposures like cyber liability.

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25% reduction in legal fees and increased efficiency and better resource utilisation for law firms

Business Challenge

A US based technology client of 7SS specialising in cloud-based software services, faced escalating legal costs. As the company had grown, so had the complexity of its legal needs, ranging from corporate transactions, intellectual property (IP) protection, contract reviews, and compliance issues. However, the company’s legal spend was disproportionately high given the relatively low volume of high-stakes work, as much of the legal work was outsourced to a single, high-cost external counsel. Additionally, lower-cost, high-volume work such as standard contracts and NDAs were also being handled by the same firm at premium rates.

Solution

7SS, in collaboration with the in-house legal department, developed a strategy to address the high legal costs and optimise resource allocation. The solution focused on a two-tiered approach: implementing a panel of specialised law firms for high-value work and engaging a low-cost outsourcing supplier for high-volume, lower-risk tasks.

Outcomes

The marketing optimisation project delivered dual commercial success: reducing cost while boosting performance. By consolidating services and implementing a project-based pricing model, we achieved a 20% reduction in agency costs, saving $1.8M annually. Crucially, the shift to performance-based compensation drove significant gains, including a 15% increase in ROAS and a 20% drop in lead acquisition costs, all while securing greater control through transparent media buying.

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We designed a compliant, cost-effective 'buy desk' solution to consolidate tail suppliers, improve visibility, and deliver value for a global company.

Business Challenge

The global retail giant was struggling with a complex and unmanaged tail spend, particularly across their IT and Professional Services categories. Although their central procurement team provided support globally, a review highlighted a very long, fragmented tail of suppliers. The leadership team needed to enforce consistency of service, realise significant cost savings, and manage risk by pushing more spend toward strategic suppliers, all while ensuring local and operational efficiency was completely unaffected. Crucially, the project needed to deliver undeniable, tangible commercial value to win over sceptical business stakeholders.

Solution

We executed a rapid, in-depth diagnostic involving desktop analysis and extensive stakeholder interviews to clearly define the complex global ‘tail’ spend. We successfully developed a series of hypotheses and a compelling business case for the leadership team. This led to the design and delivery of a sustainable, ongoing action plan—including the “buy desk” solution—that addressed immediate pain points and provided a continuous, cost-effective solution for future procurement maturity.

Outcomes

The marketing optimisation project delivered dual commercial success: reducing cost while boosting performance. By consolidating services and implementing a project-based pricing model, we achieved a 20% reduction in agency costs, saving $1.8M annually. Crucially, the shift to performance-based compensation drove significant gains, including a 15% increase in ROAS and a 20% drop in lead acquisition costs, all while securing greater control through transparent media buying.

Read case study

Contract renegotiation, service unbundling, and performance-based compensation successfully optimised marketing agency costs and enhanced effectiveness

Business Challenge

Our client, a global luxury fashion brand, was working with a full-service marketing agency to manage their online and offline campaigns. Initially, the agency played a crucial role in helping the client increase brand awareness and acquire new customers. However, as the company expanded, the marketing budget swelled, and the agency fees began to rise significantly. The annual marketing budget reached $20 million, with 45% of it allocated to agency costs.

Solution

Switching to Project-Based Pricing: renegotiated the agency contract, moving from a fixed retainer model to project-based pricing. This ensured that the client only paid for services when needed. 

Outcomes

By renegotiating contracts, unbundling services, and tying agency compensation to performance, our client successfully optimised marketing agency costs while enhancing marketing quality and effectiveness.

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Why partner with 7 Step Solutions?

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Deep Commercial Expertise
Our team of experts has decades of experience managing and optimising spend, with a mindset honed in the demanding world of private equity.
Global Reach, Boutique Focus
With offices in London, Boston, and Zurich, we offer international capabilities combined with a personal, relationship-driven service.
Guaranteed ROI
We are so confident in our ability to deliver results that we provide minimum ROI guarantees, ensuring you see a clear return on your investment.

FAQs

We work with data from all major ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle), general ledgers, and specialist procurement tools.
Our focus is on identifying Intelligent Cost Optimisation opportunities, validating savings, and ensuring the data supports your ongoing Category Management strategies.
We are technology-agnostic. We can work with your existing tools or guide you through the selection and implementation of a new, best-fit Spend Analytics platform.
Accurate data enables better sourcing decisions, reduces pricing errors, increases compliance, and provides the factual basis needed to confidently drive business-wide profit improvement.

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