Strategic Sourcing: Transform Your Purchasing Power into Profit

Strategic sourcing is not simply buying; it is an act of commercial discipline that unlocks lasting value. Our Strategic Sourcing service applies private equity-honed rigour to your spend, helping you identify new suppliers, negotiate optimal terms, and build resilient, cost-effective relationships. We focus on transforming your purchasing power into a measurable profit advantage.

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

Commercial Discipline in Supplier Selection

Strategic Sourcing is the foundation of our Value Creation Focus. We go beyond initial savings by incorporating a long-term commercial perspective, ensuring that sourcing decisions are tightly integrated with your wider business strategy. We apply rigorous analytics and deep market knowledge to drive competition, minimise risk, and secure contracts that deliver the best total value of ownership.

What Expert Strategic Sourcing Delivers

Measurable Cost Reduction
We execute targeted initiatives to deliver demonstrable rapid savings and profit improvement, backed by our minimum ROI guarantees.
Enhanced Supplier Performance
We move relationships beyond transactional, securing better deals, greater innovation, and improved service levels through enhanced supplier engagement.
Risk Control
Our process embeds robust commercial discipline and governance, helping to mitigate operational and financial risks associated with your supply chain

Our Comprehensive Sourcing Support

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Sourcing Strategy & Planning

Defining clear requirements, conducting rigorous spend analysis, and establishing a robust sourcing plan aligned with your business goals.
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Tender (RFx) Management

Expert management of RFI, RFP, and RFQ processes, ensuring rigour, transparency, and compliance from market assessment to final bid analysis.
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Commercial Negotiation

Leading complex negotiation rounds using our private equity-borne experience to secure optimal pricing, terms, and service level agreements.
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Supplier Consolidation & Rationalisation

Identifying opportunities to consolidate spend across fewer, more strategic suppliers to leverage scale for better pricing and streamlined management.

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

Designed and implemented a new operating model for a £600m business following the divestment of its national business.

Business Challenge

The client was a provider of retail and wholesale local and national telecommunications services with an annual revenue of £600m and 4000 employees. The company’s strategy was to divest its national business, leaving only the wholesale and retail part of the business.

Solution

7SS took a structured, data-led approach to define the as-is state and identify improvement opportunities. Spend, contracts, and policies were analysed to establish a clear baseline, then validated through interviews with key buyers to understand real-world processes and capability. The findings were benchmarked against best practice to develop sourcing strategies by category, and a delivery roadmap was created to prioritise actions by ease and benefit — forming the foundation for implementation.

Outcomes

This comprehensive transformation was executed in three disciplined phases, beginning with a swift 4-week Maturity Assessment to diagnose the client’s existing model and commercial structures. We then moved through a focused 3-week Design Phase to finalise the Target Operating Model. Our team concluded by leading the initial 12-week Implementation, delivering the impact assessment and roadmap for the new, commercially focused structure.

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Led S2P and S2C technology assessment, business case, and market engagement for a leading UK&I food wholesaler

Business Challenge

A leading UK&I food wholesaler sought to unlock greater value from procurement by using technology to drive efficiencies in contract and supplier management. Procurement’s role was historically limited to indirect, reactive spend of £700M within a £5B business, with previous business cases failing to secure executive buy-in. To address this, the company engaged external experts to assess current maturity, evaluate market solutions, and build a robust, ROI-focused S2P and S2C business case to support future investment.

Solution

7SS took a structured, data-led approach to define the as-is state and identify improvement opportunities. Spend, contracts, and policies were analysed to establish a clear baseline, then validated through interviews with key buyers to understand real-world processes and capability. The findings were benchmarked against best practice to develop sourcing strategies by category, and a delivery roadmap was created to prioritise actions by ease and benefit — forming the foundation for implementation.

Outcomes

The project successfully secured CFO approval to invest in procurement technology, beginning with S2C modules as a proof of concept and progressing to full S2P implementation. Delivered on time and to budget in 10 weeks, it provided a clear roadmap and critical path for rollout. The trusted partnership led to further engagement, with 7SS supporting market assessment, partner selection, and system integration planning.

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Sustainability & £438M Spend - we helped a global research facility embed environmental procurement policies to cut 64% of their CO2 emissions.

Business Challenge

The client was an international organisation that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime control as the world’s largest international police organisation headquartered in Lyon, France, with seven regional bureaus worldwide, and a National Central Bureau in all 196 member states.

Solution

7 Step Solutions provided expert, focused guidance on leveraging AI in procurement technology for this International Law Enforcement Agency. The solution centred on designing and facilitating a major global workshop to re-establish the benefits of their existing system and provide actionable insights, including real-life case studies of AI utilisation. This internal alignment was supported by additional market assessment to guide their future technology selection.

Outcomes

The project successfully embedded an AI readiness roadmap into the client’s global procurement function. By designing and facilitating a major global workshop, 7 Step Solutions provided expert insights, real-life case studies, and a clear strategy on how to leverage AI within the existing S2P system. The outcome included a detailed roadmap with recommendations for maximising AI across Source to Pay activities, leading to an immediate referral to another public sector client.

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Led S2P and S2C technology assessment, business case, and market engagement for a leading UK&I food wholesaler

Business Challenge

One of Europe’s leading aviation services companies had purchased an off the shelf Source to Pay (S2P) product (Zycus) to help them better control and manage Procure to Pay (purchasing and invoice management and data analytics), as well as benefit from Source to Contract (S2C) topics such as Sourcing and Contract Management, as well as Risk Management and potential future Supplier Management modules.

Solution

7 Step Solutions was engaged to provide the essential Business Integrator Support for the full Source to Pay (S2P) technology implementation. Acting as the “glue” between the technical vendor and the client’s commercial, finance, and legal teams, we defined the roadmap, managed stakeholders, and ensured that all overlooked S2P elements, from master data cleansing to process redesign and training, were executed to guarantee project success and maximise commercial return.

Outcomes

This successful transformation was achieved by positioning 7 Step Solutions as the essential Business Integrator, ensuring the complex global S2P implementation was delivered on time and to budget. The project achieved successful go-live across 296 locations in 44 countries, providing the client with critical commercial stability and enhanced governance. Our team acted as a trusted business partner to the CPO and CIO, securing operational objectives and even winning trust to manage additional project sourcing activities.

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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 have delivered significant benefit across all major Indirect categories(e.g., Marketing, IT, Professional Services) and industry-specific Direct categories.
No. Our focus is on Value Creation, which includes price, risk control, service levels, and the total value of ownership.
Yes. We offer flexible commercial models, including project-based fees, or incorporating Strategic Sourcing as part of a long-term Managed Service.
Our deep PE roots allow us to prioritise quick wins while building sustainable long-term improvements, ensuring rapid value capture.

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