How to Make Procurement Your Ally (Not an Obstacle)

What do you think when you hear procurement are involved?

I still vividly remember that sinking feeling when my clients would tell me procurement had got involved. It always meant a delay in the work starting and those awkward questions about cost, wanting everything documented, justified and compared. The thrill of a new project, gone.

What changed things for me was realising that procurement aren't actually the bad guys we think they are. In fact, given the right insights, they can become an advocate for you.

But this requires you to understand what they truly care about, and to treat them as humans. As important stakeholders. Not ones to hide away from, but critical relationships to build.

Why they matter more than you think

Procurement may not make the final decision, but they do shape the conditions around it.

• They influence how your value is framed internally.
• They influence how risk is perceived.
• They influence whether contracts are pushed hard… or protected.

And if they don't understand the value you bring, they will always default to cost.

Unless you actively show them, all they have to work with is what's on paper. And on paper? Most agencies look frustratingly similar.

They don't experience your value the way your day-to-day marketing contacts do. They don't see the patterns you spot across regions or departments. They don't automatically know the depth of your niche experience. They don't live inside the category insights or institutional knowledge you've built over years.

What the best agencies do differently

The agencies that perform better in procurement-led environments aren't cheaper or more flexible. They're clearer, more transparent, and act like a true partner.

• They take time to educate procurement on the outcomes they create, not just the services they deliver.
• They bring procurement into QBRs and Annual Reviews.
• They celebrate milestones with them.
• They invite them to Christmas parties.
• They don't hide away, fearing the next procurement conversation.

If this is something you've struggled with, or want to get smarter about, I'd really recommend listening to a podcast conversation I recorded with Stuart Dunk, who spent over 14 years in marketing procurement at brands like Nike, Danone and Reckitt. Practical, grounded, and cuts through a lot of the assumptions agencies make.

Jo x