Merillgrove / Services / Fractional Procurement
Senior Procurement Capacity Without a Full-Time Hire.
Add an experienced buyer for a project or a busy buying team. Agree the workload, deliverables and decision rights without committing to a permanent hire.
When Does This Make Sense?
When buying work grows faster than the team around it. This is not an unlimited outsourced buying desk; we work to an agreed scope.
- Owners Still Carry Supplier Work
- Recurring RFQs, No Senior Buyer
- Supplier Terms Not Challenged
- Sourcing Getting More Complex
- Projects Competing for Time
- A Full-Time Hire Is Premature
What Can Sit Inside the Scope.
Supplier Sourcing and Qualification
Define the requirement, find credible options and gather the evidence for the next decision.
RFQs and Commercial Comparison
Comparable requests, normalised responses and the variables that change the position.
Supplier Challenge
Test current cost, terms, lead time and alternatives before you renew or switch.
Pipeline Management
One view of open requirements, RFQs, supplier actions, risks and next steps.
Decision Support
A short management view, not another spreadsheet to interpret.
A Sample Month.
The real cadence depends on the category, supplier response times and the agreed engagement.
- 1
Week 1
Prioritise active requirements. Confirm specifications, deadlines and commercial questions.
- 2
Week 2
Supplier work, RFQs, benchmarking, evidence and commercial follow-up.
- 3
Week 3
Normalise responses, surface risks, prepare decision points and escalate blockers.
- 4
Week 4
Management review, pipeline update and next month’s priorities.
What Stays with You.
Decision rights are agreed before work starts. You keep:
- Approval Authority
- Budget Ownership
- Final Supplier Selection
- Technical Acceptance
- Legal and Compliance Approval
- Payment Authorisation
Is It a Good Fit?
Good Fit
- Defined Buying Workload
- Recurring Supplier or RFQ Work
- Capacity Without Headcount
- Access to Specs and Decisions
- Scope Can Be Bounded
Poor Fit
- Unlimited Ad-Hoc Support
- Guaranteed Supplier Award
- Guaranteed Savings
- Scope Cannot Be Defined
- We Take Over Your Approvals
A Monthly Retainer, Usually Three Months to Start.
Scope, capacity and price are agreed around the workload. Not ready yet? Start with a Supplier Cost Review or a Supplier Search.
Questions Buyers Ask
Straight answers before you send anything.
Is This the Same as Hiring a Procurement Manager?
No. It is a defined external capability with agreed scope and capacity. Internal ownership and decision rights remain with you.
Can You Work Alongside an Existing Procurement Team?
Yes. The role can focus on overflow, selected categories, sourcing projects, commercial challenge or pipeline support.
Do You Guarantee Savings?
No. The result depends on the category, baseline, market and implementation. We commit to the agreed process and deliverables, not a guaranteed saving.
Do You Receive Supplier Commissions?
No supplier commissions, kickbacks, undisclosed rebates or percentage-of-order fees are accepted.
How Quickly Can Work Start?
Start timing is confirmed after scope, because supplier response times, complexity and your inputs differ by engagement.
Tell Us the Workload.
Define the workload and who decides. Scope, capacity and price are agreed before an engagement.