THE PROCUREMENT INTERVIEW
John Cully has spent more than four decades in procurement, having started his career in 1980 with Taylor Woodrow International, before joining Amey in 1983. Following a break in 2020, he returned in 2023 with a clear mission: to realign Amey’ s procurement function and lead a programme of supply chain excellence.
As Chief Procurement Officer, John’ s role extends far beyond traditional procurement boundaries.
“ My role is to lead Amey’ s procurement and supply chain strategy, ensuring the business delivers not only efficiently but also drives commercial performance and ESG outcomes in tandem,” he explains.
“ I work closely with the executive teams, business units and our supply chain to position procurement as a true strategic enabler, both for Amey and for its clients.”
Amey is one of the UK’ s leading infrastructure and engineering companies. The organisation delivers full life-cycle engineering, operations and decarbonisation solutions across transport, defence, utilities and facilities management.
With more than 11,000 employees across the UK and Ireland, the company manages around £ 1.2bn( US $ 1.57bn) in annual spend across 4,500 suppliers. Remarkably, 51 % of that spend goes to small and medium-sized enterprises( SMEs).
Procurement sits at the heart of how Amey operates – and is built on four pillars: people, process, technology and supply chain engagement.
4,500
number of Amey suppliers
Beyond cost control For John, procurement with purpose means aligning business strategy and commercial delivery with ESG outcomes.
“ It’ s about recognising that procurement is no longer just about compliance or cost control,” he says.“ It’ s a business enabler that creates long-term, sustainable partnerships and collaborative working with suppliers to deliver great service and social value through opportunity and decarbonisation, while supporting local economies and encouraging innovation.”
In today’ s market, customers and communities expect providers like Amey to deliver efficiently and responsibly.
“ Procurement is uniquely placed to bring those strands together,” John continues.“ By engaging suppliers early, co-developing solutions, setting clear commercial models and nurturing long-term relationships, we create the conditions for investment in innovation, decarbonisation and social value.”
This approach has delivered tangible results. Winning the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply( CIPS) Award for Excellence in Procurement back in June represented a major milestone.
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