PROCUREMENT STRATEGY
rely on crisis management, saying:“ These‘ fire drills’ may offer temporary relief, but without structural change, they often lead to a return to less sophisticated strategies once the immediate crisis fades.”
This reactive approach contrasts sharply with the strategic transformation taking place at leading organisations. At Emirates NBD, procurement has evolved significantly.
“ We have moved from a traditional, transaction-focused approach to a strategic, value-driven model,” says Nita Nair, Head of Procurement at Emirates NBD.“ Our focus is now on driving business value engineering, where procurement acts as a key enabler of growth, innovation and compliance.”
Transformations like this don’ t come easy, with companies making significant investment in governance frameworks, digital platforms and analytics capabilities. For example, Emirates NBD has embedded robust governance systems and adopted integrated sourceto-contract and procure-to-pay digital
“ In simple terms, strong supplier relationships are built on trust, transparency, and shared value”
Mark Bevan, Vice President, Efficio platforms, whilst also implementing advanced spend analytics to improve visibility and decision-making.
For all businesses, operating in a market as dynamic as the one we see today, demands both agility and strict compliance requirements.
Trust, transparency and shared success Effective supplier partnerships require a major rethink of the traditional buyersupplier dynamic. The most successful organisations are those that move beyond transactional interactions to create relationships based on mutual trust, shared objectives and collaborative problem-solving.
But many organisations still struggle with the practical implementation of partnership principles. Mark says that companies often overcomplicate their approach, noting:“ In simple terms, strong supplier relationships are built on trust, transparency and shared value.”
While many organisations speak about partnerships, they are not fully embracing what that means in reality. Instead of working side by side, there is still an approach where suppliers are being kept at‘ arm’ s length’. Fundamental factors of a successful partnership include:
• Clear communication of goals and expectations from the preprocurement phase through the entire relationship lifecycle
• Equitable risk-sharing structures that acknowledge commercial realities.
80 September 2025