Tail End Management
Streamlined procurement for better control
Tail end spend typically represents the bottom 20% of an organisation’s spend across up to 80% of its suppliers. While often overlooked, this area can create unnecessary cost and complexity. Our Tail End Management service consolidates fragmented purchasing into a single, managed solution, improving efficiency, visibility, and control.
Understanding tail end spend
Many organisations focus procurement on their highest-value spend. Smaller, low-value purchases are often left unmanaged. This tail end spend usually involves multiple suppliers, frequent transactions, and inconsistent buying practices.
Over time, this creates hidden costs. Administration increases. Productivity falls. Compliance becomes harder to maintain.
Our Tail End Management service brings structure to this area. We identify, analyse, and rationalise fragmented, off-contract, low-value, non-PO, and unauthorised spend. The result is a simpler, more controlled procurement process with fewer suppliers and better oversight.
Reducing costs by changing how you buy
We reduce costs by consolidating purchasing through a single source. This lowers product prices and removes the administrative burden of managing multiple suppliers.
In large procurement-led organisations, including the NHS and wider public sector, high-value spend is tightly controlled. Tail end spend is often decentralised, increasing risk and cost. Our proven Tail End Management framework addresses this imbalance through clear methodology, intelligent delivery, and transparent reporting.
By rationalising suppliers, we reduce administration, delivery costs, and rogue spend. We also improve consistency, compliance, and long-term cost control.
Single-source procurement for greater efficiency
The biggest impact of Tail End Management often comes from removing hidden costs. These include sourcing products, managing suppliers, processing invoices, coordinating deliveries, and handling unauthorised purchases.
By moving to single-source procurement, we simplify every stage of the process. You gain access to a wider product range through one supplier, supported by expert sourcing, consistent quality control, and responsive customer support.
With same-day or next-day delivery, bespoke stock management, and real-time reporting, we reduce complexity and free your teams to focus on core responsibilities.
Our Tail End Management framework
We deliver Tail End Management through the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Commercial Procurement framework. This allows NHS bodies and eligible public sector organisations to access purchasing, supplier management, delivery, and reporting without further competition, under OJEU notice 2016/S 200-360874.
Our methodology follows five clear steps:
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Analyse spend
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Define tail end spend
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Identify savings opportunities
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Source and contract
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Measure and report improvement
Supported by experienced procurement professionals, dedicated account managers, product specialists, and an approved supplier database, we provide a fully integrated and accountable solution.
Performance, monitoring and reporting
Our Tail End Management service includes real-time monitoring across more than 40 key performance indicators. This provides clear visibility and supports continuous improvement.
As part of our ISO9001 and ISO14001 accredited management systems, we track order fulfilment, delivery accuracy, quotation turnaround, call response times, stock performance, and query resolution.
We also deliver tailored management reports covering total spend, savings, user locations, product alternatives, and supplier performance. With ongoing auditing and stakeholder engagement, we ensure procurement remains controlled, compliant, and cost effective.
Our Services
Our services cover everything you need, combining quality, consistency, and convenience to keep your organisation running smoothly.
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