0 / 28

Model 24 of 74 · Operations & Delivery

Procurement Maturity Assessment

Assess how effectively your organisation sources, contracts, and manages its external spend — from reactive purchasing to strategic value creation through supply markets.

Pillars & areas

Source

Find the right suppliers

  1. 01Procurement Strategy & Planning
  2. 02Sourcing & Supplier Selection

Manage

Control spend & contracts

  1. 03Contract Management
  2. 04Spend Visibility & Control
  3. 05Supplier Relationship Management

Sustain

Build lasting value

  1. 06Ethical & Sustainable Procurement
  2. 07Stakeholder Collaboration & Capability

Levels

  1. 1TransactionalReactive order-taking
  2. 2Category-ManagedDefined & visible
  3. 3Value-CreatingShapes business outcomes

01 Procurement Strategy & Planning

Does procurement have a clear strategy, and is it aligned to what the business actually needs?

0/4 answered

SP-1How does your organisation decide what to buy and from whom?

Think about whether purchasing decisions follow a plan or happen ad-hoc when someone raises a request.

SP-2How well does procurement understand and anticipate what the business will need to buy?

Consider whether procurement is brought in early when projects or initiatives are being planned, or only when someone needs something ordered.

SP-3How does your organisation balance cost, quality, and speed when making sourcing decisions?

Think about whether lowest price always wins, or whether decisions weigh up total value including risk, quality, and long-term impact.

SP-4How well does procurement's strategy connect to the organisation's broader goals?

Consider whether procurement targets are just about saving money, or whether they also support wider business objectives like sustainability, innovation, or resilience.

02 Sourcing & Supplier Selection

How rigorously do you find, evaluate, and select the right suppliers?

0/4 answered

SS-1How does your organisation identify potential suppliers for a new requirement?

Think about whether you always go back to familiar names, or whether you actively scan the market for the best options.

SS-2How structured and fair is your supplier evaluation and selection process?

Consider whether every supplier is assessed against the same criteria, or whether selections are influenced by personal preference or politics.

SS-3How effectively does your organisation use competitive tension in sourcing?

Think about whether you regularly test the market or tend to renew with incumbents by default.

SS-4How does your organisation take supplier dependence into account when making sourcing decisions?

Consider whether a tender looks only at the best offer, or also at how dependent the organisation would become on the winning supplier.

03 Contract Management

How well do you structure, track, and get value from your supplier contracts?

0/4 answered

CM-1How does your organisation keep track of its active contracts and their key terms?

Think about whether you could quickly find out when your top 20 contracts expire, or whether that information lives in filing cabinets and inboxes.

CM-2How well do your contracts protect the organisation's interests while remaining fair to suppliers?

Consider whether contracts clearly define what both parties are expected to deliver, or whether they are vague or heavily one-sided.

CM-3How does your organisation monitor whether suppliers are delivering what the contract promises?

Think about whether you actively check supplier performance against agreed terms, or only notice problems when something goes wrong.

CM-4How well does your organisation handle contract renewals and transitions?

Consider whether renewals are planned well in advance, or whether you discover a contract has auto-renewed after the window to renegotiate has passed.

04 Spend Visibility & Control

Do you know what you're spending, with whom, and whether it's delivering value?

0/4 answered

SV-1How accurately can your organisation report its total external spend broken down by category and supplier?

Think about whether you could produce a reliable spend report by category within a day, or whether it would take weeks of data gathering.

SV-2How much of your organisation's spend goes through a formal procurement process?

Consider what proportion of purchases bypass procurement entirely — known as maverick or off-contract spend.

SV-3How does your organisation track whether it is getting the prices and terms it negotiated?

Think about whether the savings agreed in contracts actually show up in what you pay, or whether invoice prices drift from negotiated rates.

SV-4How does your organisation use spend data to identify opportunities for better value?

Consider whether spend analysis actively drives sourcing decisions, or whether it is just a reporting exercise.

05 Supplier Relationship Management

How deliberately do you manage your most important supplier relationships beyond the contract?

0/4 answered

SR-1How does your organisation decide which supplier relationships deserve the most attention?

Think about whether you treat all suppliers the same, or whether you deliberately invest more in the relationships that matter most.

SR-2How does your organisation work with key suppliers to drive continuous improvement and innovation?

Consider whether your supplier relationships are purely transactional, or whether you actively collaborate to find better ways of working.

SR-3How does your organisation resolve disputes or performance issues with suppliers?

Think about whether disagreements escalate quickly to threats and legal action, or whether there are constructive mechanisms for working through problems.

SR-4How well does your organisation share information with key suppliers to enable them to perform better?

Consider whether suppliers have the visibility they need into your plans, forecasts, and requirements, or whether they are kept at arm's length.

06 Ethical & Sustainable Procurement

How seriously does your organisation consider social, environmental, and ethical factors in its buying decisions?

0/4 answered

ES-1How does your organisation ensure that its suppliers meet acceptable ethical and labour standards?

Think about whether you know how your suppliers treat their workers, or whether you simply assume everything is fine.

ES-2How does your organisation factor environmental sustainability into procurement decisions?

Consider whether environmental impact genuinely influences what you buy and who you buy from, or whether it is a secondary consideration at best.

ES-3How does your organisation support diversity and inclusion through its procurement practices?

Think about whether small, local, or minority-owned businesses have a genuine opportunity to win your work, or whether the process inadvertently excludes them.

ES-4How transparent is your organisation about the origins and practices within its supply chain?

Consider how many tiers deep your supply chain visibility extends, and whether you could confidently answer questions about where your products and services actually come from.

07 Stakeholder Collaboration & Capability

How well does procurement work with the rest of the business, and how capable is the procurement team itself?

0/4 answered

SC-1How do business stakeholders perceive the procurement function?

Think about whether teams see procurement as a helpful partner or as a bureaucratic gate they try to avoid.

SC-2How effectively does procurement collaborate with finance, legal, and other support functions?

Consider whether procurement, finance, and legal work as an integrated team on major deals, or whether they operate in silos.

SC-3How does your organisation develop the skills and capabilities of its procurement professionals?

Think about whether procurement staff have clear development paths and access to training, or whether capability is built purely through on-the-job experience.

SC-4How well does your organisation leverage technology to support procurement activities?

Consider whether procurement processes are manual and paper-based, or whether technology streamlines and enables better outcomes.

Self-assessment report

Procurement

Answer the questions above and your report builds here: an overall score, a score and target for each area, and the three changes that matter most.

About this model

About the Procurement maturity model

Procurement is far more than purchasing. At its best, it is the discipline of understanding what an organisation needs from external markets, finding the best sources, structuring fair and effective agreements, and managing those relationships to deliver sustained value. Organisations that treat procurement as order-taking leave enormous value on the table — in cost, in quality, in risk reduction, and in the innovation that great suppliers can bring.

This model assesses procurement maturity across the full spectrum — from how sourcing decisions are made, to how contracts are managed, to whether the organisation can see and control what it spends. It deliberately goes beyond cost savings to examine whether procurement contributes to broader goals like sustainability, supply chain resilience, and ethical sourcing.

The most mature procurement functions do not just buy things well. They shape the supply base, manage risk before it materialises, and create competitive advantage through supplier relationships that competitors cannot easily replicate.

28 questions across 7 key areas, covering the full procurement lifecycle from strategy through to stakeholder engagement. Takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Suitable for any organisation that spends money with external suppliers — from small businesses managing a handful of vendors to large enterprises with complex global supply chains.

Who this assessment is for

  • Procurement and sourcing leaders
  • Chief Procurement Officers and category managers
  • Finance directors with oversight of external spend
  • Operations leaders responsible for supplier performance
  • Business owners managing vendor relationships directly
  • Sustainability and compliance leaders interested in supply chain practices

The three maturity levels

  • Level 1 — Transactional: Procurement is reactive and order-taking. Purchases happen when someone raises a request, with decisions driven by price, familiarity, or convenience. There is little visibility of total spend, contracts are poorly tracked, and supplier relationships are arm's-length. The function is seen as administrative overhead rather than a source of value.
  • Level 2 — Category-Managed: Procurement processes are defined, documented, and consistently followed. Spend is visible at a category level, key suppliers are actively managed, and sourcing decisions are based on structured evaluation criteria. The function delivers reliable cost savings and compliance, though it is still primarily cost-focused and may not yet influence broader business strategy.
  • Level 3 — Value-Creating: Procurement is a strategic capability that shapes business outcomes. Category strategies drive sourcing decisions informed by deep market intelligence. Supplier relationships are deliberately segmented and managed to create mutual value. Procurement actively contributes to innovation, sustainability, risk management, and competitive advantage, and is recognised by the business as an essential strategic partner.

The 7 areas assessed

  1. Procurement Strategy & Planning — Does procurement have a clear strategy, and is it aligned to what the business actually needs?
  2. Sourcing & Supplier Selection — How rigorously do you find, evaluate, and select the right suppliers?
  3. Contract Management — How well do you structure, track, and get value from your supplier contracts?
  4. Spend Visibility & Control — Do you know what you're spending, with whom, and whether it's delivering value?
  5. Supplier Relationship Management — How deliberately do you manage your most important supplier relationships beyond the contract?
  6. Ethical & Sustainable Procurement — How seriously does your organisation consider social, environmental, and ethical factors in its buying decisions?
  7. Stakeholder Collaboration & Capability — How well does procurement work with the rest of the business, and how capable is the procurement team itself?

How this model relates to other frameworks

  • CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) Procurement and Supply Cycle
  • ISO 20400 — Sustainable Procurement Guidance
  • Kraljic Portfolio Purchasing Model
  • SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference) Model
  • Kearney Assessment of Excellence in Procurement (AEP)

Frequently asked questions

What is the Procurement maturity model?

Assess how effectively your organisation sources, contracts, and manages its external spend — from reactive purchasing to strategic value creation through supply markets. It is an original, simplified model with three maturity levels (Transactional, Category-Managed and Value-Creating), assessed through 28 questions across 7 areas: Procurement Strategy & Planning, Sourcing & Supplier Selection, Contract Management, Spend Visibility & Control, Supplier Relationship Management, Ethical & Sustainable Procurement and Stakeholder Collaboration & Capability.

How long does the Procurement assessment take?

Most people finish in 11–17 minutes. Each of the 28 questions has three concrete answer options. Your progress is saved in the page URL, so you can bookmark it and come back later.

How is the score calculated?

Each answer scores 1 (Transactional), 2 (Category-Managed) or 3 (Value-Creating). An area's score is the average of its answered questions, and the overall score is the average of the area scores, so every area counts equally. Scores run from 1.0 to 3.0.

Is my data stored or shared?

No. Your answers are never sent to a server. They are stored only in the page URL, which you control. Copy the link to share results with colleagues, or export a PDF or CSV report.

How should I use the results?

Start with "Where to focus" in your report. It lists the questions with the biggest gap to the target you set for each area, and shows what the next level looks like in practice. For a fuller picture, ask several people from different teams to complete the assessment and compare their links. Differences in perception are often as revealing as the scores themselves.