SUCCESS STORY

14% cost base reduction

Smarter sourcing for a healthcare provider

  • Achieving cost reductions without compromising care quality

at a glance

One of the UK’s largest care providers engaged FourCentric to reduce procurement costs while maintaining high standards of resident care across more than 200 care homes.

Through strategic sourcing, supplier consolidation, and stronger procurement governance, the programme improved commercial control, streamlined the supply base, and built a more scalable procurement infrastructure to support long-term growth.

Outcomes

14% average savings

Across supply chain, including both direct and indirect spend areas

value without compromise

Product quality maintained or improved

supplier consolidation & control

Reduced temp recruitment suppliers by 60%

Improved procurement infrastructure

Streamlined supplier base and better IT systems and disciplines will support long-term improvements

BACKGROUND

One of the UK’s largest care providers, with over 200 care homes and more than 12,000 beds, faced rising operational costs and inconsistent procurement practices.

With the business continuing to grow, leadership needed to ensure its supply chain and procurement functions were fit for purpose and cost-effective.

the challenge

The core challenge lay in balancing significant cost reduction with the need to maintain, and in some cases improve, the quality of products and services essential to resident care. Procurement processes lacked consistency, and the supply chain was not set up to scale efficiently with the company’s growth.

Key categories such as temporary recruitment, consumables, and utilities suffered from supplier fragmentation, process inefficiencies, and limited commercial control. The procurement function needed to evolve from tactical cost management to a more strategic, structured capability that could support long-term performance.

SOLUTION

Procure4 designed a programme that balanced quick wins with long-term strategic change:

  • Conducted a full review of spend and prioritised 28 opportunity categories. Focus areas were selected based on potential savings, business impact, and alignment with strategic goals
  • Tailored sourcing and supplier engagement to reflect the operational needs of each category. Working closely with stakeholders ensured solutions were practical and wouldn’t compromise service standards
  • Delivered fast-track savings in operational areas while managing long-term changes carefully. Some categories delivered savings early; others required phased implementation to manage supplier and process changes
  • Established strong governance and built trust with key stakeholders. This ensured alignment across the programme and helped embed sustainable improvements in procurement discipline

P4102

I am delighted to endorse Procure4 for their outstanding support in transforming our procurement and supply chain.

Their expertise in managing over 40 spend categories has been invaluable, delivering both financial efficiencies and operational improvements.

CEO

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