COVID-19
4C is committed to addressing the broader impact of the effects of COVID-19 in our businesses, in our communities and society.
In addition to taking a socially responsible attitude towards our direct business activities and the impact it may have on the community, we also consider those of our suppliers and clients – many of whom are global organisations that touch the lives of millions of people.
4C specialises in sourcing/procurement and supply chain management, with extensive capabilities and experience in the healthcare and medical supplies. We are able to access large quantities of materials, including PPE, chemicals for sanitiser manufacturing and so on.
We have a specialist team engaged by the Royal Free Trust in London and currently working across 4 hospitals (Royal Free, UCL, Whittington, Moorfields) on their PPE supply chains to maximise availability of the right equipment at the ward level as demand surges over the coming weeks. We have built the detailed capability to do this which could be applied immediately to other hospitals and trusts.
We are committed to supporting our clients and wider networks in anyway that we can during this tough time so please reach out with any questions or concerns all of us at 4C will be happy to talk.
Stay safe and stay home
welcome to 4C
We thrive on variety, love a challenge and are passionate about helping our clients fix their problems. We combine the extensive knowledge and experience of our people with the latest process and technology innovations to provide our clients with transformative solutions with sustainable results.
We act as true partners to our clients. By gaining a deep and personal understanding of their business and goals, our teams develop custom procurement solutions and business strategies that deliver both immediate and long-term benefits. We are progressive, knowledgeable, responsive and collaborative.
We provide our clients with the specialised experience, knowledge, insights and technology that they do not have in-house. Our custom procurement, cost-control, operational and strategic solutions deliver immediate benefits that justify their investment and long-term value that drives sustainable growth.
our clients
knowledgeable
Our teams of industry experts and seasoned procurement practitioners work together to provide clients with levels of knowledge and insight they rarely have in-house. This depth of practical experience means we know when to apply tried-and-tested solutions and when it’s time to challenge convention.
responsive
We take a personal approach to each client relationship that allows us to really hear what their business needs and understand exactly how to tailor our approach and solutions.
We move fast while remaining agile so we can respond to feedback, new ideas and changing circumstances.
collaborative
Our aim is to develop true partnerships with our clients and work closely together to grow their business.
Collaboration is also key to the effectiveness of our internal teams, whether that means coming together to resolve client issues quickly or collaborating to achieve our individual, team and company goals.
progressive
We are a forward-thinking company, always ready to adopt fresh ideas and new technologies but only if they can enhance our ability to deliver real results for our clients. Our open-mindedness extends to how we partner with each client, giving us a flexibility that ensures our solutions always meet the specific business needs.
meet our leadership team
- Simon TerryCEO
Simon is one of the most experienced procurement services leaders in Europe. He previously led IBM’s European Operations and Supply Chain practice. He is a true thought leader and one of the UK’s premier experts in procurement. He brings strong skills in relationship building and project delivery in a range of industries.
- Rohit MoudgilCFO
Rohit has a wealth of experience in both logistics and consultancy, and has held several key finance positions throughout his career. In addition he has extensive experience in Mergers & Acquisitions and is a LEAN expert. Rohit is ACCA qualified and has a MBA in Finance from Oxford Brooks University.
- Jeremy SmithPartner
Jeremy has over 20 years of experience in procurement with a focus on savings delivery, transformation and change management. During this time he has delivered major international savings projects, transforming organisations outputs from, and approaches to, procurement in the Retail, Oil & Gas, Financial Services and Public sectors. He has a particular focus on Private Equity owned organisations.
- Mark EllisPartner
Mark Ellis has a wealth of knowledge and experience surrounding the procurement operating model, transformation, P2P optimisation, supplier engagement, savings delivery and managed services. With over 31 years’ experience in procurement and supply chain services in various demanding line, consultancy and project roles, in his Partner role, Mark helps drive transformational change for 4C’s clients.
- Steve HarrisonCTO
With over 15 years of experience and strong expertise in procurement technology and advanced analytics, Steve leads 4C’s development team which is focused on developing innovative software solutions to improve insight and release value from the procurement process. Steve has extensive experience in delivering sustainable cost reduction and EBITDA improvement programmes.
- Allison Ford-LangstaffPartner
A proven leader in Procurement and Supply Chain transformation with extensive experience in Telecoms, Manufacturing, Banking and Finance sectors. A recognised expert in the training & deployment of strategic category management with a real intuition for 'what works', layering pragmatic solutions to achieve business goals.
- Chris HerbertDirector
Chris Herbert has significant experience in project management, leading procurement functions consulting engagements, with 25 years of experience of line management and consultancy across multiple business sectors. Chris has strong leadership skills and a proven track record delivering sustainable value. Chris has successfully handled spends in excess of £250m and teams across 12 countries.
- Gavin Bowen-AshwinDirector
Gavin has over 14 years of consulting experience in procurement and supply chain, specialising in transformation and cost reduction in Retail, Consumer Products and Hospitality sectors. He has lead the transformation of FTSE 100 procurement functions and delivered savings from direct and indirect spend categories, taking an end to end value chain approach to reduce cost and improve margin.
- Andrew DavidsonDirector
Andrew has 16 years experience in both direct and indirect procurement having managed high performing procurement teams delivering multi-year managed services and cost reduction programs for a range of clients including Wilko, HEMA, Age UK, United Biscuits and BG
your industry and the challenges you face are not static.
neither are we.
Our depth and breadth of industry expertise ensures we can deliver effective business results across a wide range of sectors. We work with forward-thinking businesses who want to collaborate closely and implement long-term sustainable improvements together.
consumer goods
Our team’s vast range of senior experience at consumer goods and retail businesses gives us a unique understanding of the sector’s challenges.
We help consumer products companies improve EBITDA by optimising cost structures and transforming sourcing functions.
value proposition
We also work with leading retailers to maximise commercial performance through buying better and improve value delivery throughout the product chain, from raw material to consumption and disposal. Combining our knowledge of retail operations as well as our experience with consumer products organisations allows us to optimize the entire value chain through alignment and collaboration.
please contact
Consumer goods team
- insight
Our 4SCAN tool and data partnership with Mintec allows us to provide commercial insight and advice on your direct materials and/or ingredient sourcing / product formulations in order to enhance profitability from your supply chain, whilst protecting your customers and the consumers.
We use our 4RISK tool to proactively identify higher-risk suppliers within your value chain so you can develop mitigation strategies that safeguard your business.
- cost reduction
We focus on indirect spend areas such as marketing, logistics, MRO and factory ops, using tools and benchmarks to recommend rapid and sustainable cost reduction across your organisation.
Our Control > Optimise > Transform framework of improvement levers and bespoke 4SPEND analytics service will identify and implement improvements to your operations that reduces risk while protecting or enhancing the offer to your customer or the consumer.
- transformation
4C will help your business develop agile strategies for the provision of in-house indirect procurement across four key foundations: People, Process, Systems and Structure.
- service delivery
We can run procurement delivery for as many of your indirect spend categories as needed to help your business focus resources on commercial areas that have a greater impact on your growth and profitability. Often managed on a balanced scorecard approach, linked to commercial delivery, performance improvements and our relationship-based delivery, we take away the noise and give you back savings to re-invest in growth.
public sector
4C’s Public Sector team’s extensive knowledge and Chief Executive-level experience gives us a deep understanding of the sector’s rapidly changing nature, how to make the most of the opportunities that exist with the statutory regulations and the importance of customer, cost and culture.
value proposition
We help public sector organisations across Central Government, Local Authorities and the Health Sector improve front and back office services across their organisations. We also work with internal and external stakeholders and 3rd party suppliers to ensure total cost of ownership for the tax payer and the public purse.
4C are successfully on Consultancy 1, Consultancy2 and GCloud 11 frameworks.
please contact
Public Sector team
- insight
Insight-As-A-Service combines 4C’s procurement knowledge and public sector expertise with cutting-edge data analytics powered by AI and machine learning. Our light-touch integration process will allow your business to quickly identify opportunities to manage cost more effectively.
- cost reduction
We focus on indirect spend areas such as IT, facilities management, consultancy and resource management using tools and benchmarks to recommend rapid and sustainable cost reduction across your organisation.
Our Control > Optimise > Transform framework of improvement levers and bespoke 4SPEND analytics service will identify and implement improvements to your operations that reduces risk while protecting or enhancing the offer to your customer or the consumer.
We use a range of customised tools to manage, track and deliver robust and sustainable savings programmes, while systematically reviewing opportunities on the demand and supply side. Our familiarity with the OJEU process can deliver tangible cost efficiencies and more effective service delivery.
- transformation
Our expert teams, proven tools and methodology and third-party partners will help your business deliver effective and sustainable procurement transformation that achieve strategic goals for your people, processes and technology.
- service delivery
We can run procurement delivery for as many of your indirect spend categories as needed to help your business focus resources on operational areas and/or frontline services that have a greater impact on your growth and profitability. Often managed on a balanced scorecard approach, linked to commercial delivery, performance improvements and our relationship-based delivery, we take away the noise and give you back savings to re-invest in growth.
financial services
4C’s Financial Services team’s extensive knowledge and C-Suite experience with financial organisations gives us a deep understanding of the sector’s statutory requirements, the industry-wide drive for innovation and the importance of customer, cost and culture.
value proposition
We help multinational banks, challenger companies and insurance providers improve profitability and productivity by creating more efficient and sustainable supply chains and providing valuable insights into risk remediation.
please contact
Financial services team
- insight
Insight-As-A-Service combines 4C’s procurement knowledge and financial sector expertise with cutting-edge data analytics powered by AI and machine learning. Our technology helps clients to identify opportunities to manage cost. In addition, we help clients to manage their supply base effectively in line with regulatory requirements.
- cost reduction
We focus on indirect spend areas such as IT, facilities management, consultancy and resource management using tools and benchmarks to recommend rapid and sustainable cost reduction across your organisation.
Our Control ?> Optimise > Transform framework of improvement levers and bespoke 4SPEND analytics service will identify and implement improvements to your operations that reduces risk while protecting or enhancing the offer to your customer or the consumer.
- transformation
Our expert teams and proven tools and methodology will help your business deliver effective and sustainable transformations that achieve strategic goals for your people, processes and technology. We work with independent third-parties to examine supply chain risk and how best to deal with the latest statutory requirements.
4C and the Bank of England recently won the Go Award for Procurement Leadership as recognition of transformation across the Bank.
- service delivery
We can run procurement delivery for as many of your indirect spend categories as needed to help your business focus resources on operational areas and/or frontline services that have a greater impact on your growth and profitability. Often managed on a balanced scorecard approach, linked to commercial delivery, performance improvements and our relationship-based delivery, we take away the noise and give you back savings to re-invest in growth or other complementary services.
energy
Our team’s vast range of senior experience in the energy industry gives us a unique understanding of the sector’s challenges, rapidly changing nature and the need to balance cost savings with safety and compliance.
value proposition
Whether you are involved in the exploration and production of oil and gas, retail, integrated supply of energy or renewables, we will help your business deliver efficiencies in production, manage spend, contain costs and take advantage of new procurement technologies.
please contact
Energy team
- insight
Insight-As-A-Service combines 4C’s procurement knowledge and energy industry expertise with cutting-edge data analytics powered by AI and machine learning. Our technology will allow your business to quickly identify opportunities to manage cost more effectively.
- cost reduction
4C’s procurement, supply chain, business transformation, Lean and Six-Sigma experts, supported by project management and analysis specialists, use a range of customised tools to manage, track and deliver robust and sustainable savings programmes, while systematically reviewing opportunities on the demand and supply side.
- transformation
Our expert teams, proven tools and methodology and third-party partners will help your business deliver effective and sustainable procurement transformation that achieve strategic goals for your people, processes and technology.
- service delivery
We can run procurement delivery for as many of your indirect spend categories as needed to help your business focus resources on operational areas that have a greater impact on your growth and profitability. Often managed on a balanced scorecard approach, linked to commercial delivery, performance improvements and our relationship-based delivery, we take away the noise and give you back savings to re-invest in growth.
private equity
Our team creates value and EBITDA improvements in Private Equity, that go beyond cost savings and financial benefits. Our focus is on maximising working capital, margin improvements and EBITDA growth, using demand and supply levers to holistically manage spend.
value proposition
Spend management is a crucial element in all stages of the deal cycle and using a holistic approach to manage spend is quicker and more effective at achieving cost targets. We conduct 360° reviews of all non-payroll spend and then work to rapidly address cost and increase value through our tried and tested two-prong approach of demand and supply levers. Our framework for managing, optimising, and re-engineering costs is focused on key cost angles, including product, demand, supply and organisation.
please contact
Private Equity Team
- insight as a service
Insight-As-A-Service combines 4C’s procurement knowledge and public sector expertise with cutting-edge data analytics powered by AI and machine learning. Our light-touch integration process will allow your business to quickly identify opportunities to manage cost more effectively.
- cost reduction
We focus on indirect spend areas such as IT, facilities management, consultancy and resource management using tools and benchmarks to recommend rapid and sustainable cost reduction across your organisation.
Our Control ?> Optimise > Transform framework of improvement levers and bespoke 4SPEND analytics service will identify and implement improvements to your operations that reduces risk while protecting or enhancing the offer to your customer or the consumer.
- transformation
Our expert teams, proven tools and methodology and third-party partners will help your business deliver effective and sustainable procurement transformation that achieve strategic goals for your people, processes and technology.
- service delivery
We can run procurement delivery for as many of your indirect spend categories as needed to help your business focus resources on operational areas and/or frontline services that have a greater impact on your growth and profitability. Often managed on a balanced scorecard approach, linked to commercial delivery, performance improvements and our relationship-based delivery, we take away the noise and give you back savings to re-invest in growth or other complementary services.
retail
Our team combines extensive knowledge and experience with the latest process and technology innovations to provide our clients with transformative solutions and sustainable commercial outcomes. We focus on consumer, cost and culture to empower delivery of better results through innovative, new ways and approaches.
value proposition
We challenge the status quo to improve our customers’ proposition through better cost and margin outcomes. Our expertise lies in buying and ranging better through combining customer focus, data insights and commercial acumen at a pace beyond the reach of typical retail teams. Several decades of legacy in GNFR and supply chain management means that we are true experts in optimising cost to serve. We help businesses manage margin pressures and improve end-to-end supply chain processes, delivering hard hitting in-year savings with fees tied to the outcome to ensure our team is driven to achieve exceptional results.
please contact
Retail team
- insight
Our 4Sight technology suite provides real-time access to market-leading analytics, allowing you to use the latest commercial insights to make fast, fact-based decisions to drive margin enhancement.
By applying our learning algorithms to your raw data, we generate clear, interactive visualisations of those insights, trends and opportunities that will:
- inform your category strategies
- lead supplier negotiations
- support range planning
- streamline reporting
- help you celebrate your successes.
Finally, our project management and reporting suite ensures performance remains on track to deliver.
- COGS reduction and margin enhancement
Our Retail team combines customer focus with fresh data insights to enable fact-based commercial decision making enabling us to advance our clients commercial capability to the next level. Our approaches include:
- end-to-end value chain strategic sourcing
- increasing competitive tension
- driving value from long term supplier relationships
- product engineering to release margin from the COGS base
- cost to serve optimisation
With several decades of GNFR and supply chain management experience on our team we are true experts in optimising your cost to serve. We drive value by looking at:
- end-to-end logistics flows
- packaging reduction/optimisation from a whole margin approach – not just intake-margin
- GNFR cost optimisation
- inventory management to optimise working capital
- sales growth
We use data and insight-driven solutions to maximise your commercial effectiveness from buying activity and to optimise range, pricing and promotional effectiveness in COGS activity.
healthcare & pharma
4C’s healthcare team has board level experience with healthcare providers and healthcare device manufactures. We work with the NHS in delivering value for money and to ensure Trusts can focus on customer care. 4C are working with pharmaceutical and healthcare organisations to focus on product development, cost management , service continuity and risk within the supply chain.
In a fast-moving sector organisations must work collaboratively with their supply chains to drive innovation, test the commerciality and speed to market. The organisations we work with must work flexibly to support the business in this goal, getting medicines int the market, whilst providing commercial vigor to add value to the top and bottom line
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value proposition
Our practitioners provide direct and indirect procurement support, leveraging their extensive market knowledge and experience to bring fresh insight to manage costs through the end to end value chain. In addition to cost out, we support organisations to transform their procurement capability, ensuring it’s fit for purpose, has a defined role and truly adds value when working collaboratively with supply chain.
To assist the public sector healthcare challenges, we can provide support via Consultancy 1, Consultancy2, Bloom and GCloud frameworks.
please contact healthcare and pharmaceuticals team
procurement transformation for a global medical devices manufacturer
- industry Medical devices
- turnover $17bn
- location Europe
- business challenge
Following a recent acquisition, the client was experiencing challenges managing their Accounts Payable function, with a backlog of unpaid invoices and difficulty meeting payment on time KPIs. 4C were engaged to deliver a continuous improvement project, identifying and driving Purchase-to-Pay process efficiencies.
- our approach
- We worked with the Procurement and Finance teams to document the current Purchase-to-Pay process and establish opportunities for improvement.
- By transforming the client’s Accounts Payable metrics and data management, we were able to identify previously unaddressed bottlenecks.
- After aligning our proposals with the steering committee, we rolled them out globally.
- We developed a future P2P roadmap for the client, making a business case for how they could transform their buying channels, implement eInvoicing and improve their cash management.
value delivered
- +20% improvement in payment on time
- -11% reduction in invoice backlog
- Global adoption of:
- Enhanced P2P dashboard & reporting structure
- Process and policy improvements
please contact healthcare and pharmaceuticals team
process improvement for global medical devices manufacturer
- industry Medical devices
- turnover $17bn
- location Europe
- business challenge
Leverage existing data sources and improve reporting on transactional data to include spend, PTP metrics and invoices in order to provide meaningful insights that lead to actionable steps to capture benefits on savings and operational efficiency.
- our approach
- Extensive analysis of indirect & direct material spend to determine complexity of “as is” situation.
- Built business case; foundation was increase of spend visibility derived from harmonised vendor and material group structure. Reduction of PO’s, invoices and better vendor management.
- Develop dashboard using data from multiple source systems of SAP, Coupa and Concur to provide management reporting.
value delivered
- Stakeholder engagement and satisfaction increased, measured on survey.
- Clear reporting and meaningful management actions provided on monthly basis.
- Savings opportunities identified for each Procurement Category.
- PO compliance and usage increased by 15%
- Invoice payment on time increased by 20%
please contact healthcare and pharmaceuticals team
Royal Free London, NHS Foundation Trust
- industry Healthcare
- turnover £140.4bn
- location UK
- business challenge
As COVID-19 pandemic escalated trusts needed an accurate way to determine PPE demand, at a healthcare provision level, and model demand as the virus spreads. Trusts needed sector-wide visibility of PPE stock levels by health and care setting and reduce the risk of delays in delivery and stock outages of key items.
- our approach
- Developed and rolled out a PPE Demand Planning Model to enable sector-wide visibility of PPE stock levels by health and care setting
- Model considers all major provider & community trusts and primary and social care organisations, by health and care setting, reporting stock levels, and level of need, including patient numbers
- Covers a full range of PPE equipment, and gives the trust visibility of required PPE lines, so senior leadership can raise queries centrally at Regional/National level.
value delivered
- Defined process and templates to quickly systemise and automate data collection
- Centralised and data driven demand forecast
- Accurate volumes at healthcare setting level
- Reduce the risk of delays in delivery and stock outages
please contact healthcare and pharmaceuticals team
our services
We act as true partners to our clients.
By gaining a deep and personal understanding of our clients’ business and goals, our teams develop custom procurement solutions and business strategies that deliver both immediate and long-term benefits.
insight
Insight-As-A-Service combines 4C’s procurement knowledge and specific sector expertise with cutting-edge data analytics powered by AI and machine learning. We provide a range of focused applications that support the sourcing life cycle to manage projects, spend, contracts or risk. In addition, our consultants bring a combination of domain expertise and technology skills to support clients on bespoke analytics projects.
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the problem
Whether your objective is improving data visibility and transparency, finding better ways of managing risk and compliance, enhancing profitability and performance or identifying savings opportunities, generating reliable prescriptive analytics is one of the biggest challenges procurement departments are facing nowadays. 4C will support you throughout the process of turning complex, unformatted and incomplete datasets into valuable and actionable insights.
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our solution
Our team of procurement and analytics experts specialise in combining datasets into a single all-encompassing model. We build a data architecture that automates tasks and generates reports through deployment of both bespoke and off-the-shelf interfaces, putting insights at your fingertips thanks to the embedded procurement knowledge and analytical capability.
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your benefit
When everyone at your business can access a single, reliable data source, they can spend more time on real ’value-add’ activities. The 4C Analytics Toolsuite will help you be more effective through a range of data-driven decision support tools, which maximizes your profitability and general business efficiency.
please contact the Insight team – request a free diagnostic
challenging Turkish towel supplier for a large dutch multinational retailer
- industry retail
- turnover €1.1bn
- location europe
- business challenge
A Turkish towel manufacturer was pressuring our retail client for a 10% price increase across all cotton towels. The supplier was rightfully arguing there was a +34% increase of cotton prices.
- our approach
4SCAN took into consideration: commodity prices, labour rates, inflation, currency impact, volumes, margin analysis and other cost drivers.
- our findings
The supplier was omitting an appreciating Turkish Lira against USD (our client’s payment currency). The supplier was gaining up to 27% on FX which more than compensated for the loss driven by the increase in cotton prices.
value delivered
4SCAN simplified the buyer’s job to research all cost drivers including currency, inflation and raw material trends. The retailer challenged the supplier with fact-based analysis, triggering discussions to find cost reduction opportunities.
please contact the Insight team – request a free diagnostic
transformation and cost reduction programme for leading european retailer
- industry retail
- turnover €1.1bn
- location europe
- business challenge
The board hired 4C to run a holistic transformation of the GFR procurement function covering sourcing processes, strategic category planning and savings delivery. GFR included hardgoods, textiles and food procurement.
- our approach
We undertook a full spend diagnostic to understand buying cycles, maturity of procurement execution and process effectiveness. We carried out a deep-dive at category and sub-category level followed by thorough opportunity validation process.
- our findings
4SPEND allowed our teams to identify in each category multiple projects from short-term cash collection to long-term value delivery with an unprecedented accuracy and efficiently.
value delivered
New global procurement structure aligning all entities, full process redesign and upskilling of procurement community (200+ employees)
Advanced should-cost modelling enabling greater negotiating leverage and increased savings
please contact the Insight team – request a free diagnostic
implementing the 4Margin platform in a large British retailer
- industry retail
- turnover €1.1bn
- location europe
- business challenge
As part of a margin improvement project we were challenged to equip buyers and consultants with the tools and insights they needed to inform key strategic decisions and provide them with the insights needed to deliver a £12m project
- our approach
Working with buyers, we developed and deployed a platform that provided key commercial information at their fingertips and provided the ability to isolate anomalies to develop negotiation strategies that drove improvement.
- our findings
We used our 4MARGIN tool to quickly identify margin dilutive and low value products, to drive negotiations using margin gap analysis & to facilitate strategic decisions.
value delivered
4Margin allowed buyers & consultants to access all the essential commercial information and drilling down high levels to the granular, as well as a suite of tools for negotiations, range modelling and sku performance.
please contact the Insight team – request a free diagnostic
cost modelling and benchmark pricing for a large European retailer
- industry retail
- turnover €1.9bn
- location uk
- business challenge
Declining sales prompted a range review that aimed to increase revenue through product innovation. Procurement was challenged to manage product costs to ensure profitability whilst meeting quality expectations.
- our approach
Following detailed analysis we focused on improving and standardising specifications – using cost modelling and benchmark pricing to support supplier negotiation.
- findings of tool
We used our tool to analyse and identify margin dilutive products. Specification was identified as the most effective lever for negotiation.
value delivered
- Savings delivery of ~ €200K
- Designed profitability into new products
- Product cost reduction of approximately 18%
- Improved time-to-market speed
- Greater visibility of key cost drivers and supply risks
please contact the Insight team – request a free diagnostic
cost reduction
We understand the pressure businesses are under to deliver against budgets and exceed stakeholder expectations. Our cost reduction teams work closely with clients, developing innovative solutions to cost challenges that deliver tangible results.
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the problem
Increasing price pressures coming from both raw materials and increasing overheads is regularly cited as the number one business concern. Resource-strapped procurement teams are under huge pressure to maintain spend under management while mitigating external factors that are driving high costs and lower margins.
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our solution
Our cost reduction service provides clear visibility of your category spend and generates actionable insights using tools, costing models and benchmarks to recommend rapid and sustainable cost reduction across your organisation.
Our Control > Optimise > Transform framework of ‘cost out’ and ‘value in’ procurement levers and bespoke 4SPEND analytics service will identify opportunities for unlocking new value. Our experienced team of procurement practitioners will then work closely with your stakeholders to create an appropriate plan of action.
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your benefit
Our procurement practitioners give your business access to a vast range of experience in driving tangible results. We use methodologies tried and tested with clients across all sectors and geographies but customise them to align with the specific needs of your business. Together, we’ll track the results of our procurement enhancements using simple, interactive dashboards and ensure we consistently deliver EBITDA improvements.
please contact Cost Reduction team
European general merchandise retailer
- industry retail
- turnover £550m
- location europe
Accelerated savings delivery programme covering all areas of indirect spend.
- business challenge
The food market in operates on tight profit margins and is extremely competitive. 4C was first selected to work on a targeted savings programme which after delivering significant quick wins, 4C was chosen to provide a second generation outsource to deliver longer term strategic initiatives. The subsequent steps of the collaboration has seen both companies work together to move the current project beyond tactical procurement and into true cost transformation.
- our approach
- Worked with the senior leadership team over a 4 week period to build and validate a robust opportunity assessment.
- Built and executed a multi-workstream programme of 30 sourcing and demand management projects in 8 months.
- Engaged stakeholder community with robust comms plan to change perceptions.
- Programme extended for 3 years
value delivered
- 19% savings on 3rd party expenditure.
- Attributed with helping develop a culture of cost consciousness right across the company.
- Improved the profitability of the company and made it more attractive for external investment.
please contact Cost Reduction team
UK wine and spirits retailer
- industry retail
- turnover £250m
- location uk/usa
GFR and GNFR Cost Review Program
- business challenge
A leading UK retailer, specialising in fine wines with 211 stores across the country. In 2015, the business acquired an online wine retailer. The retailer had a budget deficit of circa £1m in year and were introducing budget challenges for the next financial year. 4C were chosen to conduct a full cost review of the GNFR and GFR spend to identify the areas of opportunity for both organisations.
- our approach
Opportunity Diagnostic
- deep dive review of budgets and contracts vs 4C benchmarks and validation workshops held with stakeholders
- identified savings of £2.1m against a GNFR spend of £19m
GNFR
- implemented a multi-category strategy approach across all BUs, with market reviews
- RFxs/eAuctions and supplier negotiation
GFR
- ran supplier partnership programme across non-core ranges, generating efficiency enhancements and improved way of working
value delivered
- exceeded savings target significantly by 62% – £3.4m vs £2.1m
- increased control across the organisation by implementing PSLs and framework agreements
- implemented supplier efficiency savings by consolidating the supplier base across both organisations
- built internal credibility for procurement
please contact Cost Reduction team
European food manufacturer
- industry food
- turnover £2bn
- location uk/europe
Cost reduction focussed managed service covering all areas of indirect spend
- business challenge
The food market in operates on tight profit margins and is extremely competitive. 4C was first selected to work on a targeted savings programme which after delivering significant quick wins, 4C was chosen to provide a second generation outsource to deliver longer term strategic initiatives. The subsequent steps of the collaboration has seen both companies work together to move the current project beyond tactical procurement and into true cost transformation.
- our approach
Outcome based framework centred around two core service streams:
- Category Management for Indirect Spend:
- strategic sourcing
- RFx/e-Auctions
- supplier Relationship Management
- Cost Transformation Projects, including:
- in-sourcing/Outsourcing
- range reviews
- supply chain mapping
- process re-design
- Category Management for Indirect Spend:
value delivered
- exceeded savings targets in the first two years (by 8.5 per cent and 15.5 per cent)
- overseen major changes to business structure, reporting methods, changes to client systems and policies
- built director level relationships across Indirect portfolio
- built internal credibility to allow strategic non-procurement cost base focussed projects to be launched
please contact Cost Reduction team
"4C have been working with United Biscuits since 2009 and have enabled a step change from procurement savings to delivering cost transformation. The team 4C put in place has over-delivered on all objectives and proved themselves to be constant innovators; always looking for processes to optimise or leading edge technology to deploy. We are extremely pleased with the results achieved and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them."Edward Fuchs, (former) Group Procurement Director when company known as United Biscuits
UK general merchandise retailer
- industry retail
- turnover £1.6bn
- location uk
COGS Reduction and Margin improvement programme
- business challenge
A top 10 national general merchandise retailer with over 400 stores selling a mix of branded and private label products. Following an 8-week diagnostic, we were engaged to deliver ambitious cost reduction and margin improvement targets. Lack of access to commercial data and a core sourcing capability was not identifying alternative suppliers restricting competitive tension. Core suppliers not treated consistently and key category decisions lacked customer / market insight
- our approach
- built a wave plan of activity with each of the category leads that balanced buying better, product mix and trading strategy
- reviewed all spend areas against 4C Retail procurement levers to each sub category to understand potential scope for deployment
- agreed timelines and benefits phasings for 200+ projects ensuring alignment to Right Customer Choice
- agreed Baseline and Savings methodology for each project to show how benefits will be measured and tracked
- ensure governance in place so client and consultancy team deliver to plan
value delivered
- CGM improvement of 1% in year 1 with an incremental 2% for year 2
- incumbent team challenged with new approaches to sourcing challenges and new ways of preparing for negotiations
- delivered dashboard toolkit that put data at the fingertips ensuring data-based decision making
please contact Cost Reduction team
business transformation
As organisations transform themselves or their services, they have an opportunity to change the interaction and alignment of the procurement function within the business and its supply chain. Transformation can:
- create disruption, value and deliver on the overall business strategy
- move procurement to or from a decentralised or centralised function
- integrate the function to achieve the business goals
- include people, process and technology enablement
- include the ‘make or buy’ options to deliver more value
- be agnostic across all e-enablement platforms
- drive automation and standardisation across a business
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the problem
At 4C we understand the challenges our clients face with procurement transformation, which can include:
- a poor performing function
- misalignment with the goals of the organisation
- lack of controls and governance
- poor data visibility
- poor performing suppliers with little innovation
- low internal or external engagement
- culture issues
- high cost of service
- lack of agility
- inability to support wider strategic challenges
- inability to drive and enable sustainable change internally or across the supply chain.
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our solution
We use systematic methodologies, tools and techniques to recommend focus areas to our clients so they can improve control, performance and understanding of business needs, understand how to become a high performing function and align operating models and culture to deliver the business goals.
Our 9-box model for operating model design, standard people development templates and change management methodologies enable and deliver sustainable benefits, while 4Spend and 4Tracker tools put data and insights at our clients’ fingertips.
Our teams have supported global organisations with their vision, strategy and operating model, while ensuring their people are mapped against the correct strategic categories, leveraging local and Global Procurement Services teams to execute contracting and sourcing.
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your benefit
We will provide diagnostic and ambition setting, transformation design and planning and rapid implementation solutions that allow your business to:
- enhance capabilities and focus capacity
- move to a controlled environment
- focus on goals
- support front, middle and back office functions and
- change the culture to drive and enable internal change
- deliver sustainable change within the supply chain
These benefits will maximize your profitability, deliver business efficiency, while empowering your staff and supply chain.
please contact Transformation team
multi-national energy and utility company
- industry energy
- location multinational
A British multinational energy and utility company supplying electricity and gas to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and North America.
- business challenge
4C was selected and brought in to map to existing procurement operating model and recommend a TOM design and associated benefits for its people, process and technology
- our approach
- mapped out existing operating model end to end using five S2P processes
- conducted an in-depth analysis of current design implications and identified opportunities, challenges and pain points
- continuous engagement with senior leadership with regards to progress and direction of overall diagnostic
- delivered recommendation for the Target Operating Model and implementation planning
value delivered
- identified increased value for business partners through SRM and close co-operation with BUs
- simpler more agile organisation with increased compliance to company policy
- global target operating model being adopted in 5 business units; standardising the ways of working
please contact Transformation team
development of PSCM common processes in E&P
- industry energy
- location multinational
BP is one of the world’s leading integrated oil and gas companies. We provide customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, lubricants to keep engines moving, and the petrochemicals products used to make everyday items as diverse as paints, clothes and packaging.
- business challenge
Incorporating best practices and standardising the way procurement is undertaken in a global organisation.
- our approach
- Working as part of a combine internal and external team, we reviewed all the current ways of working across the Business Units (BUs)
- Building in external best practices as well as academic insight to develop a common process throughout the procurement lifecycle
- Testing across all regions and category types
- Training and education plan developed to communicate new process and upskill existing staff in new approaches
value delivered
- Single common process developed
- Handbook and templates developed to communicate new processes
- IT tool specified to automate common process
- Training programme developed to roll-out new process
please contact Transformation team
UK specialist lender and savings bank
- industry banking
- location united kingdom
Recommendation for a new procurement policy and target operating model.
A UK challenger bank focused on savings and lending for SMEs, homeowners, landlords and individuals.
- business challenge
Aldermore has grown rapidly and recognised the need to understand their expenditure profile, provide clear management information on the supply base and to transform procurement. We were initially engaged to provide visibility of their spend which led to us reviewing their procurement function and providing options on the new operating model, including outsourcing.
- our approach
- developed spend as service to understand Aldermore’s 3rd party expenditure
- conducted a 10 week diagnostic to understand the ‘as-is’ position and propose a new operating model and developed a new policy, processes and procedures
- provided team resources into the bank’s procurement function to accelerate material contract remediation
- develop a training & development plan for the function and an option to outsource.
value delivered
- a new service to provide real-time data on their supply base
- recommendation of target operating model along with a new procurement policy, 5 key procedures and over 300 process steps, all incorporating business feedback
- accelerated contract remediation and agreed longer term support for delivery of plans
please contact Transformation team
multi-national currency exchange service
- industry foreign exchange
- location global
Outsourced procurement solution. Travelex is a global foreign exchange company with a significant presence in APAC, North American and Europe. Travelex employs over 6,500 people and serves over 37m customers per year.
- business challenge
When Travelex brought us in there was no internal procurement team with all sourcing undertaken by operational staff in an ad-hoc, uncoordinated way.
We needed to build credibility for a procurement function and once this was achieved, we became the outsourced procurement provider.
- our approach
Our key deliverable was to building trust in the value procurement can add. We focused on OPEX savings with improve EBITDA but also supported a large IT CAPEX project. We adopted:
- category approach to build relationships
- implemented a cross functional common sourcing process
- use of e-Sourcing software
- deployment of procurement policy to support performance improvement, risk mitigation and cost reduction
value delivered
We provided a core fixed team which was supplemented by category experts as and when expertise was required.
- >6% indirect savings of addressable spend in Year 1 and 2
- implementation of spend analysis
- full supplier risk analysis programme
- contract novation during divestment
please contact Transformation team
service delivery
Our service delivery teams are experts in all aspects of procurement, including the latest tools and processes. We work closely with your team to understand your specific business priorities in order to continually deliver excellent and sustainable value.
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the problem
Our clients are engaged in a wide variety of activities across constantly changing environments. Delivering effective performance often requires a diverse range of experience and knowledge that’s difficult to maintain in-house. The resulting low productivity levels, costly service delivery and frustrated resources means the company is unable to keep its talent focused on key business matters.
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our solution
We provide our clients with a flexible workforce that have the specific skills and deep category expertise to meet the current challenges and can scale easily to cope with changing demand.
They are supported by innovative tools and processes, as well our wealth of general procurement delivery knowledge and strong analytics and transactional capability that can be delivered remotely by our centre-of-excellence or directly at client locations.
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your benefit
When you have instant access to the right skill, resources, tools and processes to deal with your procurement challenges, you can focus your internal capabilities on other difference-making goals that make best use of their talents. Our teams stay up to date with the latest trends and developments across multiple sectors and will pass on fresh insights and ideas to your business.
please contact Service delivery team
marketing procurement managed services
- industry food
- location europe
Nomad Foods Europe is a leading packaged foods company. Through an acquirin business model, they own a global portfolio of best-in-class food companies and brands within the frozen category and across the broader food sector.
- business challenge
4C were engaged to provide a Best in Class strategy to rationalise and future proof the communication supplier base for clients. Key areas include improving commercial terms, flexibility to substitute supply base, transformation of services, transparency of service provision, accountable risk and reward fee structures and the update of contract terms to reflect proliferation in digital services, IP and regulation.
- our approach
Category Diagnostic
- Produced full category overview
- Data driven diagnostic to identify key opportunity areas
Market Engagement
- Utilisation of key business areas to ensure maximum efficiency
- Engagement of key client stakeholders to surpass expectations
European outreach & Acquisition flexibility
- Establish and provide stable Supply Chain foundation for business fluidity.
- Consolidation and strategic overview of new European acquisitions.
- Central sourcing projects
- Local sourcing projects
value delivered
Category savings to date:
- Savings between 3-6% year on year
- Streamlined the category and provided flexibility to suit business acquisition model
- Built internal credibility with the executive board for review and implantation of strategic European project
please contact Service delivery team
contingent workforce onboarding
- industry oil and gas
- location uk/netherlands
Royal Dutch Shell plc, is a British-Dutch oil and gas company headquartered in the Netherlands and incorporated in the United Kingdom. It is one of the six oil and gas “supermajors” and the sixth-largest company in the world measured by 2016 revenues.
- business challenge
Get control over contractors by migrating individuals of commercial or talent interest into a contingent workforce solution. Challenges to be dealt with include: high turnover of contractors, large distribution across 100+ legal entities or manual intensive work.
- our approach
- Develop tailored onboarding reporting solution via PowerQuery
- Define information management process to assure data consistency and integrity
- Set up workflows to minimize errors or manual work
- Conceptualize methodology and logic behind onboarding parameters
- Assure project success by developing and tracking forecast
value delivered
- Reporting SLA reduced from 8hrs to 1hrs per week
- Forecast up to 90% accurate
- State of the art reporting solution, improving significantly transparency and control over population
- Shifted excel type solutions to professional PowerQuery and PowerBI
- Standard process with consistent methodology across all project
- Reporting charts refreshed automatically
please contact Service delivery team
contingent workforce spend analysis
- industry oil and gas
- location uk/netherlands
Royal Dutch Shell plc, is a British-Dutch oil and gas company headquartered in the Netherlands and incorporated in the United Kingdom. It is one of the six oil and gas “supermajors” and the sixth-largest company in the world measured by 2016 revenues.
- business challenge
Analyse control contingent workforce related spend. Large data volumes and complex structure of different ERP systems disrupt reporting over spend.
- our approach
- Develop tailored made spend analysis tool via PowerBI
- Set up automatic updates
- Define security control features via Row Level Security specifications
- Consolidate data via PowerQuery
value delivered
- Automated reporting solution incorporating millions of rows of data
- State of the art interactive dashboards
- Improved accessibility and distribution of data reports
- Secure solution with rigorous control of data access or extract
please contact Service delivery team
4Tracker provides accurate project tracking and savings reporting
- industry food
- location europe
Pladis, previously known as United Biscuits, is one of the world’s pre-eminent branded snacks businesses. The company produces some of the best known and loved sweet and savoury snacks, with products ranging from biscuits and crackers to cakes and savoury snacks. The portfolio of brands includes McVitie’s, Jacob’s, Carr’s, Jaffa Cakes, Verkade, and Delacre.
- business challenge
With a hundred plus projects across dozens of categories and sub-categories it was important to be able to communicate the in-year savings reliably for the client’s internal procurement reporting including milestone measures.
- our approach
- Implementation of the 4Tracker tool to manage procurement projects
- The 4Tracker database is updated by 4C with pladis having read access
- All of the UK and NE teams use 4Tracker as the single project management tool
- This provides pladis with consistency of reporting across all UK and NE
- Monthly Spend Area Forum (SAF) meetings are informed by 4Tracker
- Reporting can be by exception for quickness as well as individual project updates to take each category director through the recent project progress
value delivered
Close working relationships between both Procurement and the categories have underpinned improved supplier performance and significant cost reduction of a regular compounded 3% saving each year on total spend, equating to 8% savings on managed spend
please contact Service delivery team
"4C have enabled a step change from procurement savings to delivering cost transformation. The team 4C put in place has over-delivered on all objectives and proved themselves to be constant innovators; always looking for processes to optimise or leading edge technology to deploy. We are extremely pleased with the results achieved and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them"Edward Fuchs, (former) Group Procurement Director
4C careers
4C’s success and growth is fuelled by our people. We understand that our people are our greatest asset, and that the environment and culture we foster will determine our future success.
4C Associates is a dynamic, fast-growing and diverse procurement consultancy. We provide expertise across all areas of cost transformation and procurement, for leading organisations in all market sectors.
Our international presence, combined with our fresh approach & deep expertise in providing tailored solutions enables our clients to meet their strategic goals, ranging from rapid profit improvement to long term business transformation.
Our success depends on the capability, commitment and dedication of our employees. We recruit only the highest calibre individuals.
please contact
4C careers team
- Our approach
– A highly professional multi-disciplined team bringing a wealth of experience from industry, procurement, strategy consulting and finance
– A focus on offering long-term solutions to deliver actionable insights and sustainable benefit
– Commercial agreements aligned to the delivery of profit improvements
– A flexible and innovative approach taking into account the very latest developments across all markets and sectors
4C offer
On joining 4C Associates you will become part of a dynamic team and enjoy the benefits of positive career progressing opportunities and a host of great social benefits and activities our employees participate in.
your move
4C is a fast-growing consultancy. If you believe you have the necessary skills to join our team please get in touch
please contact
4C careers team
- your career aspirations
- 4C offer the opportunity to work with a highly professional and multi-disciplined consulting team.
- You will gain experience across multiple industries from FMCG, Oil & Gas to Retail & Leisure both in the UK and overseas.
- Opportunity to develop your strategic procurement expertise across a diverse range of categories, deepening category specific knowledge or broadening exposure to new categories.
- Mentoring and support is provided both externally and by our in-house subject matter experts is offered.
- 4C management will maximise your development through continuous mentoring and review opportunities. Internal and external networking opportunities are available to all employees. – remove this line completely
- Business development input is encouraged at all levels in the business.
- Training and development is provided to maximise your personal potential and development within 4C. Fast track career opportunities are real at 4C for high performers – your hard work will be rewarded!
- our culture
- At 4C we encourage a good work life balance, achieved through colleague collaboration and a strong support structure.
- We operate an open-door policy with access to all members of the business – encouraging communication at all levels.
- All employees are invited to the monthly company update to understand companywide projects and business developments.
- Frequent meetings with your personal development manager are offered to ensure your career aspirations are clearly understood and any concerns are being addressed.
- Corporate & social responsibility days are organised to help charities and the community.
- Regular social events & team building days are arranged.
- “Friday Bakery” we all deserve a treat in the office at the end of the week!
4C opportunities
As a result of growth in demand for our expertise, 4C is regularly looking for outstanding individuals to join our team. We look for individuals at all levels who have the potential to progress to leadership roles within our company.
Applicants should be flexible to work with consulting teams at client sites across the UK and abroad. Please review our key roles and opportunities listed for more details.
Your move
4C is a fast growing consultancy so there are many opportunities for people to join our team. Take a look at some of our roles listed here.
If you believe you have the necessary skills to join our team please get in touch – we want to here from you.
please contact
4C careers team
- Graduate opportunities
4C offer a variety of internship schemes as well as opportunities for new graduates. These positions are aimed at candidates with excellent analytical skills, commercial awareness, great communication skills and an enthusiasm to develop a career in procurement consulting.
As a result of growth in demand for our expertise, 4C is regularly looking for outstanding individuals to join our team. We look for individuals at all levels who have the potential to progress to leadership roles within our company.
Applicants should be flexible to work with consulting teams at client sites across the UK and abroad.
Please review our key roles and opportunities listed for more details. - Analysts
Analysts at 4C join our Centre of Excellence and provide support across a diverse range of projects. You will provide analytical support while developing procurement and consulting expertise.
A comprehensive training and development plan is devised to support your growth and development into consulting roles. Positions are aimed at graduates, or candidates with initial professional experience. We look for strong analytical capability, good communication & presentation skills and ambition to develop a career in procurement consulting.
- Consultants
Consultants and Senior Consultants are responsible for successfully delivering significant elements of major client projects. The role involves the proactive identification and implementation of cost reductions and performance improvements. Consultants should have first class analytical skills, excellent stakeholder management skills and ideally previous experience in a procurement, supply chain or performance improvement role.
- Managers and Senior Management
Managers at 4C are responsible for leading a diverse range of complex and challenging client engagements in procurement and transformation. Projects typically involve the proactive identification and delivery of major cost reductions and performance improvements for our clients. We look for highly skilled procurement professionals to fulfil these positions.
Centre of Excellence
The 4C Centre of Excellence provides a platform for a structured induction process.
We focus on developing your skills and enhancing your expertise, and you will
- join a multi-client facing team delivering service to internal and external clients
- participate in a tailored training programme
- work alongside other analyst colleagues
- expand your client facing time as your experience grows
please contact
Agnieszka Abbott
- Capability focus
At our team workshops we focus on developing 4C capabilities to help us build the best practice ‘4C Way’ in all services we provide. We develop templates, processes, standard ways of working and shape relevant technology to support our activities
- Business support
- We streamline the process flow to allow more efficient work allocations in handling clients’ requests
- We built an in-house technology platform for managing work requests and efficiently assigning resources
- We created our own feedback app for capturing our satisfaction scores
- The member spotlight
Maria Slimpa joined the Centre of Excellence recently – “As a new 4C joiner, being part of the CoE team helped me get a better understanding of the company’s focus by participating in and assisting various projects. Through that I learnt new tools and improved my technical skills. Additionally, I got to meet many people within 4C and get a better grasp of the different business sectors that the company has projects in.”
our insights
Our client engagements, events calendar, structured research programmes and extensive subject matter expertise has helped us develop deep insights into procurement, supply chain management and profit improvement.
latest insights
UK office
+44 (0)20 7605 16005th Floor Kings House,
174 Hammersmith Road,
London W6 7JP
Netherlands office
Olympia 2D,1213 NT Hilversum,
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