Transformation Archives

Digital Procurement: Saving our Government’s Systems

Some 25% of government systems are outdated, according to findings from DSIT (2025) - contributing to an estimated cost of £45 billion a year to the taxpayer. If optimised correctly, technology in public sector procurement can enhance transparency, accelerate strategic decision-making, secure sensitive data and soften long-term cost to the taxpayer.

Digital Transformation

One of the world’s leading medical products and technologies companies engaged 4C to drive end-to-end efficiencies across their procurement function through a multi-phase, multi-year transformation. The key objective was to transition transactional business process to their three global shared services centres, whilst automating processes and enhancing user-experience.

Cut Smarter, Spend Better: How Zero-Based-Everything Redefines Procurement Efficiency

In today’s economic reality, traditional strategies like incremental savings or across-the-board reductions are just too slow, too blunt, and too superficial to cope with these pressures. Simply put: leaders can no longer rely on yesterday’s budgets or blanket reductions to solve today’s challenges. To thrive, businesses need a smarter, faster approach - one that delivers impact quickly and aligns every...

2025 Procurement Predictions Featuring our Experts

Zip’s 25 Procurement Predictions for 2025 include insights from leaders of our Digital team, Mark Ellis and Joe Gibson. The comprehensive, forward-thinking guide, shaped by insights from 25 leading voices, dives into critical industry trends, challenges and opportunities

4C Associates named in Management Today’s Top 100 Management Consultancies 2024

4C Associates has been named in Management Today’s Top 100 Management Consultancies, a testament to our team’s commitment to delivery exceptional value to over 60 clients we have worked with this year, across the public and private sectors.

Procurement’s Role in Supporting Innovation and Agility: Moving Beyond Traditional Boundaries

6 Practical Strategies to Break Down Silos in Consumer Products Businesses

In today’s consumer products industry, achieving effective cross-functional collaboration is essential. Silos between manufacturing, supply chain, and procurement departments create inefficiencies, limit innovation, and erode trust across an organisation. Breaking down these silos can unlock agility, promote end-to-end efficiency, and foster resilience, driving better outcomes for both the business and its customers. Based on insights from 4C Associates’ recent...

Navigating Economic Recovery: Strategies for Food & Beverage Companies in a Changing Consumer Landscape

Drawing on insights from the 4C 2024 F&B Survey, we’re examining how changing economic conditions are reshaping consumer choices in food and drink purchases. We explore how easing inflationary pressures have influenced shoppers' price sensitivity, and how factors such as product range and sustainability now play an increasingly important role in purchasing decisions. Furthermore, this analysis provides actionable strategies...

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This guide introduces the key activities in strategic sourcing and focuses on the key steps to follow to ensure it can be successfully implemented within organisations.

Procurement Vs Strategic Sourcing

This guide introduces the key activities in strategic sourcing and focuses on the key steps to follow to ensure it can be successfully implemented within organisations.

Effective Partnering for Competitive Advantage

How will sponsors and CROs achieve competitive advantage in todays clinical development environment? Be the first to make hybrid outsourcing models work with much greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Podcast: Building and Retaining High Performance Teams

4C Associates' Managing Director, Jeremy Smith spoke with Rich Sains from The Procurement Conversation about building and retaining high performing teams

The Nexus of Healthcare Policies and Supply Chain Challenges

The upcoming general election and new government’s policies will undoubtedly have some impact on the landscape of supply chains and logistics for the next four years. How will the efficiency and resilience of supply chains influence the new government's ability to deliver on its policy promises? In particular in the NHS?

The Generation Game

The workplace environment is changing and our expectations of each other, our services, products and suppliers with it. As the generational mix of workers starts to evolve towards those born into a technology enabled world, what does that mean for our working relationships?

Podcast: The Opportunities & Challenges of Growth

4C Associates' Managing Director, Jeremy Smith and Senior Manager Joanne Davies spoke to Tarka Talent about how we work alongside our clients to deliver practical, sustainable solutions even in the most challenging circumstances.