A promise, a gift, and a truth about transformation

Issue #1 of The Procurement Blueprint is here. Let’s talk about invisible work.

Author

Tanya Wade
18 May • Reading Time: 5 minutes

*taps mic, clears throat* is this thing on? 👋🏽

Welcome to the first issue of The Procurement Blueprint.

I’m honestly so pleased to have you here!

When I put this together, I had no idea how many of you would sign up, and seeing so many people interested in practical, real-world procurement content has been a bit of a moment for me.

This newsletter is a space for sharing the kind of ideas, tools, and reflections that don’t always make it into glossy reports or panel talks.

Things that help us work smarter, challenge the way things have always been done, and move procurement forward: one process, one mindset, one fix at a time.

THANK YOU for being part of it.

Let’s get into it!

A Promise is a Promise

First things first.

Here’s the resource I promised to all my new subscribers: a hi-def pdf with 20+ free courses in procurement, supply chain, negotiation, and more from places like MIT, Harvard, and Yale, with all the links to take you straight there (just click on the course titles of each page):

It’s completely free (just put the “fair price” down as £0) or pay what you like. Use it, share it, and let me know if you end up taking any of them!

Today’s Tip: Audit the Invisible Work

We all talk about cost savings, contracts, and compliance.

But the most painful inefficiencies I have experienced in procurement often come from invisible work. What I mean by this is, the kind of work that doesn’t show up in dashboards, but burns you hours every week.

What does invisible work look like?

  • Chasing stakeholders who ignore workflows

  • Manually fixing errors from bad inputs

  • Rewriting the same email five times to "get the tone right"

  • Explaining the policy... again

You don’t see these in KPIs but they kill a transformation before it even starts.

This week, try this:

Make a list of every repetitive, manual, or avoidable task your team does that doesn’t officially exist.

Then ask:

  • Can we standardise it?

  • Can we delegate or automate it?

  • Can we stop doing it entirely?

You might find the fix is something simple. Like writing one supplier email and saving it as a reusable template instead of starting from scratch every time.

Or:

  • Using GenAI to write clear, consistent stakeholder emails rather than second-guessing every word

  • Automating your procurement policy sign-off using your Intake & Orchestration (I&O) tool.

  • Adding one clear line to your intake form that says “requests missing this info won’t be reviewed”

  • Sitting down with that one stakeholder who always goes rogue and agreeing one simple rule that avoids it

No big rollout.
No new system.
Small shifts. Big time back.

That’s how our invisible work stops being invisible and starts being optional.

Another gift: My most-requested template

Over the years, I’ve been asked more times than I can count for a solid, comprehensive Procurement Policy template.

There is one I have built based on nearly two decades of lessons: what works, what causes problems, and how to keep it sharp without burying people in process.

Normally, it’s £45. But since this is the first issue of the newsletter, I’m offering it as a thank you gift for a lot less:

£5 for the first 10 people (though I may extend this if there is high demand).

Note: Gumroad will automatically adjust pricing for location, so buyers from developing regions will see up to 60% off at checkout.

My Most-Read Post of the Week

This one really hit a nerve, and I get why. It’s about the kind of procurement professional who doesn’t need to shout to be strategic. They just make everything work a little better.

You can read it here:

Let me know if it resonates or if you’ve worked with someone like that. I always love hearing the stories that don’t make it into case studies.

That’s it for now!

Since this is the first issue, I’m still working out how this newsletter should look and feel.

If you made it this far, I’d love to hear from you. What’s one thing you’d love to see in future issues? A tricky stakeholder problem? Something on procurement tech? Hit reply and let me know.

I’d really appreciate it.

If you download the course list or grab the policy template, let me know how you get on with it. I’d love to hear what’s helpful (and what isn’t).

Speak soon,


Tanya