As outsourcing becomes more integral to business operations, procurement headaches are not uncommon, as leaders find themselves under immense pressure. While external suppliers are essential for helping businesses achieve their goals, managing them introduces significant responsibilities and stress. Procurement and vendor management teams are tasked with ensuring their suppliers adhere to laws, regulations, and internal standards—a challenge that can lead to more than a few headaches.

So, what are the most common headaches procurement leaders face? In this blog, we’ll dive into the key pain points of managing suppliers and, more importantly, how to overcome them effectively.

5 Common Headaches Procurement Leaders Face – And How to Fix Them

1. Compliance Nightmares

One of the biggest challenges for procurement teams is ensuring that suppliers adhere to the strict legal, regulatory, and internal standards the business operates under. The complexity of these requirements can feel overwhelming, especially when managing multiple suppliers across different regions or industries. Failing to meet these obligations can lead to fines, legal battles, or potential reputational damage.

2. Manual Processes are Time-Consuming

Manual supplier management is not only time-consuming but increases the risk of human error. Procurement teams often find themselves stuck with repetitive tasks such as: sending surveys, conducting reviews, and tracking deadlines. This leaves little room for strategic thinking or innovation.

3. Missed Deadlines and Contractual Misalignment

With a myriad of suppliers and complex contracts, staying on top of deadlines can be a nightmare. Whether it’s contract renewals, compliance checks, or important milestones, missing a deadline can lead to costly consequences, strained supplier relationships, or even contract termination.

4. One Size Doesn’t Fit All

No two contracts are the same, and neither are your supplier relationships. Many procurement systems lack the flexibility to tailor policies to specific contracts or supplier segments. This one-size-fits-all approach can lead to mismanagement, as the most critical areas might not receive the attention they deserve.

5. Keeping Up with Changing Rules and Regulations

Regulations and standards are constantly evolving. This has come to light with the recent introduction of PRA, EBA and DORA regulations across the UK and Europe. Keeping up with these changes can be exhausting. Especially continuously updating internal policies and procedures to remain compliant. Failing to adapt in time can result in hefty penalties or worse.

It digitises routine tasks such as reviews, surveys, and policy management, minimising human error and enabling teams to focus on more strategic work. The platform automatically triggers actions based on deadlines and contract timelines, ensuring that key dates are met without unnecessary stress.

Brooklyn’s flexibility allows for customised governance based on supplier risk levels, directing attention to priority tasks. The platform also provides seamless policy updates to adapt to evolving regulations, ensuring compliance without disrupting existing workflows.

For a demo of the Brooklyn platform and discover how to remove your procurement headache, get in touch.

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About the Author

Nick Francis, Chief Technology and Marketing Officer at Brooklyn Solutions

Nick Francis is a well-established and experienced CxO delivering Digital & Security-focused Transformation through the design, build, and deployment of cost-effective, highly automated industry-leading solutions. Nick has experience working across the private and public sectors in industries such as Financial Services, Insurance, Legal, Utilities, Retail, Public Sector and Government.

Specialised in compliance, risk & control activities in highly regulated industries, standardisation of technologies, streamlining of internal processes and continuous improvement driving consistency and efficiency across an organisation whilst holding Customer, Colleague and Partner experience at a premium.