Case Study
Transforming Services Procurement at Telent
How a technology-enabled services procurement model delivered visibility, control and compliance across £75m of managed labour spend.
Name of Company
Telent Technology ServicesSector
TechnologyLocation
United KingdomConsultant
Alan Withers MCIPSThe Challenge
While Telent’s procurement function was highly effective in traditional sourcing and category management, the increasing volume and complexity of service-based engagements exposed limitations in the existing operating model.
Key challenges included limited visibility of service-based spend across business units, inconsistent SOW processes, fragmented supplier relationships, and a heavy administrative burden on both procurement and hiring managers.
A lack of consistent commercial balance in supplier engagements also led to increased risk of scope creep, delays, disruption and costly mediation.
With regulatory pressures such as IR35 continuing to increase, the need for a structured, compliant and technology-enabled services procurement solution became business critical.
Services Procurement Transformation
A scalable, technology-enabled procurement model
As Senior Procurement Manager, Alan Withers led the design and delivery of a comprehensive Services Procurement transformation programme, fundamentally changing how Telent engaged and managed service suppliers.
The solution combined technology, process redesign and expert support into a single scalable model, introducing a Services Procurement Outsourcing (SPO) approach supported by a managed service provider. Governance, compliance and reporting were embedded across all SOW activity, supported by redesigned workflows aligned across procurement, finance and project management stakeholders.
Digital Enablement
Standardising SOW management and governance
Zivio was implemented as a digital SOW management platform to standardise how services were scoped, approved and tracked. This enabled consistent approval workflows, milestone tracking and financial control, while providing real-time visibility of spend across the organisation.
A structured governance framework was also developed to manage supplier performance, track delivery milestones and strengthen commercial oversight.
Measured Impact
Clear visibility, reduced risk and measurable value
The new services procurement model delivered immediate and measurable benefits.
All SOW activity was brought into a single system, delivering 100 percent visibility and cost transparency. Clear governance eliminated off-contract engagements and significantly improved IR35 compliance. Automation and streamlined approvals reduced procurement administration time, while consistent commercial oversight delivered quantifiable cost savings across key service categories.
Perhaps most importantly, procurement repositioned itself as a strategic enabler to project delivery rather than a transactional function.
Strategic Legacy
Setting a new benchmark for services procurement
The success of the Services Procurement transformation positioned Telent’s procurement function as an innovator within the industry. It demonstrated how combining procurement expertise, digital tools and stakeholder collaboration can deliver measurable value and governance in complex, services-driven environments.
This programme became the foundation for Alan Withers’ current work as Services Procurement Director at Matchtech, supporting organisations to modernise procurement operations through structured, compliant and scalable services procurement models.
Pretitle
More Case Studies
Modernise your services procurement model
Discover how a structured, technology-enabled services procurement approach can deliver visibility, control and compliance across your organisation.
