Project 1: Vendor & Partnership Strategy
Turning Transactions Into Strategic Partnerships
A contract is paperwork. A partnership is leverage.
The Challenge
Vendors had become transactional — contracts negotiated in isolation, service levels inconsistent, and no clear accountability. Costs were climbing, yet value wasn’t scaling with spend. Without a governance structure, partners dictated terms instead of aligning with organizational strategy.
The lack of visibility into vendor performance left leadership reactive, not proactive.
The Actions
I reframed the entire vendor approach from “necessary expense” to “strategic advantage.”
Negotiated multi-year agreements with favorable pricing and terms, tied to performance outcomes.
Implemented quarterly vendor reviews with scorecards and SLA metrics.
Aligned vendor strategy with business goals, ensuring each partner contributed to efficiency, compliance, or growth.
Strengthened cross-functional collaboration between product, operations, and procurement to streamline vendor decision-making.
The Results
$500K+ savings secured through smarter negotiations.
Clear SLA compliance tracking, increasing accountability and service quality.
Faster delivery timelines due to aligned partner incentives.
Shifted the vendor ecosystem from fragmented to strategic, ensuring partners worked for the business, not around it.
The Takeaway
Vendor strategy isn’t just about cost-cutting — it’s about leverage. By building transparency and aligning external partnerships to internal goals, I turned vendors into value multipliers.
True leadership means treating every partnership as a growth lever, not just a line item.
