Introducing Procurement Discipline and Operational Alignment Across a National Network

The Challenge

A national distribution company was growing fast, but its internal operations weren’t keeping pace. Procurement authority was scattered across the organization. Sales reps placed purchase orders on their own. Vendors were managed independently by location. Despite a large volume of inventory, no one trusted the data, and no one owned the full picture.

Previous efforts to address the issue had stalled. A network study had been completed but not acted on. Leadership engagement was inconsistent. The teams lacked direction and coordination.

The company needed structure, but without disrupting day-to-day operations or slowing growth.

The Nivalmi Approach

Nivalmi stepped in as a strategic partner. Senior Advisor Gordon Ennis led the engagement, working closely with finance and operations leaders to bring clarity and accountability to procurement.

🔹 Operational Assessment: Reviewed procurement behaviors, vendor relationships, and inventory data to understand where decisions were happening and how they impacted performance.

🔹 Decision Authority Mapping: Identified key points of fragmentation. Too many people were making purchasing decisions without coordination, oversight, or alignment to company priorities.

🔹 Procurement Controls: Introduced new structures around purchasing access, vendor engagement, and approval rights—designed to reduce duplication, increase visibility, and drive consistency.

🔹 Planning Model Design: Helped teams adopt simple, sustainable planning routines that encouraged forecasting and collaboration—without the need for complex tools or new systems.

🔹 Internal Ownership & Culture Fit: Worked within the organization’s existing culture and pace to surface the right data, build engagement, and ensure lasting adoption across teams.

The Results

The impact was significant:

• Identified more than $11 million in potential operational savings

• Reduced inventory carrying costs by over 20 percent

• Streamlined vendor relationships and decreased complexity

• Improved clarity around purchasing roles and decision-making authority

• Increased team confidence in inventory data and planning processes

  
  

These changes improved procurement and helped the business operate with more control, clarity, and confidence.

The Impact

This wasn’t about new systems or major reorganization. It was about bringing discipline to the decisions that mattered most.

By tightening procurement practices, aligning leaders, and embedding simple planning habits, Nivalmi helped the company unlock measurable value without slowing momentum.

Looking to Bring Clarity and Discipline to Your Operations?

Nivalmi helps growth-focused companies streamline complexity, align decision-making, and build systems that scale. If your business is ready for better structure and stronger results, let’s start the conversation.

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