The Integrity Compass
Most difficult procurement decisions are not difficult because the answer is unknown. They are difficult because the reasoning is never written down. The Integrity Compass walks you through six structured steps and leaves you with a decision you can defend to a board, an auditor or a supplier.
Free to use. No login. Around 10 minutes per decision.
- A supplier relationship is drifting past what is comfortable.
- A sourcing outcome is commercially attractive but ethically grey.
- Pressure is being applied to a decision from above or outside.
- A conflict of interest is possible, perceived or real.
- You need a written rationale that survives scrutiny later.
Six steps to a defensible decision.
Each step is short. Together they turn an uncomfortable judgement call into a documented, repeatable process.
Frame the decision
Separate the decision you are being asked to make from the noise around it. Name the actual choice on the table.
Surface the facts
Establish what is known, what is assumed and what is missing before any judgement is applied.
Identify who is affected
Map the stakeholders who carry the consequence, including the ones who are not in the room.
Test against principles
Apply fairness, transparency, proportionality and duty of care rather than gut feel or precedent alone.
Weigh the options
Compare realistic courses of action against the principles and the consequences each one creates.
Decide and record
Commit to a position and capture the reasoning, so the decision remains defensible long after the moment has passed.
Integrity cuts across all nine domains.
Ethics is not a tenth domain sitting off to the side. It runs through every phase of the Collaborative Procurement Operating Model, from how spend data is interpreted to how a supplier relationship is designed, negotiated and governed.
A record, not just a result.
The Compass produces a structured summary of the decision, the people affected, the principles applied and the reasoning behind the outcome, so the position holds up when it is revisited months later.
The Integrity Compass Field Guide
A branded 13 page PDF covering the full framework: the three phases, all six steps, a leadership culture scorecard, a worked example and a blank canvas you can print and use in a team session. Use it on its own, or alongside the online tool.
- See It, Think It Through, Act On It — the three phases.
- All six steps with prompts and checklists.
- A leadership culture scorecard.
- A worked procurement example.
- A printable blank decision canvas.
Facing a decision right now?
Work it through in the Compass, or talk it through with us directly.