Practical Procurement
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Strategy · DesignDomain 06·Align Targets

The Relationship Design Advantage

From Metrics to Meaning.

The Challenge

What we hear

Managing suppliers with SLAs and scorecards but not getting the behaviour you want?

The Reframe

A different way to see it

Metrics measure what already exists. Relationships create what could exist. The design of the relationship shapes the value it produces.

The Approach

How it works

We design the relationship model, governance, incentives and cadence before contracting, so the commercial construct enables collaboration, not compliance.

What Changes

The outcome

Supplier relationships that generate value neither party could create alone, with the governance to sustain it.

Where This Fits

How it connects

Sets the frame for Negotiation, Contracting and Supplier Development. Everything in Execution flows from how the relationship is designed.

Frequently Asked

Questions about Relationship Design

What is Relationship Design in the Collaborative Procurement Operating Model?+

Relationship Design is Domain 06 of the Strategy phase (Design). Metrics measure what already exists. Relationships create what could exist. The design of the relationship shapes the value it produces.

How does Practical Procurement approach Relationship Design?+

We design the relationship model, governance, incentives and cadence before contracting, so the commercial construct enables collaboration, not compliance.

What outcome should procurement leaders expect from the Relationship Design advantage?+

Supplier relationships that generate value neither party could create alone, with the governance to sustain it.

How does Relationship Design connect to the rest of the operating model?+

Sets the frame for Negotiation, Contracting and Supplier Development. Everything in Execution flows from how the relationship is designed.