Services

Procurement Expertise Structured Around Your Need

Three retained service tiers and discrete project engagements, each designed to give your organisation access to senior procurement expertise at the right level, rhythm and cost.

Every organisation's procurement challenge is different. Some need strategic direction and senior judgement at key decision points. Others need active, hands-on delivery across a category portfolio. Others are at a point of significant change — building a function, transforming an existing one, or navigating a major commercial programme — and need deeper senior procurement support over a defined period.

Vanguard's three retained service tiers are designed to meet those different needs at a price point that makes the engagement commercially viable. Each tier is delivered with a structured monthly commitment, clear scope and agreed outcomes. For specific, time-limited requirements, Vanguard also provides discrete project engagements scoped around a defined deliverable.

Tier 01

Strategic Advisory

£25,000 — £30,000 per annum
Approx. 2–3 days per month · billed monthly

Who it is for

Designed for organisations that have an existing procurement team or function but need senior strategic oversight, independent challenge and experienced procurement judgement at director level for key decision points. This tier is suited to organisations that do not require continuous delivery support, but want experienced procurement leadership available to review strategy, test commercial decisions, identify risk and guide priority activity without the cost of a full-time senior hire.

What is included

  • One structured advisory session per month, delivered on-site or remotely
  • Access by email and telephone within agreed response times
  • Quarterly strategic review covering procurement performance, supplier risks and forward priorities
  • Review and challenge of significant procurement decisions, contract awards and supplier negotiations
  • Guidance on Procurement Act 2023 compliance, framework utilisation and route-to-market options
  • Approximately two to three days of committed time per month

Minimum commitment: six months. Extensions are by mutual agreement.

Tier 02

Operational Retainer

£50,000 — £60,000 per annum
Equivalent to 4–5 days per month · billed monthly

Who it is for

Designed for organisations that need active, hands-on senior procurement delivery on an ongoing basis, without the cost, delay or employer obligations associated with a permanent hire. This tier is suited to NHS trusts, housing associations, local authorities, central government bodies and commercial organisations that require experienced procurement support across category management, sourcing, contract management, supplier performance and commercial governance.

The economics. Organisations with a senior procurement gap typically face three options: recruit permanently, engage an interim through an agency, or retain fractional senior expertise. A substantive senior procurement hire — at NHS Band 8b — 8c equivalent or its commercial market equivalent — can cost between £99,000 and £138,000 in year one once salary, employer National Insurance, pension employer contribution, recruitment fees and equipment are included. Day-rate interim cover can cost significantly more once day rates and agency margin are taken into account.

The Operational Retainer provides senior procurement capability at £50,000 to £60,000 per annum, with no recruitment cost, no employer National Insurance, no pension contribution, no equipment cost and no agency fee. The result is experienced procurement delivery applied to the work that drives value, at a cost profile that is easier to justify and sustain.

What is included

  • Equivalent to four to five days of active procurement delivery per month, structured around your business calendar and delivered through a consistent weekly rhythm rather than concentrated blocks
  • Category management across agreed spend categories, including strategy, market analysis, sourcing, award and contract management
  • Supplier relationship management, including performance reviews, issue resolution and renegotiation
  • Procurement policy, process and governance development or review
  • Tender management and evaluation support for significant contracts
  • Framework utilisation advice and call-off support for public sector clients
  • Monthly delivery summary and forward plan
  • Access by email and telephone within agreed response times
  • Attendance at relevant internal meetings, board or committee sessions as required

Minimum commitment: six months. Extensions are by mutual agreement.

Tier 03

Embedded Fractional

Fee structured by scope and engagement length
Equivalent to 6–8 days per month · billed monthly

Who it is for

Designed for organisations undergoing significant procurement transformation, function build, regulatory change or complex commercial delivery. This tier provides a deeper senior procurement presence for organisations that need strategic leadership, operational direction and sustained delivery over a defined period. It is suited to major change programmes, procurement function redesign, high-value sourcing portfolios and situations where an organisation needs senior procurement capability without creating or filling a permanent executive role. Vanguard carries a maximum of two Tier 3 clients simultaneously to ensure genuine availability, focus and senior attention.

What is included

  • Equivalent to six to eight days of active delivery per month, delivered through a consistent weekly rhythm of remote work with on-site presence at the moments that matter — category boards, supplier negotiations, executive reporting
  • Strategic and operational procurement leadership across the agreed portfolio
  • Procurement transformation, including function design, team development, process improvement and technology adoption
  • Board and senior leadership engagement as required
  • Complex tender management for high-value or strategically significant contracts
  • Procurement Act 2023 compliance programme support
  • Spend analysis, category prioritisation and savings pipeline development
  • Supplier relationship strategy and key supplier management
  • Monthly written reporting to leadership or board
  • Extended access by email and telephone within agreed response times

Twelve-month commitment with built-in continuity planning and handover from week one — structured for a clean exit or seamless extension depending on where the programme stands.

Project & Discrete

Project Engagements

Day rate · scoped individually
Minimum engagement: three days

Not every procurement challenge requires an ongoing retainer. Where an organisation needs senior support for a defined outcome — a tender exercise, supplier renegotiation, category review, procurement policy update, spend analysis, route-to-market strategy or framework call-off — Vanguard is available for discrete project engagements.

Each project is scoped, priced and agreed individually, with clear deliverables, timescales and responsibilities agreed before work begins. This route is suited to organisations that need focused senior procurement input for a specific requirement, without committing to a retained monthly engagement.

Contact us to discuss your specific requirement.

The Commercial Arithmetic

Three Routes — One Decision

The financial case for the fractional model is straightforward. Organisations with a senior procurement gap typically consider three routes: recruit permanently, engage an interim through an agency, or retain fractional senior expertise. The agency interim route is often the fastest response, but it is frequently the most expensive and least predictable — particularly where continuity, cultural fit and measurable delivery are critical.

Option 1Substantive Senior Procurement Hire Option 2Day-Rate Interim Cover Option 3 — VanguardEmbedded Fractional
Salary
£66,582 — £91,609
Senior procurement, NHS Band 8b — 8c equivalent		 Day Rate
£500 — £700 / day
Senior procurement interim		 Annual Retainer
From £75,000 / annum
Scoped by engagement
Employer NI (15%)
£9,237 — £12,991		 Agency Margin
15% — 25% added on top		 Employer NI
None (off payroll)
Pension Employer Contribution¹
£9,574 — £13,173		 Employer NI
None (off payroll)		 Agency Margin²
None (direct) / minimal framework fee via Bloom
Recruitment Fee
£10,000 — £15,000		 Recruitment
Built into agency margin		 Recruitment Cost
None
Equipment & Workspace
£3,500 — £5,000		 Equipment & Workspace
None (contractor provides)		 Equipment & Workspace
None
Onboarding
2 — 3 months to full productivity		 Onboarding
2 — 4 weeks to productive delivery		 Time to Productive Delivery
Immediate
TOTAL Year One
£99,000 — £138,000		 TOTAL Year One
£126,500 — £192,500 (inc. agency margin)		 TOTAL Year One
From £75,000
Experience Profile
Variable — dependent on candidate		 Experience Profile
Variable — at this rate range, deeply experienced director-level resource is not reliably available		 Experience Profile
20+ years senior procurement leadership at director level — NHS, central government, housing and international giga-projects

¹ Pension employer contribution shown at NHS Pension Scheme Trust portion of 14.38%. Equivalent on-costs apply across other sectors at varying rates.

² Public sector engagements via the Bloom Procurement Framework include a small framework access fee that is materially below typical agency margin levels. Direct engagement is fee-free.

The comparison is not simply about cost. It is about securing senior procurement capability at the right level of commitment, without recruitment delay, employer obligations, agency margin or unnecessary overhead. Vanguard's retained model gives clients access to experienced procurement leadership with a defined scope, agreed rhythm and clear commercial accountability.

Not sure which service is right for your organisation?

The most useful next step is a thirty-minute conversation. We can discuss your organisation's procurement challenge, identify whether a retained service or project engagement is the better fit, and outline what support would look like in practice.

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Ready to discuss how Vanguard can support your organisation?

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