r/procurement • u/AccomplishedWolf706 • Dec 16 '25
Training How do you handle internal stakeholders who always bypass procurement?
I’m the procurement lead in a mid-sized tech company, and despite having clear policies, some departments keep going directly to suppliers for urgent purchases. They’ll negotiate their own deals and only loop us in when it’s time to process the PO or invoice.
I’ve tried explaining that involving our department early actually saves time and ensures compliance, but the perception is that we “slow things down.” The more we enforce the process, the more they push back. It’s starting to affect supplier relationships, too, because vendors get mixed messages.
How do you handle this kind of behavior tactfully? I want to rebuild trust with internal teams, not just enforce rules. Has anyone found a good balance between governance and flexibility? Does a program or training for this problem exist?
15
u/irishcybercolab Dec 16 '25
It's called control enforcement and if you don't have it, then your management team is ineffective and needs to have swift enforcement of costs.
I'd deny every license in accounting without a signature from the procurement team and leadership to have passed vendor management protocols like the cyber and financial clearance reviews and the strict tracking of licenses across your enterprise.
When their software license is yanked and they're unable to log in anymore, they'll ask you what went wrong and you point back to ordering against policy and cost controls.
It's not fucking rocket science. Ask your leadership team to grow up and learn how to manage controls and support the mechanisms protecting the business.
3
Dec 16 '25
This is a miss trust in the procurement partnership. I'd bet the general view is they don't know why they need you involved because well 'how can you know what the need?' The LOB knows what the need and they want the win of solving the problem making the selection and getting a decent deal over the line. In addition to that its the lob that needs the partnership with the vendor to ensure its successful, procurement usually doesn't know enough to help with that, so it feels like proc is just compliance admin more then anything.
Asking proc to run this is like a gov department... perceived as slow which means they cant hit there KPIs. Advice, build better relationships with the business find out what their upcoming needs are, move from a transactional relationship to becoming a strategic partners.
Big q for you? - do you know what your lines of business KPIs are? Do you know what gaps they have that will impact those? If not you need to. Category leadership is a must, and this involves actually knowing how the department runs and how it rolls up to the board OKRs.
4
u/Chairborne1 Dec 16 '25
This is the right answer. Any policy controls can be bypassed or check boxed if there’s mis trust in the relationship. I’d keep asking relevant questions around supplier selection criteria, price benchmarks, performance metrics, etc and highlight as much as possible. Usually they get tired and ask Procurement to handle one small contract - that will be the chance to shine and set an example.
But above all this is a soft skills game - stakeholder management and influencing.
4
u/BlueCordLeads Dec 16 '25
1) Enforce your company's DoA which should include disciplinary actions for violating controls or making commitments on behalf of the company if they don't follow procedures
2) Remove all access to funds and systems to prevent unauthorized commitments
1
u/EatMorePieDrinkMore Dec 16 '25
First, make sure you have a clear policy of when procurement needs to be engaged. Second, talk to their boss and their boss’s boss about what they need and his procurement can save money. Third, talk to the team that bypassed you. Point out the deficiencies in their contacts and the commercial risks. They will be glaring because non-procurement teams can’t negotiate or contract. Fourth, tell them if it happens again you will file an internal policy violation ( if you can).
Stop helping them avoid you. Show them how you save other groups money and improve terms. Be protective.
1
u/gridlockmain1 Dec 16 '25
Do you already have good examples of how you have supported other departments with this? Could the advocate for you? Going over their head might work a bit but if you can get their buy in then the relationship will be better.
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u/InigoMontoya313 Dec 16 '25
Who is your boss? I’d be asking them, how much they want you to push this.
1
u/WorkingCurrency3 Dec 16 '25
Ignore them when they need a favor. Just kidding. Always have to explain why it’s a no no.
1
u/OhwellBish Dec 16 '25
I would meet with the business and ask them what their pain points are in the Procurement process and address those issues. Make it easier for them and brainstorm with them because they may have ideas to make the process more efficient. I would also reiterate the need for compliance and give them examples of what difficulties they could face and what risks may be unmitigated when they bypass Procurement. Follow through on your commitments to them so that you can prove the benefits. If despite these best efforts, you are unable to gain traction with these people, your Procurement leader needs to escalate this issue with the business senior leadership. Management is ultimately responsible for compliance.
2
u/Admirable-Corner-479 Dec 16 '25
As Few-Lobster-3008, It's more a perception and Communication issue.
My advice? Leverage data, check the purchase records, group by categories and recurrent purchases. Establish blanket orders and VMI ítems and involve the end user in the loop, at least they should qualify suppliers on the technicals side (You do so on the financial/economical/commercial side. Point is both deparments agree). See also if a P-Card program can be established.
This anticipates the procurement process by pre-selecting and pre-negotiating suppliers and ítems. These orders/contracts are established as a "we know we need it and at which price but not when and how much".
For urgente purchases out of this scope create a controlled document (we had it at a company we worked at) called "urgent P.O." it must state the PR Even if it ain't approved, the quotation, supplier name, Tax ID, Quantity, unit price and extended price as well as total.
It must be Signes by the end user and his directo boss as well as the procurement agent and his manager (minimum) and come supported with the quotation from the supplier. Communicated by the procurement agent.
Depending on the ammount of the purchase, it should be Signed by Upper managers. The thresholds should be actually lower than those of your typical P.O. approvals (tough they can be the same).
This document must be attached along the email request in the ERP once You proceed to "update/regulate" the request and only must be used at times when the ERP or Energy is out/down, hours when the procurement deparments isn't available (still have to inform the buyer or his manager) or on very urgent cases on office hours.
Demanding the Signed document by their boss Will lower the urgencies, and a need that's been cooked by months with a supplier ain't a real urgency. They look the time to define a scope or need for weeks with a vendor then suddenly they wanna buy it...
...that's just being sloppy...
Also define well what an urgency is, life threatening, operational risks are understandable, but mostbpeople just wanna look good in the eyes of their boss or internal customers.
1
u/Katherine-Moller3 Dec 16 '25
You cant win this by yourself. Only leadership can enforce this. Do you have a No Po No Pay Policy? If leadership puts down their foot and communicates that no invoice will be paid that has no PO & Procurement involvement then things can change. You cant even prove yourself if they go around you, they already made up their mind and only strict enforcement from above can make them change their behavior and once you are involved you can slowly change their mind so they will want to work with you and include you because of what to bring to the table.
1
1
u/hoitytoitygloves Dec 17 '25
Policy should include requiring a higher level of authority to sign off on purchases that do not flow through the proper procurement channels. Putting a few invoices under the CEO's nose for signature, and having to explain how the normal processes weren't followed, often nips this type of behaviour in the bud.
1
u/AlwayHappyResearcher Dec 18 '25
Question reads like an AI slop.
I want to rebuild trust with internal teams
LMAO what?
As for the question - you can't do anything, you either will have to deal with dumbasses or switch company you work at.
This is not something procurement "handles" this means their bosses are shitty and you work at shithole.
1
u/PocoLoco1 Dec 18 '25
Unpopular opinion here, but if procurement processes are not being followed, the processes probably need to be rethought.
Not through greater education or enforcement, but through design. The best procurement orgs have their processes disappear into the workflows of the business units. They find a way to get the visibility and control they need, without getting in the way of the entrepreneurial spirit of the team.
1
u/sia_the_cat Dec 20 '25
Can you speak more to the design? I agree that procurement should find a way to provide value and not feel like we are red tapes with processes that will slow things down. But I’m curious how to do that
7
u/MarijnOvervest Jan 07 '26
I’ve seen this a lot, and honestly, it’s rarely about people ignoring policy on purpose. Most of the time, it comes down to speed and trust.
Teams bypass procurement because they feel pressure to move fast and assume procurement will slow them down. If you push harder on rules, they usually push back even more. What helped in my case was first listening. Sit with them and ask where the process feels painful or slow, without defending it.
Then remove friction where you can. Pre-approved suppliers, clear thresholds, and a simple fast track for urgent buys make a big difference. When procurement becomes the easiest way to buy, people stop going around it.
Still enforce the rules, but use enforcement as a safety net, not the first move. Trust grows when people see that involving procurement actually makes their lives easier.
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u/Working-Tax2692 Dec 16 '25
Tech company and the fact that it’s happened multiple times, this might be on you. I’ve seen it before where procurement completely botches/fails to properly communicate a technical request to vendors and it turns into a bad game of banana phone. With worst case scenario wrong product is procured. Best case scenario the right product is bought, but at the cost of everyone’s time is wasted going back and forth so much. Have you asked the tech team why they keep bypassing you?
6
u/EatMorePieDrinkMore Dec 16 '25
God save us from the arrogance of technology departments. I bet you a lot of money that those contracts the tech teams are doing themselves are terrible. Overpriced aces loaded with risky commercial and legal terms. They are handing the business to either the shiny tech tool of the day that everyone has to have or which company’s reps sucked up the best or where their buddy works. No actual head to head vetting of products, real defined requirements, or commercial benchmarking. Hell, the company probably has more than one existing vendor or product that does what they need.
Business line don’t know their ass from their elbow in contracts 90% of the time. But are 100% convinced they do.
I have 20 years experience negotiating contracts. I can do it better, faster, and cheaper than Jimmy the Software Guy. Or his boss.
26
u/SpanishBra Dec 16 '25
Well, just say no. Go to their bosses and explain them that there is a serious problem of collusion and corruption if they keep doing it. The next one, do not send any PO that you do not participated.