Turning "Why Procurement" into "We Need Procurement" Here's How I Did It

I walked out of that meeting feeling invisible.

The project team had just made a major sourcing decision without involving procurement. Again. It wasn’t the first time, and I feared it wouldn’t be the last.

One stakeholder even said, “We didn’t want procurement slowing things down.”

It stung not just because of the comment, but because deep down I knew it reflected a bigger problem: they didn’t see procurement as a strategic partner.

They saw us as gatekeepers; bureaucratic, reactive and optional. But I wasn’t going to leave it that way.

This particular project was a turning point. A high-budget marketing initiative had been rolled out with minimal vendor evaluation. Weeks later, the agency failed to meet key deliverables, costs started creeping up, and the contract terms offered little protection.

Guess who they came to?

I know what you’re thinking but no, I didn’t say, “I told you so.” I just rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

I called up the vendor, renegotiated the contract, added performance clauses and helped onboard a more reliable backup agency. It wasn’t glamorous work but it saved the project.

That was the moment I knew I had to change how procurement was perceived.

Instead of waiting for a seat at the table, I decided to earn it by:

Speaking their language. I stopped leading with “compliance” and started talking about “risk mitigation,” “savings that could be reinvested,” and “speed to market.”

Showing up early. I started joining cross-functional team meetings, even when procurement wasn’t “needed” just to listen, understand pain points and offer support before problems arose.

Sharing procurement impact. After each project, I summarized the procurement impact in clear, stakeholder-friendly terms: “Saved ₦5M by early supplier engagement,” “Reduced onboarding time by 30%,” “Negotiated better SLAs to avoid service gaps.”

About six months later, something unexpected happened.

A senior stakeholder reached out before launching a new initiative.

“We’re putting together a sourcing plan and want procurement involved from the start this time. Can you join us next week?”

That message was more than an invitation. It was validation that the work I was doing behind the scenes was starting to show.

They didn’t see procurement as paperwork anymore; they saw us as enablers of success.

If you’ve ever felt sidelined, I totally get it. It’s frustrating when your efforts go unnoticed or when you’re brought in too late to make an impact. But the truth is, procurement doesn’t have to wait to be seen. You’re not “just procurement" you’re a business driver, a risk manager and value creator and it’s time the business sees that too.

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