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When the 100-day plan becomes 2000+ days: Procurement’s role in long-term value creation

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Insight
Summary

by Declan Feeney and Tomas Moreira

The Private Equity 100-day plan is no longer enough.

Holding periods are extending, exit timelines are less predictable, and traditional return levers are harder to rely on in a high-interest, slow-growth environment. As a result, PE firms and their portfolio companies are facing a new challenge: how to sustain value creation when 100 days turns into 2000+ days. 

Value creation is no longer front-loaded 

Procurement is often one of the first levers pulled after acquisition. A typical portfolio company will execute the first 100 days with precision, taking advantage of Procurement-led quick wins. Suppliers are renegotiated, costs are reduced, and EBITDA gets an uplift.

But as hold periods extend, the investment case has to work harder for longer. Higher interest rates reduce the impact of leverage, revenue growth often slows, and exit markets may become more constrained. Cost inflation eats into profitability. What was expected to be a three- to five-year hold stretches further. At this point, many organisations hit a plateau.

Procurement is one of the few levers that can move the needle in this situation. However, while recognising its early impact, many portfolio companies overlook its potential to continue generating value across the entire investment lifecycle. In an environment where returns are increasingly scrutinised, this is beyond inefficient – it is value destructive.

A shift in mindset: Procurement as a continuous value journey 

The shift from a 100-day plan to a 2000+ day value journey is not just about extending timelines. Instead, it requires a fundamentally different operating model. Rather than treating it as a one-time intervention, leading PE firms are repositioning procurement as a continuous value delivery engine, capable of driving impact throughout the holding period.

The updated approach is built on three pillars, supported by AI: identify, deliver, and sustain.

Ongoing identification: From periodic review to always-on opportunity discovery

Identifying procurement opportunities should not be limited to the due diligence phase or the 100-day plan. PE operating teams need to move from a project mindset to a pipeline mindset. Regular re-assessment of spend, clear ownership, and integration with value creation planning ensure there is always a next wave of opportunities, with the pipeline updated in line with evolving market conditions, business priorities, and supplier prices. 

Supported by AI and advanced analytics, procurement teams can always scan spend data, supplier markets, and demand patterns in near real time. This enables faster identification of opportunities across a much broader share of spend, deeper visibility into previously hard-to-address areas such as tail spend and complex services, and dynamic reprioritisation of initiatives as market conditions evolve. 

This also means treating procurement as a repeatable intervention across the investment lifecycle. Beyond the initial post-acquisition phase, procurement should be revisited following bolt-on acquisitions, during periods of margin pressure, and ahead of exit. This ensures it continues to unlock incremental value rather than being seen as complete once the first wave of initiatives has been delivered. 

The result is a living pipeline of initiatives, not a static list, shifting procurement from periodic intervention to always-on opportunity discovery at scale. 

Scaled co-delivery: Unlocking more value, faster

Initiatives commonly stall due to resource constraints. Leaders should assess capacity gaps early and utilise flexible delivery models that combine internal teams, digital tools, and external support. This enables organisations to execute more initiatives in parallel, expand coverage across direct and indirect spend, and accelerate sourcing cycles and decision-making without overwhelming internal teams, allowing Procurement to become a scalable engine rather than a bottleneck. 

Sustained impact: Ensuring value reaches the bottom line

Identifying savings and negotiating contracts alone are not enough. The critical question is whether savings are realised and sustained in the P&L. 

Too often, procurement value erodes due to poor compliance, weak tracking, unclear accountability, or changing demand. Savings may be negotiated, but without the right governance and capabilities in place, they will fail to translate into sustained EBITDA impact.  

Leaders should embed clear savings tracking, defined ownership, supplier compliance management, and regular performance reviews. This means treating savings realisation as an ongoing discipline, not a one-time reporting exercise. This must be supported by investment in long-term capability: upskilling teams, improving data visibility, and strengthening cross-functional relationships to help position Procurement as an ongoing value driver. 


From linear, one-off programmes to a continuous value loop 

The 100-day plan still plays an essential role in creating momentum and delivering early impact, but it is no longer sufficient on its own. As PE firms shift from a front-loaded view of value creation to a recurring one, they must rethink procurement as an ongoing capability rather than a one-off lever. This should look like a continuous value loop: (i) identify opportunities continuously, utilising by data and AI; (ii) deliver value at scale through flexible, parallel execution; and (iii) sustain impact by embedding governance and preventing value leakage.

In an environment where 100 days can become 2000+ days, procurement must evolve from a one-off project perspective. It must become a continuous value delivery capability, powered by better analytics, sustained by strong governance, and focused on repeatedly improving performance throughout the hold period.