Commercial Thinking
Procurement impact

Boutique consultancy with private-equity DNA, delivering outcome-driven procurement solutions.

Why 7 step solutions?

We combine deep private-equity insight with hands-on procurement expertise - guaranteeing measurable ROI faster than traditional consultancies. 15+ Years PE Experience - Private-equity procurement leadership, scaled to suit your needs.
Improvement in business profit performance and commercial thinking
Structural or transformational procurement change required to meet future goals
Lack of internal capabilities or resources to deliver tangible outcomes
Step-change in procurement culture and performance, aligned with business goals
Flexible and scalable procurement partner for projects and peaks in demand
Streamlined operations, technology and process improvements
Greater control and reduced risk profile (Upstream and Downstream)
Rapid financial savings and measurable profit improvement

Our 7 step methodology

Diagnostic

Data-driven spend and process review.
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Strategy

Tailored category and commercial plan.
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Technology

Digital tools & automation road-map.

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Implementation

Hands-on change management.
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Optimisation

Quick wins and process tuning.

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Change Management

Stakeholder enablement & training.
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Continuous Improvement

Ongoing performance monitoring.
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Solutions designed for ROI

Whether you need a short-term project team or a long-term managed service, our solutions drive cost-out, mitigate risk and create lasting value.
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Advisory Services

We bring decades of experience in procurement diagnostics, maturity assessments, and operating model design. Whether you’re scaling operations or extracting value from M&A, we work directly with leadership to ensure targeted, actionable results.

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Outsourcing That Works

From running full RFx processes to acting as an extension of your procurement function, we provide you with capacity, expertise, and speed. Need immediate support? Our on-demand team will hit the ground running.
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Technology & Systems

Cut through the noise with our tailored digital strategies. We help you select, optimise, and implement procurement software to ensure data-driven decisions with long-term scalability.
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Operational Excellence

Struggling with overly complex category management? Let us optimise supplier contracts, streamline operations, and refine relationships to stabilise costs while improving service levels.
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Real stories of rapid cost savings and strategic transformation

Analysed $440m in global spend to identify procurement value opportunities

Business Challenge

Operating 427 restaurants across four Nordic countries under separate agreements led to inefficiencies and limited scalability. 7SS was engaged to unify operations through a supply chain optimisation workstream within a wider business transformation.

Solution

7SS took a structured, data-led approach to define the as-is state and identify improvement opportunities. Spend, contracts, and policies were analysed to establish a clear baseline, then validated through interviews with key buyers to understand real-world processes and capability. The findings were benchmarked against best practice to develop sourcing strategies by category, and a delivery roadmap was created to prioritise actions by ease and benefit — forming the foundation for implementation.

Outcomes

The project delivered results in two phases. A 12-week diagnostic identified cost-saving and cash-flow opportunities, producing 25 prioritised initiatives. Over the next 18 months, 7SS implemented a new procurement and supply chain model, realising €33m in benefits across key categories and embedding sustainable practices for long-term impact.

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Designed and implemented a new operating model for a £600m business following the divestment of its national business.

Business Challenge

The client was a provider of retail and wholesale local and national telecommunications services with an annual revenue of £600m and 4000 employees. The company's strategy was to divest its national business, leaving only the wholesale and retail part of the business.

Solution

7SS took a structured, data-led approach to define the as-is state and identify improvement opportunities. Spend, contracts, and policies were analysed to establish a clear baseline, then validated through interviews with key buyers to understand real-world processes and capability. The findings were benchmarked against best practice to develop sourcing strategies by category, and a delivery roadmap was created to prioritise actions by ease and benefit — forming the foundation for implementation.

Outcomes

This comprehensive transformation was executed in three disciplined phases, beginning with a swift 4-week Maturity Assessment to diagnose the client’s existing model and commercial structures. We then moved through a focused 3-week Design Phase to finalise the Target Operating Model. Our team concluded by leading the initial 12-week Implementation, delivering the impact assessment and roadmap for the new, commercially focused structure.

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£117M Global Spend: An 8-week assessment identified key P&L value creation opportunities delivering, clear, significant, measurable profitability.

Business Challenge

This global software provider, with over £330 million in turnover, faced critical fragmentation after being acquired by private equity and executing a swift M&A strategy. Third-party spend became highly complex, and the small, tactical procurement team struggled to manage the scattered direct and indirect costs. 7 Step Solutions was engaged to diagnose this fragmented spend across critical areas like IT, HR, and Marketing to identify and unlock immediate optimisation opportunities.

Solution

7 Step Solutions was engaged by the private equity owners to apply its full four-phase diagnostic process—from initial data collection and stakeholder interviews to developing the strategic baseline and validating the delivery roadmap—ensuring the business could unlock significant, measurable value across its fragmented spend profile.

Outcomes

This extensive two-year programme began with an 8-week supply chain diagnostic to identify key cost and cash-flow opportunities across the operation. Over the subsequent 18 months, 7 Step Solutions implemented a full cost-out programme, continuing the transformation across IT, HR, Marketing, Insurance, and Property, resulting in audited annualised savings equal to 4% of the addressable spend.

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£22M Spend: A rapid assessment across 750 veterinary practices identified key value creation opportunities and a clear roadmap.

Business Challenge

Our client is a leading veterinary group that provides care for companion animals, equine, and farm animals across the UK and Europe. The group has rapidly grown to encompass over 750 veterinary practices, along with several laboratories, farms, and training facilities.

Solution

7 Step Solutions was hired to provide an aggressive diagnostic that was both data-driven and commercially grounded. The solution involved a systematic four-phase process: rigorous Data Collection and Analysis across three key categories; targeted Stakeholder Engagement to develop the baseline; Opportunity Identification by benchmarking against best practice; and finally, Market Engagement to leverage the client’s scale for optimal pricing and commercial terms.

Outcomes

The opportunity assessment identified potential savings of between 6-9% (£1.3m-£1.9m) of the £22m spend associated with the three spend categories.

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Our experts designed and implemented compliant policies to cut procurement carbon emissions for a global public sector research facility.

Business Challenge

Client expressed their vision of becoming a role model as an environmentally aware global research laboratory.

Solution

This global public sector research facility sought to become a world leader in environmental responsibility, but faced a massive challenge: 64% of their 450,000 tonnes of annual CO2 emissions were tied directly to the £438 million of goods and services purchased from their supply chain. With their 70-strong procurement team focused solely on standard sourcing and compliance, they urgently required expert, external support. The goal was to fully embed a responsible environmental procurement policy into their organisation and supply chain, all while strictly adhering to global public sector purchasing regulations and operational controls.

Outcomes

Successful creation and embedding of a new global Environmentally Responsibly Procurement Policy and Processes aimed at sustainably reducing scope 3 emissions while maintaining fair and equitable public sector controls.

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I required a partner that could provide cost effective augmented Procurement expertise and resource on demand. 7SS ticked all the boxes. What is also great about 7SS is I feel they really understand my sector, care about my business and deliver real outcomes. Their reputation as commercial and procurement experts is well deserved.

Principal, Value Creation

7 Step Solutions significant reputation in Private Equity is a testament to their commercial and procurement expertise, white glove service, working at pace and delivering tangible results consistently. It is easy to understand how these key qualities I have witnessed for many years have transferred in their services to multi-sector industries.

Director - Global Investment Firm

If you are looking for a partner that can integrate seamlessly into your organisation, reduce costs, improve business profits and Procurement performance, I would highly recommend 7 Step Solutions.

Chief Financial Officer for a £1bil private sector organisation

7 Step Solutions are my go-to partner for Procurement support. Whether a cost out project, M&A support or a strategic procurement transformation initiative, 7SS white glove service and commercial acumen has consistently delivered a high return on investment.

Partner - global investment firm focusing on acquiring and transforming companies across diverse industries worldwide

7 Step Solutions bring a real laser like focus and commercial aptitude, considering not just Procurement supply side activity like some advisories, but business wide efficiencies, savings and improvements along with first class change management.

Director - global investment firm overseeing £20b portfolio

7 Step Solutions have delivered a step change improvement in our Procurement culture and performance, aligning Procurement activity to business goals alongside rapid delivery of cost, process and technology improvements.

Chief Procurement Officer for a £600mil private sector organisation

7 Step Solutions have supported our business at pace to deliver rapid savings and sustained profit improvement. Having an expert, flexible and scalable partner for projects and peaks in demand has been invaluable to our success.

Operating Partner - leading alternative investment firm focused on Private Equity, Private Credit, and Real Estate

Their speed and agility were remarkable. They quickly integrated with our team and delivered a tangible, positive impact on our bottom line.

COO, Global Logistics Company

They truly understood our business and delivered a solution that was not only commercially robust but also perfectly aligned with our strategic objectives.

Head of Finance, European Private Equity Firm

7 Step Solutions helped us redesign our marketing procurement, which led to a 20% reduction in agency costs and a £1.8M annual saving.

Marketing Director, American Manufacturer

Keen to develop a greater commercial procurement mindset across your business?

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FAQs

Identified within a week and typical savings realised within 8–12 weeks.

We typically deliver a 8:1 return on investment (ROI)

Yes. With a heritage in investment banking and PE, we serve all sectors and industries

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