Tail Spend: Diversifying our services
Today, managing tail spend is a major challenge for procurement departments. Indeed, these purchases are often low in individual value, numerous, and highly fragmented. As a result, they consume significant resources and hinder overall performance.
Against this backdrop, we have decided to take a new step forward. Our offering is now expanding to become the single partner for both tail spend and intellectual services procurement. We support companies across all their purchasing activities, covering both services and physical goods.
Tail Spend: A Shared Reality for Procurement Teams
In many organizations, a significant portion of procurement teams’ time is devoted to low value-added activities. In practice, nearly 65% of suppliers account for only 5% of total spend. Yet, they generate a disproportionate administrative burden. As a result, processing a single purchase order can cost between €120 and €400 and require up to ten hours of work.
These so-called “tail spend” purchases therefore create an imbalance between their actual economic weight and the operational effort they require. Faced with this situation, procurement leaders are seeking solutions that can structure, centralize, and secure these flows without adding complexity to internal processes.
Why iSupplier Is Expanding Its Scope
Historically, iSupplier has been recognized for its expertise in optimizing intellectual services procurement. That is why we are leveraging this know-how to address similar needs across other purchasing categories. This diversification follows a clear objective: to offer a single partner capable of maintaining the same level of rigor, control, and performance across all types of spend.
As Nicolas Ruban, CEO of iSupplier, explains:
“We know how to manage intellectual services procurement very well. It is therefore legitimate for us to expand into other purchasing segments where needs are similar but still insufficiently addressed.”
A Structured Approach to Controlling Tail Spend
With this evolution, iSupplier fully integrates tail spend management into its offering.
In concrete terms, this means end-to-end management of non-essential indirect purchases, including supplier sourcing, contract management, administrative follow-up, and regulatory compliance.
Thanks to volume pooling and process centralization, companies benefit from several tangible advantages:
- significant reductions in processing costs,
- improved execution timelines,
- better spend traceability,
- enhanced legal and regulatory security.
This approach is based on proven methodologies and the expertise of former procurement directors, ensuring a high level of professionalism and reliability.
A Simplified and Secure Supplier Relationship
The diversification of iSupplier’s offering also improves supplier relationship management. Onboarding is simplified, exchanges are centralized, and contract monitoring is strengthened. This increased visibility benefits both client companies and suppliers by streamlining interactions and reducing operational risks. As a result, procurement teams can refocus on high-impact strategic initiatives while maintaining full control over their overall spend.
A Global Positioning in Support of Performance
By becoming a player capable of covering all procurement needs, iSupplier joins a still limited group of providers offering a truly global procurement solution.
The company also anticipates that indirect spend management will surpass intellectual services procurement within the next two years, while continuing to develop both segments in parallel.
This diversification strengthens iSupplier’s value proposition and confirms its ambition: to establish itself as a strategic partner of reference for procurement leaders seeking operational efficiency, cost control, and sustainable value creation.
