You’re expected to deliver more. You’re not given the people to do it.
Your board wants more savings. Your stakeholders want faster sourcing support. Your team is already stretched to breaking point.
And when you do need external help, you’re trapped between two bad options:
Option 1
Hire a contractor via a recruiter
6-month commitment to get the right calibre
Defaults to inside IR35 due to risk-averse policy.
Inflated day rates as contractors avoid inside IR35.
Weeks of recruitment, interviews, approvals.
Option 2
Engage a consultancy
Promised the A-team, delivered the C-team
£1,800/day rates that are impossible to justify
IR35 workaround, but risk remains.
Bloated, inefficient, and seen as a necessary evil.
The pressure builds. Headcount doesn’t. And neither option was built for how Procurement actually works today.
There’s a third option. And it changes everything.
SmartBuyer is not just a better way to fill a gap. It's a fundamentally better way to resource Procurement, the new operating model
Access expertise across 250+ specialist sub-categories, growing week by week
We use specialists, not generalists. We have expertise in indirects, direct, ESG, policy, process and ProcureTech.
Step 1: Tell us what you need
A 15-minute call to assess your capacity gaps, category needs, and timeline—no drawn-out procurement process.
Step 2: We match you with the right specialist
A 15-minute call to assess your needs and timeline—no lengthy procurement process.
Step 3: We start delivering
Your specialist is embedded, delivering, and accountable for outcomes. Scale up or down whenever you need to.
Cost-effective
No 6-month lock-in.
No IR35 liability.
Rapid deployment
Don’t take our word for it. Look at the numbers.
Proof beats promises. Real performance is measured, not marketed—so we let the numbers do the talking and the results speak for themselves.
£4m
Saving on Media buying for a luxury drinks giant.
£0.9m
Savings using our resource to manage global payroll optimization.
£1.1m
Secured NetApp storage cost savings for a blue-chip tech client.
67%
Cost reduction on mobile telephony for a global beauty client
£1bn+
Total spend under management
“The engagement was executed exceptionally well. The approach was thorough, well-structured, and clearly communicated throughout. Deadlines were consistently met, strong working relationships were built with RFP participants, and the process was collaborative rather than adversarial. The analysis and conclusions were clear, enabling a confident decision to be made. Overall, a very well-run and effective procurement process.”
CIO
Global luxury sector client
"We are using SmartBuyer extensively as a new hybrid operating model for our Procurement team"
Head of Indirect Procurement
Global Luxury Drinks giant
"Mark is the font of knowledge on IR35, providing reassurance on effective management of the resources SmartBuyer deploys"
Group Head of Procurement
FTSE 100 Financial Services company
Time to deploy
Commitment
Typical cost
IR35 risk
Talent quality
Business case required
Relationship
Interim recruiter
4–12 weeks
6+ months
£700–850/day
Sits with you
Depends on market
£70k+
Ends at placement
Interim recruiter
4–12 weeks
6+ months
£700–850/day
Sits with you
Depends on market
£100k+
Ends at placement
SmartBuyer
48 hours
Flexible, no minimum
Very competitive
Fully managed
Pre-vetted specialists
No
Ongoing & embedded
Same calibre. Fraction of the cost. None of the red tape.
Questions we hear from Procurement leaders
It's a new, disruptive model for Procurement, let us cover off some key questions we're often asked.
How is this different from using a recruiter
Recruiters find you a person. We deliver a capability. Our specialists are pre-vetted, deployment-ready, and we manage the entire engagement including IR35 compliance. There’s no recruitment fee, no 6-month tie-in, and no weeks of interviews.
We already use a consultancy for this.
What if we only need someone for a few weeks?
How do you handle IR35?
Can your specialists actually deliver at enterprise level?
This is Procurement support designed around how you
actually work — not how the recruitment or consulting industry wants you to buy.
Tell us where your team is stretched. We’ll tell you exactly how we’d help — and what it would cost. No pitch deck. No follow-up spam. Just a straight conversation between Procurement professionals.
Or email Mark directly at mark@smartbuyer.co — he’s a Procurement leader himself, not a salesperson.
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