At Blue Tree, procurement isn’t just something we do—it’s where we began. Our journey started almost a decade ago with a singular focus on procurement, mastering the art of supporting our clients by acquiring the best-fit technology solutions for their specific needs. This foundational expertise in procurement is what makes us so exceptional at it today. Over time, we’ve grown and expanded our services, but our roots in facilitating best-practice procurement processes have always been at the core of our success, guiding multiple aspects of our company’s evolution.
The Power of Choice: Our 3 Delivery Models
Fast forward to today, and Blue Tree’s procurement services have evolved into a dynamic offering with three distinct delivery models:
1. Consultative Engagement:
We bring our industry expertise and deep understanding of the vendor landscape to the table. Our mission? To advise clients on improving processes, assisting them through the procurement process for new products or services, and ensuring successful implementation and integration.
2. Staff Augmentation:
Need extra hands on deck? This model involves our team members working directly with clients, either on an hourly basis or through set blocks of hours, effectively acting as extensions of the clients’ teams while following their processes and using their tools.
3. Outsourced Fulfillment:
For clients who are short on time, resources, or expertise, we step in to take full control of procurement strategy and tasks. Using our home-grown best practice blueprint, we facilitate requirements gathering, due diligence, market evaluation, decision-making, negotiations, and implementation activities on behalf of our clients, ensuring ease and efficiency throughout the process.
Understanding Procurement
Every organization requires technology services, products, and personnel to function efficiently. At its core, procurement is about acquiring these resources to enable employees to perform their roles effectively. Our goal is to help clients make informed decisions at the best price, negotiate favorable terms, and plan for successful implementations.
The Importance of IT Procurement
IT procurement is not just about purchasing technology; it’s a critical process that aligns IT investments with an organization’s overall business strategy. Every organization that relies on IT needs a structured approach to acquiring the technology products and services essential for its operations. IT procurement can range from ad-hoc purchases to highly detailed and strategic planning. It involves a series of processes that start with identifying the business and strategic needs for IT, selecting the right solutions, and then executing the purchase. Typically, there are distinct processes for new IT initiatives compared to updating existing systems.
The Growing Need for Expert Procurement
But why is expert IT procurement so essential? The answer lies in the sheer volume of new applications and technologies emerging every day. We’re talking about hundreds of new software apps, cloud-based solutions, and SaaS products being introduced at a breakneck pace. On top of that, rapidly evolving technologies like AI and Machine Learning are continually reshaping the marketplace with new products and services.
When it comes to highly specialized or industry-specific products and service adoption or migration, we have the processes in place for success. For these types of situations, we frequently lean heavily on subject matter experts to ensure everything is handled with the utmost precision. This approach ensures that organizations, regardless of size, can navigate the complex and ever-changing tech landscape with confidence.
Why Focus on IT Procurement?
Procuring IT is more than just a transactional activity—it’s a crucial part of achieving strategic and operational objectives. Given the fundamental role IT plays in business success and transformation, IT procurement should involve key stakeholders from across the organization, including leadership from all business units at times. The process must ensure that IT investments are carefully aligned with the business’s needs, leading to informed and impactful decisions that drive the organization forward.
The Complexity of Procurement
Procurement isn’t always a straightforward task. It can range from the simple, like buying new laptops for your team, to the complex, like overhauling an entire legacy technology system. The latter often requires significant changes—both technological and organizational. With new applications and technologies emerging daily, staying current with market leaders is a challenge. For many organizations, especially those not at the enterprise level, having a full-time procurement specialist just isn’t feasible. That’s where Blue Tree steps in, providing the expertise you need, when you need it.
The Blue Tree Advantage
What do our clients gain from partnering with us? Confidence. Confidence in their decision-making process, confidence in the speed and efficiency of their procurement, and confidence in the value they’re getting. Often, IT departments or business leaders—who may not be seasoned in procurement—find themselves tasked with making crucial purchasing decisions. Our services ensure they have access to the right expertise and data, leading to quicker evaluations, faster negotiations, and ultimately, significant savings and a higher return on each investment.
Specialized Procurement Expertise When You Need It Most
Even if your organization manages most vendor relationships in-house, there are times when you might need specialized expertise for a major purchase—like a data center or a CRM system. That’s where our procurement services come in. We provide the confidence and know-how you need to make those big decisions with ease.
Curious about partnering with Blue Tree Technology Group? Schedule a 15-minute Intro Meeting with me to explore how we can support your business goals. I look forward to connecting!