private-equity-procurement-consulting

Private Equity Value Creation

Former McKinsey and BCG consultants who do the work. Not just the deck.

We partner with mid-market PE funds and operating partners to drive measurable EBITDA improvement across the full hold cycle. Our senior team embeds directly inside portfolio companies, runs procurement programs, and manages vendor negotiations without burdening the company's team. The leave-behind is value flowing to the bottom line.

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24%
Average reduction in addressable outside spend across PE engagements
100+
Categories covered across numerous industries, from direct materials to SG&A
6–12 Months
Typical engagement length, structured and results-focused from spend discovery through realized savings
Results-Based Fees
Fee structures tied to realized savings, aligning our incentives with the outcomes you actually need

The Opportunity

Most portfolio companies are leaving procurement value on the table.

Mid-market platforms rarely have a dedicated procurement function. Outside spend representing 15 to 30 percent of revenue gets managed reactively by department heads who have neither the time nor the leverage to negotiate effectively.

No Procurement Function

SG&A and indirect spend categories are managed by department heads focused on operations, not cost optimization. Vendor relationships drift, contracts auto-renew, and pricing goes unchallenged for years.

Real, Accessible Savings

Savings of 20 to 25 percent on addressable spend are consistently achievable. For a $150M platform, that is often $3 to $6M in annual EBITDA improvement without headcount reduction and without disrupting operations.

Bandwidth Is the Constraint

Operating partners know the opportunity exists. Executing on it without pulling the portfolio company's management team off their core priorities is exactly the problem we are built to solve.

Why Inside Consulting

Built for PE. Not adapted for it.

There is no shortage of consultants who will assess your portfolio company and produce a findings report. We are not that firm.

McKinsey and BCG Pedigree. Mid-Market Focus.

Our partners trained at McKinsey and BCG. We apply that rigor to mid-market companies that do not have the internal horsepower to run these programs, at a fraction of the cost of a big-firm engagement.

Senior Team. Hands-On Execution.

We embed as an internal procurement function. Your portfolio company's management team stays focused on the business while we run vendor negotiations, manage the sourcing process, and track every dollar of savings to close. No handoffs to junior staff.

Dollars, Not Decks.

We do not produce a findings report and hand it off. We stay until the savings are contracted, verified, and flowing. Our success is measured the same way yours is: by what actually lands on the P&L.

Fees Structured at Risk.

Our fee structure is tied to delivered results. We offer at-risk, hybrid, and fixed-fee arrangements. We are willing to put meaningful fees at risk because we are confident in the outcome.

Our Role

Supporting PE funds from acquisition to exit.

We have a defined role at every stage of the hold cycle. Our scope can be calibrated to match your timeline and return targets.

Stage 01
Due Diligence
Procurement diagnostic, outside spend baseline, and savings potential sizing. Targets are built bottom-up and driver-based, not pulled from benchmarks. Numbers leadership can stand behind.
2 to 3 weeks
Stage 02
100-Day Onboarding
Rapid sourcing sprint on the highest-impact categories. Procurement governance setup. Zero-based budgeting in key areas. Early wins that fund the rest of the value creation program.
First 100 days
Stage 03
Hold Period
Full procurement program covering 100+ categories across numerous industries. Embedded execution: we run the process, own the negotiations, and track results. Fees at risk.
3 to 4 years
Stage 04
Preparation for Exit
Clean cost structure, documented and verified savings, and an EBITDA story that holds up to buyer diligence. We have helped clients return to profitability ahead of a successful sale.
Final 12 months

Client Results

What we deliver for PE-backed platforms.

A sample of our work across PE-backed companies, spanning healthcare, technology, and industrials.

Healthcare · Outside Spend · ZBB

$6M+ annual EBIT

4-year partnership spanning strategic sourcing, zero-based budgeting, and SaaS net revenue retention for a PE-backed healthcare technology platform.

View Case Study →

Technology · Outside Spend · Revenue

$11M+ annual EBITDA

$5M labor savings, $2.7M vendor reduction, and $4M ARR improvement via revenue leakage elimination and pricing optimization.

View Case Study →

Technology · PMI · Outside Spend

$4.3M sourcing synergies

3x the pre-merger estimate. Creative application of leverage well beyond scale alone, realized across a complex post-merger integration.

View Case Study →

Healthcare · Outside Spend

$2.7M vendor spend reduction

Reduction in call center costs ($1.9M) and commercial printing costs ($800K) at a PE-backed healthcare engagement platform.

View Case Study →

Basic Materials · Turnaround

$12M annual cash flow improvement

Returned to profitability in under 18 months and supported a successful sale to a strategic buyer.

View Case Study →
View All Client Results
Funds We Have Worked With

Trusted by leading mid-market PE funds.

Welsh Carson Anderson and Stowe logo Vista Equity Partners logo KKR logo Clayton Dubilier and Rice logo Pamlico Capital logo The Halifax Group logo Trive Capital logo Platinum Equity logo Littlejohn and Co logo CVC Capital logo Great Hill Partners logo Oak HC FT logo Rubicon Founders logo Golden Gate Capital logo Welsh Carson Anderson and Stowe logo Vista Equity Partners logo KKR logo Clayton Dubilier and Rice logo Pamlico Capital logo The Halifax Group logo Trive Capital logo Platinum Equity logo Littlejohn and Co logo CVC Capital logo Great Hill Partners logo Oak HC FT logo Rubicon Founders logo Golden Gate Capital logo

Further Reading

For PE operating partners.

Operator Playbook

Capturing Procurement Value in Multi-Site Healthcare Acquisitions

Read Article →

M&A Strategy

Sourcing: The Most Underexploited M&A Synergy Lever

Read Article →

Vendor Cost Reduction

The Reseller Margin Trap

Read Article →

Why Inside Consulting

Built for PE. Not adapted for it.

Industrial companies on PE timelines cannot wait for a 12-month assessment process. We move fast, go deep, and work on your timeline. Our team includes McKinsey and BCG-trained partners with careers serving Fortune 100 and mid-market companies across healthcare, technology, industrials, and business services.

Industrials and Healthcare Domain Expertise

Our partners have spent careers serving PE-backed companies at McKinsey, BCG, and in operational roles. We understand how these businesses buy, what drives total cost, and where the structural savings opportunities are.

Results-Based Fee Structures

We offer engagement structures that tie our compensation directly to realized savings. Our fees are linked to what we actually deliver against a defined baseline. If we do not find savings, you do not pay the same. Period.

PE Fluent

We speak the language of private equity: EBITDA improvement, MOIC, value creation plans, and 100-day priorities. Our procurement engagements are designed to appear on a board deck and survive due diligence.

No Software. No Platform.

We do not sell a procurement platform or spend analytics tool alongside our services. Our only product is savings. No conflicted recommendations and no technology implementation dragging out the timeline.

What PE value creation consulting actually looks like

PE value creation consulting is not a technology implementation, a spend analytics dashboard, or a consultant report with recommendations your team has to execute. It is the process of replacing fragmented, site-level supplier relationships with a structured, leverage-based supply strategy built on cost analysis, competitive sourcing, and governance that holds. Inside Consulting has executed this work for PE-backed companies across healthcare, technology, industrials, and business services at every stage of the hold cycle, from 100-day value capture through pre-exit margin improvement. The result is not just lower costs in one category. It is a supply base your organization can actually manage as it continues to grow, hire, and acquire.

Most engagements start with a single conversation.

We can scope a diagnostic or a full program and structure fees to align with your hold period and return targets. No junior teams. No handoffs. You will speak with a partner from the first call.

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