Strategic reckoning

Procurement has long been seen as a back-office function, but the stakes have never been higher, or more public. Housing projects are stalling. Defence agendas are redrawing supply chains. Clean energy ambitions risk being stranded without the right buying frameworks. Even international diplomacy is now shaped by who gets the contract.

Across sectors and borders, procurement is no longer just about cost efficiency. It’s about influence, agility and foresight. When done well, it unlocks national priorities. When misjudged, it unravels them. The question for leaders isn’t how to fix isolated failures, it’s how to rethink procurement as a strategic lever before more critical outcomes are left hanging.