Procurement and Supply Stakeholders
Who they are
Internal: requisitioners and end users, budget holders, finance, legal, HR, IT, senior management and the board, internal audit. External: suppliers and subcontractors, customers, regulators and government, trade unions, the local community, NGOs and media.
Mapping and engagement
Mendelow's power/interest grid is the standard tool. High power and high interest: manage closely. High power and low interest: keep satisfied. Low power and high interest: keep informed. Low power and low interest: monitor with minimal effort. A RACI chart clarifies who is responsible, accountable, consulted and informed for each activity.
Managing tension
Users want speed and choice; finance wants cash control; legal wants risk minimised; suppliers want prompt payment and clear forecasts; the organisation wants value for money and compliance. Procurement's role is to balance these competing demands and to keep the supplier relationship two-way rather than adversarial.
Traps
Treating suppliers as an afterthought rather than a stakeholder; placing the board or a major budget holder in 'keep informed' when they hold real power; assuming all stakeholders want the same outcome; and writing specifications without consulting the end user, which produces equipment nobody can use.
Rule of thumb
For every stakeholder, answer three questions - what do they want, what power do they hold, how will I communicate? Record the answers in a one-page stakeholder plan naming an owner, a channel and a frequency for each group.