Reducing Maverick Buying: How to Get Indirect Procurement Under Control

Your employees are placing orders outside the agreed-upon channels – not out of malice, but because the official process is too slow, too cumbersome, or simply not visible enough. Maverick buying can be reduced. But not through bans, warnings, or new policies alone. This guide shows you what measures you can take to structurally eliminate uncontrolled purchases – step by step, with clear priorities.

Maverick Buying in indirect procurement can be permanently reduced through a combination of transparency, process-oriented digitization, and targeted supplier management. The key is not the ban, but the better alternative: If you make the managed ordering process easier than the uncontrolled one, you stop maverick buying at its root.

The most important points at a glance:

• Maverick buying almost always stems from process barriers – not from an intent to break the rules.
• Before you implement measures, you should know your current Maverick Buying rate.
• The most effective lever is a guided, simple ordering process – not post-transaction monitoring.
• Existing supplier relationships can be mapped digitally on a 1:1 basis without having to renegotiate framework agreements.
• ERP integration (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics) automates the process from shopping cart to invoice

Where You Stand Today: Measure Your Maverick Buying Rate Before Taking Action

Before you implement measures, you need a number. Many procurement managers underestimate the extent of the problem – because maverick buying only becomes visible in accounts payable when it’s too late.

Definition: The maverick buying rate represents the percentage of procurement spending that occurred outside of approved processes, suppliers, or framework agreements – measured against total spending over a defined period.

How to calculate your rate:

• Analyze accounts payable: Identify all suppliers not listed in your supplier master data. Every invoice from an unlisted supplier is a clear instance of maverick buying.
• Check order quantities without purchase orders: Invoices without a corresponding purchase order number from the ERP system indicate where the process was bypassed.
• Compare departments: Determine which departments have the highest rate. Production and IT tend to place uncontrolled orders more frequently than Sales.
• Calculate the spot-buying percentage: One-time purchases without a framework agreement are another indicator – especially for C-parts and office supplies.

Key Fact: According to studies by the German Association for Materials Management, Purchasing, and Logistics (BME), the maverick buying rate in medium-sized companies often ranges between 20 and 40 percent of indirect procurement expenditures – which in many cases exceeds the total savings potential achievable through price negotiations. (Source: BME Survey of Indirect Procurement Metrics)

Measure 1: Make the managed process easier than the uncontrolled one

The most effective method against maverick buying isn’t control. It’s a better alternative.

Employees turn to Amazon, Otto Business, or local specialty retailers because these channels are faster and easier than the internal system. The problem isn’t one of discipline – it’s a user experience (UX) problem.

Tip: Equipping the approved ordering channel with a B2C-style search interface reduces maverick buying more effectively than any policy – because the easier route is now the one that complies with the rules.

What specifically helps:

• Product search across all suppliers on a single interface: Instead of five different supplier portals, a single centralized search – just like on Amazon, but with your framework agreement prices.
• Approval workflows directly within the ordering process: Approvals aren’t submitted via email afterward but run automatically within the system.
• Mobile-friendly interface: People on the production floor don’t place orders on a desktop. When the ordering system runs on a smartphone, the rate of workarounds decreases.

Book a free demo – here’s what a guided ordering process looks like in practice

Measure 2: Digitally map existing framework agreements – without renegotiating

A common misconception: Employees bypass the ERP system because the framework agreement prices aren’t maintained there. They see no difference between an approved supplier and any random online store – and make decisions based on convenience.

Definition: Digitally mapping existing framework agreements means that individually negotiated terms with key suppliers are imported directly into the e-procurement platform –without renegotiation and without disclosing prices to third parties.

What this means in practice:

• Your regular supplier creates a customized catalog for your company – featuring your negotiated prices, your selection of items, and your delivery terms.
• This catalog is visible only to you – not to the supplier’s other customers or to competitors.
• Employees place orders from this catalog – and automatically see the correct terms and conditions.

Key Fact: The difference from open B2B marketplaces like Mercateo/Unite lies precisely here: On an open marketplace, your supplier competes publicly. In a closed e-procurement system, your preferential terms remain exclusive – for both sides.

Measure 3: Set up ERP integration – from the shopping cart to the invoice

Maverick buying also occurs when the ordering process is standardized, but the ERP system and the ordering platform do not communicate with each other. Employees place orders externally because the manual follow-up work in the ERP system is too time-consuming.

Tip: Full OCI Punchout integration between the e-procurement platform and SAP or Microsoft Dynamics eliminates manual data entry – and thus a key driver of maverick buying.

The key integration points:

• OCI Punchout: Employees start in the ERP system, navigate to the ordering platform, select items, and return to the ERP with a filled shopping cart. No duplicate data entry.
• Automatic account assignment: Cost centers, cost objects, and account assignment rules are automatically assigned when the order is placed – no manual follow-up in accounting.
• Digital Invoice Processing: Incoming invoices are reconciled against order data. No order number – no payment. This naturally enforces the process.

Measure 4: Set up role-based controls and approval workflows

Maverick buying thrives where ordering rights are unclear. Who in your organization is authorized to do what – up to what value, and for which product group?

Definition: Role-based control in e-procurement means that each employee can only view and order the product groups and budgets assigned to their role – all orders exceeding these limits automatically enter an approval process.

Here’s what a functional role structure looks like:

• Requester: Sees only approved suppliers and product categories. Can create shopping carts but cannot approve them independently.
• Approvers (e.g., department heads): Receive notifications for orders exceeding a defined threshold and approve them in the system – without back-and-forth emails.
• Purchasing: Has full visibility into all orders, budgets, and suppliers. Can adjust rules, approve new suppliers, and generate reports.
• Accounting: Sees posted orders and invoices in real time – fully accounted for, with no need for follow-up questions.

Key Fact: Companies that actively use approval workflows in their e-procurement system report a compliance rate of over 90 percent – compared to an average of 55–65 percent without system-supported controls. (Source: simple system’s own customer data, aggregated and anonymized).

Measure 5: Change Management – Why Technology Alone Isn’t Enough

Even the best platform is useless if employees don’t use it. This isn’t just a cliché – it’s the most common reason why e-procurement projects fall short of their potential.

Tip: Rolling out an e-procurement platform is not an IT project. It is a change management project. Involving executives early on and highlighting quick wins helps gain acceptance faster than through training alone.

What speeds up the rollout:

• Executive leadership: A procurement manager or CFO who publicly champions the initiative significantly reduces resistance in the business units.
• Roll out department by department: Instead of a “big bang” rollout, start with a pilot department, incorporate feedback, and then scale up.
• Communicate quick wins: After four weeks, show: How many orders were processed in compliance with the rules? How much manual rework has been eliminated? Numbers are more convincing than arguments.
• No lengthy training sessions: If the system requires an introduction lasting several hours, the system itself is the problem. B2C-style interfaces reduce training time to under 30 minutes.

Measure 6: Report the maverick buying rate regularly

What isn’t measured doesn’t improve. Many procurement departments measure maverick buying once – and then never again.

A simple reporting setup for small and medium-sized businesses:

• Monthly analysis: Percentage of orders placed through the system vs. orders placed outside the system (identified by invoices without an order reference).
• Departmental benchmarks: Which department has the highest/lowest maverick buying rate? Transparency fosters competition.
• Track supplier consolidation: Is the number of active suppliers decreasing? This is a direct indicator of declining Maverick Buying rates.
• Process cost analysis: Not just what was ordered – but what the order cost in administrative expenses.

Quick Wins vs. Structural Measures: Which Comes First?

Not all measures can be implemented at the same speed. This overview helps with prioritization:

Conclusion: You don’t stop maverick buying with bans – but with better processes

Uncontrolled purchases don’t happen because employees want to disregard guidelines. They happen because the official process is too cumbersome. Anyone who simplifies this process– with a central platform, digital framework agreements, and automated approvals – can permanently stop maverick buying.

Book a free demo and put a structural stop to Maverick Buying. In 30 minutes, you’ll see how simple system digitally maps your existing framework agreements and guides your employees through the streamlined ordering process – without a lengthy implementation process.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About Reducing Maverick Buying