Spotlight on Procurement and NCPO | Nordic Capital
NCA 7774

Spotlight on Procurement and NCPO

Procurement spend accounts for around 50% of revenue across the portfolio, making procurement excellence a key lever for sustainable competitive advantage, innovation and growth. By embedding best-in-class sourcing and supplier management practices, Nordic Capital views responsible procurement as an essential part of its ownership strategy.

Nordic Capital Procurement Optimisation Programme (NCPO)

Launched in 2009, the NCPO unites procurement professionals across the portfolio to maximise value creation. The programme operates on four key pillars:

  • Community: An active network of over 200 procurement professionals who regularly share best practices and spark innovative solutions.

  • NCPO Academy: A dedicated academy to nurture procurement talent, supporting both the development and recruitment of key experts.

  • Cross-Portfolio Sourcing: Centralised sourcing strategies leverage the scale of the entire portfolio, enabling framework agreements with partner suppliers for increased efficiency and impact.

  • Strategy & Company-Specific Programmes: Tailored support for each portfolio company, from large capital projects to procurement transformations, ensuring that programmes reflect individual business needs and ambitions.

Procurement Excellence at Nordic Capital

To drive continuous improvement, the NCPO has developed a Procurement Excellence Framework consisting of eight essential dimensions which help companies assess their current procurement maturity, set future ambitions and track progress. These include:

  • Procurement strategy
  • Spend mapping and supplier segmentation
  • Procurement value proposition and executive sponsorship
  • Key procurement levers to optimise performance
  • Leveraging Nordic Capital scale and NCPO agreements
  • Procurement processes, digitalisation and technology
  • Performance reporting to support the procurement agenda
  • Organisational structure, leadership competencies and capabilities

Recognising the diversity of Nordic Capital’s portfolio, the framework seeks to empower management to define targets aligned with their unique context and supporting action plans for measurable procurement improvement. The NCPO works alongside and supports companies with procurement throughout ownership.