Do It With You vs. Do It For You in Procurement Services

Many procurement leaders know exactly where the value is in their spend. They have category strategies, opportunity assessments, and a long list of projects they would like to tackle. What they do not have is the capacity to execute all of it while still supporting the day-to-day needs of the business.

That is where managed services come into the picture. The challenge is that “managed services” can mean very different things. Some organizations want a partner in the trenches with them. Others need a team that can take a portion of the work and run with it independently. Most need a mix of both, and that mix can change over time.

What a “Do It With You” model looks like

In a Do It With You model, the internal team stays at the center. The partner is there to bring structure, bandwidth, and experience, but not to replace the client’s role.

This can take many forms. Co-sourcing on specific categories, where the partner handles analytics, market research, and event design while the client leads stakeholder engagement and final negotiation. Standing up playbooks, templates, and sourcing tools, then working side by side with the client team as they use them in live projects. Providing coaching to newer category managers on how to manage suppliers, run reviews, and navigate internal approvals.

The value here is that the client builds capability while still getting work done. The internal team keeps direct control of supplier relationships and decisions. The partner helps them move faster and more consistently, but the model is intentionally collaborative. It works well when leadership wants to strengthen the in-house function, not just clear a backlog.

What a “Do It For You” model looks like

In a Do It For You model, the client asks a partner to take clear ownership of a defined slice of the work. The emphasis is on outcomes and capacity relief.

A typical example would be a sourcing wave plan across several non-core categories. The client agrees on scope, objectives, and decision checkpoints. The partner then leads the day-to-day work, from data gathering and event design through supplier outreach, negotiation, and recommendations. Reporting focuses on progress against milestones and value delivered, not hours spent.

This approach is especially useful when there is more addressable spend than the internal team can handle, or when there is a time-bound value creation plan. Private equity backed companies, post-merger integrations, and large transformation programs often fall into this category. Leadership wants to see results within a clear window, and a Do It For You model allows internal staff to stay focused on critical relationships and internal change while still making visible progress on sourcing and savings.

Execution can sit anywhere on the spectrum

The reality is that execution rarely falls neatly into one model or the other. EaaS and other managed services can flex depending on the category, stakeholder group, and timing.

For some categories, execution may mean structured savings identification and early-stage sourcing. A partner can benchmark, map, and validate a pipeline of opportunities, then hand that to the internal team with credible savings estimates and suggested approaches. For others, the partner may run events through to contract while the internal team stays close to the business to manage impacts and adoption.

In many engagements, the mix shifts over time. A client might start closer to Do It For You to address a backlog or hit near-term targets, then move toward Do It With You as internal capability grows and priorities stabilize. The important point for clients is that “execution” is a flexible concept. It can mean sizing the opportunity, running the event, supporting implementation, or helping sustain savings, depending on what is needed most.

What makes either model work

Regardless of where a program sits on the spectrum, a few factors tend to determine success.

Clear scope is the first. Both sides need a shared view of which categories, suppliers, or initiatives are in play. Vague expectations such as “help us save more” usually lead to misalignment.

Aligned definitions of success are next. That includes how savings will be calculated, when benefits are considered realized, and which other outcomes matter, such as risk reduction, speed to contract, or stakeholder satisfaction. Bringing Finance and business sponsors into that conversation early pays off later.

Governance is also critical. Roles should be explicit. Who owns stakeholder communication. Who can make which decisions. How often progress will be reviewed and in what format. When this is handled well, the partner feels like an extension of the internal team, not a separate track of activity.

Finally, there should be an intentional plan for knowledge transfer. Even in a Do It For You model, each wave of work should leave behind better documentation, insights, and tools. Over time, that makes the client team more capable, whether they choose to keep working with a partner or bring more activity back in house.

Flexibility for the right mix

For most organizations, the real question is not “Do we want a Do It With You or a Do It For You model?” It is “Where do we need each approach over the next 12 to 24 months?”

Some categories or programs will benefit from hands-on partnership and capability building. Others will require a provider to take the lead so the internal team can focus on strategy, stakeholder management, and change. Flexible managed services allow procurement leaders to adjust that mix as conditions change, rather than locking into a single model that may not fit every part of the portfolio.

When framed this way, the conversation shifts from buying capacity to designing the right blend of support. Clients can see where a Do It With You approach will build strength for the long term, where a Do It For You model will relieve immediate pressure, and how both can work together to keep strategy and execution moving at the same pace.