Una GPO

09/17/2026

How does membership with a group purchasing organization reduce compliance risk and save the many hours, days, or even weeks procurement teams spend on compliance checks?

In Una’s case, we:

✔️ Use a strict compliance framework when vetting potential suppliers.

✔️ Regularly review partnerships for compliance risk and keep our supplier compliance database up-to-date.

✔️Maintain strong, transparent relationships with our suppliers.

Check our latest article below to learn more about the compliance case for joining a GPO here 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04xpTZ00

Learn more about the compliance case for joining a GPO in terms of reducing supply chain risk and saving the time it takes to vet suppliers.

09/15/2026

How stale is your preferred supplier list?

It might have started with the best suppliers, the best pricing and the best intentions. But markets change, suppliers change and business needs change.

We take a look at what makes a preferred supplier list useful, what happens when it falls behind the market, and how active supplier management (with the help of a GPO) can keep it delivering value.

Read the full article here 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04xpWsG0

A preferred supplier list provides a clear set of vendors to buy from and helps control spend. Here's how to keep it from going stale.

09/10/2026

Supplier relationships can look fine right up until they don't.

When you focus only on price, contracts, and transactions, it's easy to miss the small problems that eventually become big ones.

We’ve put together a practical guide to Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), including how to prioritize suppliers, improve performance, and why having a GPO contract doesn't mean you can stop managing the relationship.

Download Una’s new Supplier Relationship Management Playbook for GPO Members, available now 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04x4vyD0

09/08/2026

Supplier diversity has taken a beating in recent years with scaled-back programs, changing titles, and professionals getting sidelined after decades of work.

Thankfully, this isn't the end of the story. It's a chance to fix what wasn't working like focusing on the *right* metrics:

✔️ Jobs created
✔️ People employed in underserved communities
✔️ Tax revenue generated

Numbers that are harder to argue with and impossible for any politician to publicly oppose.

The formula for building programs that last?

→ Drop spend quotas
→ Broaden diversity classifications instead of narrowing focus
→ Center the work on supplier development, not just spend
→ Keep supplier diversity in procurement

For our full take, check out today's article 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04wXV7D0

Making the case that rebuilding supplier diversity programs is an opportunity to fix what's broken and rebrand them into something better.

09/03/2026

Is there really such a thing as "non-strategic" procurement?

If you’ve ever had "strategic" in your job title, you might be used to the idea that tactical work, indirect spend, or tail spend are somehow less important.

🌶️ Here’s our hot take: Every category can be approached strategically.

Whether it's consolidating fragmented tail spend, automating repetitive tasks, or leveraging buying power through partners like Una, *how* you manage the spend determines its value, not the dollar amount or risk attached to it.

Stop asking if a category is strategic. Start asking if you're approaching it strategically 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04w4d5-0

Is all of procurement strategic or are there categories that are less important? Or is it how you manage the spend that determines its value?

09/01/2026

Why do some salespeople dislike the concept of group purchasing? Because they believe a lower direct price should always win the deal.

If a sales rep can beat a GPO’s line-item price on a single invoice, they assume relying on a GPO is just a crutch for lazy buyers. But that mindset completely misreads how modern procurement operates.

💸 Unit discounts don't offset administrative waste. Saving 5% on a one-off purchase isn't a win if it takes 20 hours of internal setup to pull off.

👥 New vendors bring heavy operational friction. Direct deals force your team to restart legal reviews, financial vetting, insurance checks, and system onboarding from scratch.

🚀 Routine sourcing drains finite resources. GPOs handle the administrative heavy lifting on indirect spend so your team can focus on high-value, strategic initiatives.

💰 Total category value beats single-invoice savings. Procurement manages risk, supplier consolidation, and long-term strategy, not just isolated transactions.

Here is a look at why reps struggle to sell against GPOs, and why their pitch often misses the mark 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04w3Mh60

Do you dislike GPOs? Here is a look at why reps struggle to sell against GPOs, and why their pitch often misses the mark.

08/31/2026

Oh, Canada! The latest edition of Una’s The Sidekick just dropped, and it's all about the trouble at our northern border.

U.S.-Canada trade talks collapsed last week, triggering 50% tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods with no USMCA exemptions and Canadian retaliation landing September 8.

We break down which U.S. sectors are most exposed and what the breakdown reveals about the limits of walking away in any negotiation.

This issue also discusses why the China-plus-one supply chain you built legally in 2018 may now be flagged by an AI system scanning your shipments at the border before they clear customs.

Check it out here 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04vn-7k0

08/27/2026

Lone-wolf procurement teams have a good instinct. Handle it yourself, stay in control, don't outsource what matters 🐺

Potentially, however, lone wolves are missing out on 18-22% cost savings with top suppliers across key indirect categories.

Joining a GPO doesn't mean giving up control. It means a team of sourcing advisors, pre-negotiated contracts already stress-tested by a much bigger membership base, and someone watching pricing and renewals on categories you don't have bandwidth for.

Check out Una’s latest piece debunking the top reasons procurement teams give for going it alone, and what changes once you’re part of a group of peers with $100 billion in buying power 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04v4bXR0

Debunking the top reasons lone-wolf procurement teams give for going it alone, and what changes once you’re part of a $100B GPO.

08/25/2026

Can any procurement strategy beat a GPO for speed and size of savings?

Strategic sourcing, e-auctions, supplier consolidation, and category management maturity all have impressive track records for driving savings.

But none of them start from a contract that's already negotiated.

Our latest article puts the full procurement toolkit head-to-head with a GPO on the two things that matter most when a business needs results: speed and savings.

The verdict isn't as simple as “GPO wins everywhere.” Read the full breakdown of where each strategy earns its place 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04v4cZf0

There are a lot of way successful sourcing happens but can any procurement strategy beat a GPO when it comes to speed and savings?

08/20/2026

The best procurement strategy isn’t built around one tool.

Strategic sourcing, direct negotiations, supplier relationships, technology, and group purchasing all have a role to play.

The question is knowing where each one creates the most value.

For indirect and non-strategic spend, a GPO can take a lot of effort off procurement’s plate from supplier discovery and assessment to negotiation and contract management, while providing access to pre-negotiated, enterprise-level pricing.

That means your team can spend less time sourcing categories that don’t require your deepest expertise and more time on:

🎯 Strategic category management
🤝 High-value supplier relationships
💡 Stakeholder engagement
📈 Team development
🌱 Sustainability and supplier diversity initiatives

A GPO shouldn’t replace your procurement strategy. It should give you more capacity to execute it 👉 https://hubs.li/Q04tcVSQ0

How do GPOs work to save money, time, and effort? Learn how group purchasing organizations can fit into your overall procurement strategy.