I published a post on personalisation this week, and the same day, I received a pre-market questionnaire for a procurement process. I found myself writing the same thing in a different register.

Procuring a platform is not the same as building capability.

Sharon Green made the point well in the comments: the skill of navigating tech procurement is itself built up over time. If you’ve only ever bought one system, you may only discover what you got wrong after go-live. That’s where buyer’s regret lives and it’s going to get worse as AI gets added to every sales deck.

The independent specialist earns their place not by managing the whole process but by bringing judgement, context, and challenge at the moments that matter most. Before the shortlist, before the demo, and, most importantly, before the budget is committed.

The other thing worth naming: the best independent work doesn’t end at implementation. It builds internal capability that stays after the consultant leaves and the invoice is paid.

Sharon also put it plainly: define the problem before you go to market. Treat it as a change project with technology as the enabler, not the answer.

That’s the pre-market discipline most organisations skip.