Phase 1 · Discovery · Clarity Begins Here
Innovation Sourcing & Co-Creation
The supply market is full of innovation your organisation has not yet discovered. Innovation sourcing is how you access it before your competitors do.
Innovation sourcing and co-creation is the structured engagement of the supply market to solve strategic problems, identify emerging technologies, and co-develop solutions that would not exist without the collaboration between buyer and supplier. We design the innovation challenge process, the supplier engagement framework, and the co-creation governance that turns procurement into a source of strategic advantage rather than a cost management function.
The Pain We Solve
You may recognise yourself in one of these.
Three audience scenarios · because the same service produces a different transformation depending on where you are in the business journey.
Scenario 1
The business that is looking for innovation but only engaging its existing supplier base
The current suppliers are delivering what was specified. But the next generation of solutions is being developed by suppliers you have not yet engaged. Innovation sourcing opens the aperture to the supply market beyond the familiar.
Scenario 2
The organisation that issues innovation challenges without a structured evaluation or commitment process
Suppliers are asked for innovative ideas with no clear evaluation process, no commitment to any outcome, and no pathway to contract. The supply market has learned that these exercises rarely produce commercial results — and engagement falls accordingly.
Scenario 3
The procurement team whose process is designed to minimise risk but is also minimising innovation
Traditional procurement frameworks favour the known and the proven. The risk management that is appropriate for commodity purchasing actively suppresses the innovative responses that could transform a strategic category.
The Impact It Creates
The Moment You Will Feel the Difference.
Access to supply market innovation that internal R&D or existing suppliers cannot provide
Co-created solutions that solve specific strategic problems with supplier expertise
Competitive advantage from supplier innovations adopted before competitors discover them
Procurement positioned as a source of strategic value rather than purely a cost function
What You Receive
The Specific Deliverables.
Tangible outputs · documented, dated, and yours to keep.
- Innovation sourcing strategy and challenge design
- Supply market innovation mapping for priority categories
- Innovation challenge process — brief, engagement, evaluation, and award
- Co-creation governance framework — IP, commercialisation, and risk sharing
- Pilot and proof-of-concept programme design
- Innovation pipeline management and commercialisation pathway
The Outcome
Where You Will Be on the Other Side.
The business systematically accesses supply market innovation — with structured challenges that attract genuine responses, co-creation partnerships that produce real solutions, and a procurement function that is recognised as a strategic enabler rather than an administrative gate.
Primary Focus
Designing innovation sourcing and co-creation programmes that engage the supply market to solve strategic problems and generate competitive advantage.
KPI Measurement
- Innovation challenges run per year
- Supplier participation rate in innovation programmes
- Innovations progressed to pilot or contract
- Commercial value generated from supply market innovation
- Time from innovation challenge to first deployment
Investment & ROI
Pricing Engineered Around the Value You Create.
Every engagement is sized against the value we believe we can create with you · the fee is always a fraction of the outcome. Four tiers · so the investment matches your stage of business.
Tier 1
Foundations
£5,000 – £15,000
Right for
Pre-startup, startup, and micro-business founders ready to build on evidence rather than instinct.
Typical Value Created
£50K – £500K avoided in misdirected launches and bad bets
Engagement
4 – 8 weeks
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Tier 2
Acceleration
£15,000 – £50,000
Right for
Growing SMEs and established small businesses ready to scale a working model into the next revenue band.
Typical Value Created
£250K – £2M of better-informed launch decisions and faster market traction
Engagement
8 – 16 weeks
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Tier 3
Transformation
£50,000 – £250,000
Right for
Medium enterprises and scale-stage businesses ready to commit to a multi-quarter, organisation-wide shift.
Typical Value Created
£1M – £25M in strategic pivots de-risked and new categories validated
Engagement
3 – 9 months
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Tier 4
Enterprise
£250,000 – £2M+
Right for
Large enterprises, global operators, and complex organisations ready for a multi-year strategic partnership.
Typical Value Created
£5M – £100M+ in optimised market entry, M&A diligence, and category positioning
Engagement
12 months and onward
Target Return
5 – 10× ROI
within 12 – 18 months
Why We Price This Way
Every engagement is sized around the value we believe we can create with you. The fee is always a fraction of the outcome · typically 10 – 20% of the expected first-year return.
This is how we make sure pricing aligns with results. The conversation is never “what does this cost?” · it is always “what is this worth to your business?” We answer that together in the first call, transparently, and decide the right tier from there.
If we cannot articulate a credible 5–10× return for your specific situation, we will tell you in the first call. That honesty is part of why our clients trust us with the work that matters most.
Why This Conversation Matters
“The next breakthrough for your business might already exist in your supply market. Innovation sourcing is how you find it before the competition does — and secure it before anyone else can.”
A 90-minute structured strategy session · produces a usable roadmap whether you engage further or not.
More in Phase 1