M&A, Partner Management, and Strategic Procurement

In today’s global business environment, mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships – or even mergers into a single organisation – are a key element for success. We can think of supplier/buyer strategic procurement relationships, joint venture or partnership relationships, and mergers of organizations, as three distinct types of business relationships that represent a continuum, ranging from two independent organizations all the way to merging into one.

Although these collaborative, or even merged organization, relationships can increase corporate value, efficiency and growth, many such “partnerships” do not realize their full potential. Schroeder & Schroeder can help you and your organization achieve more value out of your “partnerships” – whether by identifying new sources or types of partnerships, increasing the value out of an existing partnership, or to helping to strategize and facilitate a new merger.

How We Can Help

External pressures are increasingly forcing organizations to take a strong look at their partnership activities and strategy. Our professional consultants have worked with countless organizations on merger/acquisition (M&A) projects, joint venture or partner formation and management, and procurements (including contract management),. We believe that a good M&A, partner management or procurement program starts with a feasible strategy that incorporates the right balance of “art & science” from the beginning. Partnerships inherently involve people and trust relationships – something that Schroeder & Schroeder places a special emphasis on getting just right.

Some objectives we can assist you with include:

  • Improving the likelihood of a successful “partnership” formation or merger integration to quickly and effectively integrate participating organizations
  • Dealing effectively with the integration processes and change management issues
  • Effectively dealing with customers and suppliers
  • Development of a coherent performance management strategy
  • Analyzing your financial position to assess where and how strategic and operational synergies can be maximized

Key Considerations

Questions to Ask

  • Do we get the most out of our existing partnerships or is there room for improvement?
  • Do we consider the needs of our partners equal to our own?
  • Does our organization have a partnership strategy that clearly outlines the benefits that partnership will bring and how those benefits help meet our business objectives?
  • If we are thinking about M&A, does our organizational culture match or closely relate to the other organizations?
  • If not, how are we going to integrate the two cultures to ensure efficiency and effectiveness?
  • What level of resistance do we see or anticipate from our partnerships?
  • Will some of our staff lose their responsibilities?

Thoughts to Consider

  • Different organizations, even different departments within the same organization, can have differing methods for measuring and communicating performance expectations and results.
  • Relationships can’t be faked. Whether dealing with a supplier or a new service provider, it is important to treat your partner’s concerns as equally important to your own.
  • Entities within “partnerships” typically have different cultures. Especially within post-merger/acquisition, it is important to identify which culture is best suited for the new organization and to develop a strategy to implement that culture.
  • All partnerships are real relationships that involve real people. Most often it is not the strategy that goes off the rails, but the implementation. There is often resistance and fear of the unknown, the right balance of “art & science” is particularly crucial here.
  • Having a contract is one thing, but “living together” is another. At the start, it is impossible to think of every single scenario that could arise in a “partnership” relationship. The right balance of “art & science” in these situations is necessary for a healthy, value-add relationship.

Strong “partnerships” or mergers with effective partnership/merger management will increase your organization’s value through increased efficiency and an enhanced ability to compete. Our expert consultants are ready to help you get the most out of your strategic partnerships or business acquisition and merger, so that you can increase your bottom line. Specific benefits could include:

  • Achieving strategic and operational synergies more quickly, to a greater degree and with greater certainty
  • Making the transition to a “partner” relationship or merger as smooth and efficient as possible
  • Leveraging new capabilities from the partner or acquired organization into existing markets
  • Avoid the resistance to integration in favour of sustaining business as usual
  • Maintaining a sense of control and customer focus when dealing with partners or a merger situation
  • Maximizing the returns and benefits from your partner relationships or merger

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