Tierline Advisory

What I solve

Four problems every growing company meets.

Spending with suppliers grows faster than the team that manages it. These are the problems that follow, and the ones I fix first.

Rising costs

Spend analysis, should-cost models and structured negotiations that bring input, freight and supplier prices back under control.

COST · SAVINGS · PRICE REVIEWS

Urgent buying

A faster purchase-to-delivery process: clear approval limits, emergency sourcing routes and suppliers ready to respond.

CYCLE TIME · APPROVALS · BACKLOG

Contract gaps

Contracts that protect you on price mechanisms, delivery terms, penalties and liability, with renewals that never surprise you.

TERMS · RENEWALS · DISPUTES

Long lead times

Alternative and closer sources, qualified properly, so you cut lead times and depend less on any single supplier.

SOURCING · LEAD TIME · RISK

Services

Eight ways to work together.

Start small with a fixed-price sprint or diagnostic, then scale to ongoing leadership if it makes sense. Every engagement is scoped and priced before work begins.

3–4 weeksFixed feeBest first step

Procurement Diagnostic

An independent, evidence-based view of where your money and your risk sit, before you commit to anything further.

What I review

Spend by supplier and category over 12–24 months
Top suppliers: pricing, terms, dependence, performance
Key contracts, buying controls and urgent purchases
Inventory and lead times for critical materials

What you receive

A spend map: where the money goes and who controls it
Savings opportunities ranked by value and ease
Supplier risk register for single-source items
Contract gap list with recommended fixes
90-day action plan with owners and milestones
Readout session with your leadership team

Sprint Projects

2–3 weeksFixed price

Focused, medium-sized projects that solve one problem fast, with a clear deliverable at the end.

Supplier price negotiation for one category
Alternative sourcing with shorter lead times
Contract review and fix
RFQ or tender for a category or logistics provider
Urgent buying rescue: clear the backlog, fix approvals

Fractional Head of Procurement

Monthly3-month minimum

A senior leader for a set number of days each month, running procurement alongside your team.

Category strategies for your largest spend areas
Lead key negotiations and tenders
Supplier reviews on quality, cost and delivery
Buying policy, approval limits and a dashboard management trusts
Coaching your buyers so the capability stays

Market Intelligence & Macro Alerts

NewSubscription

Timely warnings and briefings so your procurement team decides early, not after costs have already moved.

Alerts within 24–48 hours on tariffs, ports, freight and currency
Weekly price trends for your key inputs
Monthly outlook: when to buy forward or hold
Every alert comes with a recommended action

AI Procurement Inbox Assistant

New2-week setup

An AI assistant that reads your buyers' supplier emails each morning and turns them into a ranked action list.

Overdue items and urgent supplier issues, ranked
Decisions waiting for the manager
A task tracker that updates itself
Runs on your own accounts; your data stays with you

Specialist Projects

4–12 weeksQuoted per project

Deep work on a single strategic issue, scoped and quoted separately.

Warehouse network and logistics provider redesign
GCC local content and localisation readiness
US tariffs and landed cost re-planning
Supplier base restructuring and dual sourcing

Supplier Compliance & Traceability

NewSprint or project

Get your supplier base ready for buyer, customs and audit requirements before they become a shipment problem.

Supplier compliance audits and corrective action plans
Restricted-substance and chemical compliance programmes
Forced-labour and origin traceability for US and EU markets
Procurement audit readiness for donor-funded and public tenders

How an engagement grows

You decide at every step.

Most clients start with a free call and a short, fixed-price piece of work. Nothing continues unless the results justify it.

Free review call

30 minutes on your situation, your suppliers and your pressure points.

Day 1

Diagnostic or sprint

A fixed-price first engagement with a clear deliverable.

Weeks 1–4

Ongoing leadership

Monthly support to deliver the plan, plus intelligence alerts.

Month 2 onwards

Specialist projects

Deeper redesign work where a single issue needs it.

As needed

See it working

Decide before the market moves.

Two newer services, shown with illustrative examples. Clients receive these daily or weekly, tailored to their own categories, suppliers and trade lanes.

Market intelligence

Weekly procurement alert

Events that affect your costs or supply, each with a clear recommended action.

Tierline · Weekly alertExample

CRITICAL

Red Sea routing: transit +10–14 daysAsia → Gulf → Europe sea freight→ Build 3 weeks' safety stock on A-class inputs

HIGH

Industrial chemical prices up 6% in a monthSolvents and process chemicals→ Lock Q1 volumes with current supplier

WATCH

New US tariff review on imported industrial inputsLanded cost impact for US-bound goods→ Re-run landed cost model before PO release

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE · NOT CURRENT MARKET DATA

AI inbox assistant

Your buyer's 9:00 AM brief

Two hundred supplier emails, turned into the handful that need action today.

Morning brief · 4 need actionExample

OVERDUE

Revised ETD not confirmed · 3 daysSample Supplier A · Sea shipment, 2 × 40'→ Owner: Logistics buyer

DECISION

Price increase request: +7.5%Sample Supplier B · Corrugated cartons→ Needs manager approval today

HIGH

Test report failed on one lotSample Supplier C · Compliance hold→ Quarantine lot, request retest

FYI

12 quotes received, 3 pendingRFQ for spare parts→ Comparison ready Thursday

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE · FICTIONAL SUPPLIERS

Experience

Built inside large, demanding supply chains.

28 years of supply chain and procurement leadership across consumer goods, automotive manufacturing, export manufacturing and international development, including more than 13 years with a Fortune 500 multinational.

3Enterprise ERP programmes: SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Dynamics

MBAPlus a certificate in the AI-Enabled Organisation

JITCertified in Toyota Business Practices, Japan

Confidential by designFormer employers and clients are never named without written permission. Results are shared as anonymised case stories.

Fortune 500 consumer goods multinational

13+ years

Redesigned a national distribution network from 34 warehouses to 8, and from 18 logistics providers to 1, validated by a global logistics provider. Built an 18-month rolling sales forecast and led the business team for an SAP rollout.

Automotive components group

Head of supply chain

Delivered Just-in-Time supply to Japanese automotive standards and was recognised for supply chain input to a new plant project.

US government-funded development programmes

Procurement director

Directed procurement, contracts and grants for US$120 million of health and education programmes, with three audits and zero questioned costs.

Large-scale export manufacturing

Senior leadership

Strategic sourcing, planning and global logistics, a commodity-led buying strategy, and an Oracle ERP programme, with supplier compliance and traceability for international buyers.

Where I work

Remote first, across three trading regions.

Working from UTC+5, I cover the full Gulf working day and European mornings, with overlap for North American clients. On-site visits by arrangement.

GCC

UAE · KSA · Qatar · UTC+3/+4

Logistics network redesign, local content readiness and sourcing from South Asia and East Asia.

Europe

UK · EU · UTC+0/+1

Supplier diversification, compliance-ready sourcing and cost reduction for importers.

North America

USA · UTC−5/−8

Tariff and landed cost re-planning, alternative sourcing and supplier risk.

South Asia

Sourcing base · UTC+5

Finding and qualifying suppliers with shorter lead times for buyers in all three regions.

How I work

Clear terms, measured results.

Senior, hands-on support with the discipline of a large organisation and the speed of a small one.

Confidential by default

Every engagement runs under an NDA. I decline any work that would create a conflict of interest.

Remote first

Delivered online through video calls, shared data and weekly working sessions.

Clear fees

Fixed prices for diagnostics and sprints, monthly retainers for ongoing work. No hidden charges.

Measured outcomes

Every recommendation carries an estimated value, an owner and a date.

FAQ

Common questions.

Anything else, ask on the free call.

Is this a full-time interim role?

No. You get senior leadership for a set number of days each month. For many mid-sized companies, this delivers most of the value of a full-time procurement director at a fraction of the cost.

What size of company do you work with?

Mostly companies with roughly US$10 million to US$250 million in revenue: large enough to spend serious money with suppliers, but not yet ready for a full-time procurement director.

Can we start with something small?

Yes. A 2–3 week sprint or the 3–4 week Diagnostic are fixed-price starting points with a clear deliverable and no obligation to continue.

How do the market intelligence alerts work?

We agree your key inputs, suppliers and trade lanes. You then receive alerts within 24–48 hours of relevant events, a weekly briefing and a monthly outlook, all with recommended actions.

Is our data safe with the AI inbox assistant?

It runs on your own company accounts and AI subscription, so your emails never pass through mine. It flags and summarises; it never replies to suppliers on its own.

Will you replace my procurement team?

No. I work alongside your team, lead the difficult decisions and negotiations, and build their capability so results last.

Before we talk

Tell us about your challenge.

A short 3-minute brief means your free call starts with solutions, not introductions. I review every brief before we speak.

Share your challenge →

Confidential. Please don't include contract documents or confidential prices.

About youName, role, company, country and industry
The issueCosts, buying delays, contracts, lead times, compliance, logistics or tariffs
Urgency and goalHow soon you need help, and what success looks like in 3 months
Your call timeA preferred day and time in your own time zone

Start the conversation

Book a free 30-minute supply chain review.

Send your short brief first, or email me directly. You'll leave the call with at least one practical idea, whether or not we work together.

Email

zafar@tierlineadvisory.com