Procurement Glossary
Maverick buying: uncontrolled procurement and its effects
November 19, 2025
Maverick buying refers to uncontrolled purchases outside of established procurement processes and guidelines. This form of procurement consciously or unconsciously bypasses central purchasing structures and can pose considerable risks for companies. Find out below what characterizes maverick buying, what methods exist to curb it and how current developments are affecting this phenomenon.
Key Facts
- Maverick buying includes all purchases that take place outside of approved procurement processes
- Typical cost increases through maverick buying are between 15-25% compared to strategic purchases
- The main causes are a lack of process knowledge, time pressure and inadequate system integration
- Digital procurement platforms can reduce maverick buying by up to 80%
- Compliance risks arise from a lack of documentation and approval procedures
Contents
Definition: Maverick Buying
Maverick buying describes procurement activities that consciously or unconsciously circumvent established purchasing processes and take place outside approved structures.
Key features of Maverick Buying
Maverick buying is characterized by several distinctive features:
- Circumvention of central procurement guidelines
- Lack of approval procedures
- Lack of documentation of purchasing decisions
- Use of non-preferred suppliers
- Ignoring agreed framework agreements
Maverick buying vs. strategic procurement
In contrast to strategic procurement, maverick buying takes place without central coordination. While strategic purchasing aims to cut costs and minimize risk, maverick buying often leads to higher costs and compliance problems.
Importance of Maverick Buying in Procurement
Maverick buying is one of the biggest challenges facing modern procurement organizations. It undermines strategic procurement objectives and can have a significant financial impact.
Methods and procedures
There are various preventive and reactive measures available to curb maverick buying, which should be implemented systematically.
Preventive control mechanisms
Effective prevention begins with clear purchasing guidelines and their consistent communication. Central measures include
- Implementation of approval workflows with defined approval limits
- Training to raise awareness of procurement processes
- Provision of user-friendly procurement platforms
- Regular communication about preferred suppliers
Monitoring and identification
Systematic stakeholder management helps to identify maverick buying at an early stage. Monitoring approaches include the analysis of spending patterns and the monitoring of supplier activities outside established contracts.
Corrective measures
If maverick buying is identified, quick reactions are required. This includes renegotiating conditions, integrating new suppliers into existing structures and adapting procurement processes to changing requirements.
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Important KPIs for Maverick Buying
The measurement and control of maverick buying requires specific key figures that quantify both the extent and the effects.
Maverick Spend Rate
The Maverick Spend Rate measures the share of uncontrolled expenditure in the total purchasing volume. Typical target values are below 5% of the total procurement volume:
- Calculation: (Maverick spend / total purchase volume) × 100
- Benchmark: Below 5% is considered acceptable
- Monitoring: Monthly evaluation recommended
Cost difference to strategic purchases
This key figure quantifies the financial impact of maverick buying by comparing it with strategically procured products and services in similar categories.
Compliance rate
The compliance rate measures the proportion of purchases that comply with established procurement guidelines. A high compliance rate of over 95% indicates effective control mechanisms and significantly reduces the risk of maverick buying.
Risks, dependencies and countermeasures
Maverick buying harbors a variety of risks that can have both financial and operational effects on companies.
Financial risks
Uncontrolled purchasing often leads to inflated prices and lost volume discounts. Without central coordination, companies cannot make optimum use of their negotiating power and lose out on potential synergy effects.
Compliance and legal risks
Maverick buying can lead to violations of internal guidelines and external regulations. Missing documentation during audits and non-compliance with compliance requirements are particularly critical.
Operational dependencies
Uncontrolled supplier relationships can lead to unexpected dependencies. Without strategic evaluation, risks arise in terms of security of supply and quality control.
Preventive countermeasures
Effective risk minimization requires a combination of technical solutions, organizational measures and continuous training of all stakeholders involved.
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Practical example
A medium-sized manufacturing company identified through systematic spend analysis that 18% of its IT procurement was taking place outside of established processes. Employees were ordering software and hardware directly from different vendors without involving central IT procurement. By implementing a user-friendly procurement platform and training, the company was able to reduce maverick buying to 3% within six months.
- Cost savings of 22% through the use of framework agreements
- Improved compliance through automated approval workflows
- Increased transparency of all IT expenditure
Current developments and effects
Digital transformation and changing ways of working have a significant impact on both the emergence of and the fight against maverick buying.
Influence of digitalization
Modern digital procurement offers new opportunities to control maverick buying. Automated workflows and integrated systems significantly reduce the likelihood of uncontrolled purchases.
AI-supported detection
Artificial intelligence in Procurement enables the automatic identification of suspicious procurement patterns. Machine learning algorithms analyze transaction data and detect deviations from established processes in real time.
Remote work and decentralized procurement
The increase in decentralized working structures increases the challenges of controlling maverick buying. At the same time, improved digital control mechanisms and cloud-based procurement platforms are creating new opportunities.
Conclusion
Maverick buying represents a considerable challenge for modern procurement organizations and can lead to significant cost increases and compliance risks. However, systematic prevention, digital solutions and continuous monitoring can successfully curb this phenomenon. The combination of user-friendly procurement processes and effective control mechanisms is crucial for sustainable success.
FAQ
What are the main causes of maverick buying?
Maverick buying is mainly caused by a lack of process knowledge, time pressure, complicated procurement procedures and inadequate system integration. Employees often lack awareness of the importance of centralized procurement processes or find them too cumbersome for their current needs.
How can Maverick Buying be measured effectively?
Maverick buying can be measured by analyzing spend data, supplier invoices and comparison with approved procurement channels. Modern analytics tools can automatically identify deviations from established patterns and flag suspicious transactions. Regular audits complement the automated monitoring.
What role does technology play in prevention?
Digital procurement platforms, automated workflows and AI-supported monitoring systems are crucial for preventing maverick buying. They simplify legitimate procurement processes and at the same time make uncontrolled purchases more difficult through integrated control mechanisms and real-time monitoring.
How should companies react when maverick buying is identified?
If maverick buying is identified, companies should first analyze the causes and then initiate both corrective and preventative measures. These include renegotiations with suppliers, process optimization, employee training and the implementation of improved control systems to prevent future incidents.
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