PE portfolio companies
After closing or within the value creation plan: procurement as a fast-acting EBITDA lever – without first building a large in-house team.
Procurement consulting for private equity portfolios and the Mittelstand
Procurement as an EBITDA lever. Negotiated hard. Proven in the P&L.
We turn procurement potential into signed supplier contracts, validated together with your functional teams and CFO.
- A prioritised savings pipeline within about 30 days
- As a project or as an outsourced procurement function
- Results proven: negotiated, realised, EBITDA-effective
Senior-led
The person you meet is the person who negotiates
~30 Days
to a prioritised savings pipeline with business case
Performance-based
A lean retainer plus fees on proven savings
CFO-validated
Savings proven in three stages – down to EBITDA effect
Who we work for
Who we serve
Buy-and-build platforms
After add-ons: consolidate suppliers, harmonise terms, bundle volumes group-wide.
Owner-led Mittelstand
Growing companies with rising spend, where procurement still runs on the side within functional teams.
- Get in touch
For investors and operating partners: Recommend sain to your portfolio companies – one consistent approach across several holdings, with results that hold up in reporting.
Typical situations in portfolio companies
The value creation plan includes procurement – but nobody has time to deliver it
After acquisitions: duplicate suppliers and different terms per site
Buying sits with functional teams, negotiations stay on the shelf
Contracts auto-renew on outdated terms
IT, SaaS and telecoms costs grow faster than revenue
Savings are reported but cannot be traced in the P&L
Three engagement models – one goal: proven EBITDA impact
Services
- approx. 30 days
Opportunity Screening
Spend and supplier analysis, review of key contracts, prioritised savings pipeline. Output: a decision paper for management and investor. - 3–6 months
Savings project
Category strategies, RFQ and RFP rounds and negotiations in selected categories – through to contract signature and implementation. - 12 months, rolling
Outsourced Procurement
sain runs the procurement function: negotiations, supplier management and savings reporting to the CFO.
What we negotiate: Indirect spend (IT, software, telecoms, energy, insurance, fleet, facility management, services) · Logistics and transport · CAPEX and technical procurement · Make-or-buy and outsourcing · Post-acquisition procurement integration
From spend transparency to signed contracts
Approach
Every category with the functional owners – every result traced to the P&L.
0–30 days
Transparency
30–90 days
Strategy & negotiation
Month 4+
Realise
- 1
NDA & data request
Confidentiality agreement; spend list, supplier list and current contracts - 2
Spend & supplier review
Position by position, with the functional owners - 3
Contract review
Terms, price mechanisms, notice periods, renewal windows - 4
Category strategy
Who becomes a strategic partner, where to tender and in which format - 5
Negotiate & tender
Direct RFQ/RFP rounds, led by sain with the business - 6
Implement & track
Contract signature, roll-out, savings tracking validated by the CFO
Results that show up in the P&L
Impact and fees
We report every saving in three stages – negotiated (annualised vs. prior terms), realised in the P&L, and EBITDA effect validated with the CFO. The calculation method is agreed in writing before the project starts.
Fees: a lean monthly retainer plus performance-based compensation on proven savings – your interests and ours are aligned.
1
Negotiated savings
2
Realised in the P&L
3
Validated EBITDA effect
Companies we negotiate for
Clients
Current sain mandates – from Battery Ventures-backed software groups to the Mittelstand.
“sain negotiated seven-figure savings for us within twelve months – and they show up in our P&L from contract start.”
Wouter Hendriks · CFO, Shiftmove GmbH
Senior expertise, no consulting pyramid
About
Alexander Rettweiler is founder and managing consultant of sain. The person you meet is the person who negotiates – no project team in between.
Before sain he was responsible for more than €200m of indirect spend per year at STARK Deutschland (CVC-backed). From key account management at LSG Group and Würth he also knows the supplier side of the negotiating table.
since 2025
sain Procurement Consulting – Founder and Managing Consultant
2021–2025
STARK Deutschland – Head of Indirect Procurement and Prokurist
2019–2021
LSG Group – Director Global Key Account, Lufthansa Group
2011–2017
Würth Group – Key Account Management
“We don’t deliver opportunity assessments. We deliver signed contracts.”
Let’s talk about your company or your portfolio
Contact
In a 30-minute, no-obligation call we discuss where the biggest procurement levers are and what a first opportunity screening could look like. You speak directly with Alexander Rettweiler.