Buyers are weighing consistency against responsiveness
Dr. Jim Fredericks
Sr. Vice President, Public Affairs
NPMA
The market isn’ t leaning hard in one direction – 39 % prefer national providers, 34 % prefer regional / local, and 27 % have no strong preference. That tells me buyers are weighing consistency against responsiveness, and many are open to either model if execution is strong. National providers tend to win when they can show standardization across sites, while local providers win when they prove speed, stability of the service team and strong relationships. The deciding factor is rarely the logo or brand recognition; it’ s whether the vendor can deliver reliable outcomes and clear documentation, week after week.
“ No strong preference” isn’ t indecision, it’ s a signal that vendor performance is doing more work in the decision than vendor type
Aaron McMillan
Senior Editor
Procurement Magazine
A near-even three-way split( 39 / 34 / 27) tells you this category hasn’ t consolidated around a dominant model, which is unusual this far into a service’ s maturity curve. Worth noting for readers benchmarking their own sourcing strategy:“ no strong preference” at 27 % isn’ t indecision, it’ s a signal that vendor performance is doing more work in the decision than vendor type.
Section 4: Market Preference & Supplier Models 29