Research & Knowledge Centre

The evidence base behind
every pool, every benchmark,
every IQ score.

Bundle IQ is not just a trading platform. Every buying pool is built on research. Every benchmark comes from live market data. Every sector recommendation is grounded in analysis. This is that work — published, referenced, freely available.

30

published pieces

6

research categories

8

featured pieces

Free

always open access

Live procurement intelligence — benchmarks, savings data, maturity scores, maverick spend tracker.

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IQ Benchmark Index

What you should be paying — 20 categories, updated monthly from pool transaction data.

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Maturity Assessment

Where does your procurement sit versus the sector benchmark? Five minutes, free, actionable output.

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These are live data products — not articles. The research below is the evidence base that underpins them.

Featured research

📄 Research paper Procurement Practice Featured

The Maverick Spend Problem

Most UK SMEs have never formally tendered a single contract. This paper quantifies the scale of unmanaged spend and what it costs.

📄 Research paper Sector Research Featured

Procurement in UK Agriculture

How UK farms buy — and how much they overpay. Analysis of procurement patterns across dairy, arable and mixed farming operations.

The 40% Problem — What Firms Without Procurement Overpay

Academic, regulator and industry evidence showing firms without procurement expertise overpay by up to 40%. Hackett Group, CIPS, Ofgem, FCA, AHDB, CCS.

✍️ Opinion piece Procurement Practice Featured

The Cost of Doing Nothing

The hidden cost of procurement inertia. What auto-renewing contracts, informal buying, and no benchmark data actually costs an SME.

🏆 Case study Sector Research Featured

Dairy Farm: £31,200 Saved in Year One

A 340-cow dairy farm joins the compound feed pool. Eighteen months later, £31,200 saved — 18.1% below the rate they had paid for years.

✍️ Opinion piece Technology & AI Featured

AI in Procurement: From Adoption to Advantage

Procurement is moving from partly digital to fully digital.

✍️ Opinion piece Opinion & Analysis Featured

A New Era for Procurement Value Creation

McKinsey synthesis — what it means for UK SMEs.

Full catalogue — 30 pieces

Procurement Practice

How to buy better — process, strategy, category management

7 pieces

The Maverick Spend Problem

Most UK SMEs have never formally tendered a single contract. This paper quantifies the scale of unmanaged spend and what it costs.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

The hidden cost of procurement inertia. What auto-renewing contracts, informal buying, and no benchmark data actually costs an SME.

Maverick Spend: The SME Epidemic

Detailed analysis of informal buying patterns across 500+ UK SMEs.

Contract Management for SMEs

Practical guidance on drafting, managing and enforcing contracts when you don't have a legal department.

Category Management Fundamentals

How to apply enterprise category management thinking to SME spend — without the enterprise overhead.

Sourcing Strategy

Strategic sourcing for businesses that have never had a procurement function.

Measuring Procurement Performance

Which KPIs actually matter for SME procurement, and how to track them without a dedicated team.

Market Intelligence

Price data, supplier market analysis, cost benchmarks

8 pieces

Supplier Risk in the Supply Chain

How to assess, monitor and mitigate supplier risk without a dedicated procurement team.

Real-Time Risk Monitoring

How Bundle IQ monitors supplier risk across seven government databases in real time.

Tariffs and Trade Friction

How global trade policy is affecting UK SME procurement costs in 2026.

Sub-Tier Supply Chain Risk

Beyond tier-1 suppliers — how disruption further down the chain reaches UK SMEs.

JIT and Supply Disruption

Just-in-time procurement in a disrupted world — lessons from post-pandemic supply chains.

Agriculture Market Bulletin

Monthly: feed prices, fertiliser costs, fuel rates, energy benchmarks for UK farms.

Hospitality Market Bulletin

Monthly: energy rates, linen costs, cleaning supply prices for UK hospitality.

Construction Market Bulletin

Monthly: materials prices, plant hire rates, fuel and insurance benchmarks.

Sector Research

Deep dives into Agriculture, Hospitality, Construction, Care and beyond

7 pieces

Procurement in UK Agriculture

How UK farms buy — and how much they overpay. Analysis of procurement patterns across dairy, arable and mixed farming operations.

Hospitality Procurement in 2026

Energy, linen, cleaning and waste — the four categories where hospitality operators consistently overpay.

Procurement in Care Settings

CQC compliance, infection control and cost pressure. How care providers can meet regulatory standards and cut operational spend simultaneously.

Construction Procurement

Materials, plant hire, fuel and insurance — why construction SMEs are among the most exposed to procurement inefficiency.

Dairy Farm: £31,200 Saved in Year One

A 340-cow dairy farm joins the compound feed pool. Eighteen months later, £31,200 saved — 18.1% below the rate they had paid for years.

Procurement in UK Education

Schools, academies and MATs — where hundreds of millions could be saved.

Procurement in the Third Sector

Charities face the same challenges as commercial SMEs without the incentive.

Policy & Compliance

Regulatory landscape, public sector rules, ESG obligations

2 pieces

Data Security in Procurement

What supplier data access means for your business and how to manage it properly.

ESG and Sustainability in Procurement

80% of companies will include ESG in procurement decisions.

Technology & AI

How AI and digital tools are reshaping procurement

1 piece

AI in Procurement: From Adoption to Advantage

Procurement is moving from partly digital to fully digital.

Opinion & Analysis

Bundle IQ perspective on the industry and what needs to change

3 pieces

A New Era for Procurement Value Creation

McKinsey synthesis — what it means for UK SMEs.

CIPS Global State of Procurement 2025

Five defining trends and the Bundle IQ view.

The Evidence for Collective Procurement

The academic and market evidence for why collective buying works.

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