Most programmes don't have a vendor problem — they have a vendor-visibility problem. Here are five signals that the stack is leaking value, and what to do about each.
1. Invoices arrive 30+ days after service
If you can't see what was delivered until the invoice lands, you can't manage accruals or quality. Push for milestone-based reporting in your vendor SLAs.
2. No standard data file across countries
Each DSP sends a different spreadsheet. You spend Fridays reconciling. Standardise on a 12-field minimum schema in the next contract round.
3. Assignees ping HR before pinging the vendor
That's a sign the vendor isn't visible in the assignee app. Move comms into a shared assignee portal.
4. No vendor scorecard reviewed quarterly
If you can't rank your top 10 vendors by NPS, on-time delivery and exception rate, your renegotiations are vibes-based.
5. Single point of failure on key corridors
One DSP in Singapore, one immigration partner in the US. Build a backup in the top 3 corridors before you need one.
We benchmark your top 10 vendors against the xpath.global marketplace and flag concentration risk.
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