The Procurement Glossary » Maverick Spend
Maverick Spend
Procure-to-Pay
Also known as: Rogue Spend, Off-contract Spend
Definition
Purchasing done outside agreed processes, contracts or preferred suppliers — 'off-contract' buying.
Shop related products
Explanation
Maverick (or rogue) spend forfeits negotiated pricing, weakens compliance and hides spend data. It usually signals that the compliant path is too slow or hard; the fix is making the on-contract choice the easy default via catalogs and guided buying.
Example
A department orders toner from a random website instead of the framework supplier — maverick spend at 20% above contract price.
Related terms
- Off-Contract Spend — Spend that bypasses existing negotiated contracts or frameworks, missing agreed prices and terms.
- Spend Under Management (SUM) — The proportion of addressable spend that is actively managed by procurement through contracts, sourcing and controls.
- Preferred Supplier — A supplier a business has chosen to favour for a category, usually because of negotiated pricing, reliability or a framework agreement.
- Guided Buying — A buying experience that steers users to compliant, preferred choices with a simple, consumer-like interface.
Related concepts
- Tail Spend Management — Bringing the long tail of small, fragmented, low-value purchases under control through visibility, consolidation and catalog-driven self-service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Maverick Spend?
Purchasing done outside agreed processes, contracts or preferred suppliers — 'off-contract' buying. Maverick (or rogue) spend forfeits negotiated pricing, weakens compliance and hides spend data. It usually signals that the compliant path is too slow or hard; the fix is making the on-contract choice the easy default via catalogs and guided buying.
Can you give an example of Maverick Spend?
A department orders toner from a random website instead of the framework supplier — maverick spend at 20% above contract price.
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