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Commercial Advisory

Oaklin has advised on over a billion pounds’ worth of commercial engagements across multiple sectors. Our role is to help organisations commercialise their strategies by ensuring that procurement, contracts, and supplier relationships are structured to deliver maximum value. We act as an honest broker with no vendor affiliations or preferred solutions, guiding clients objectively through complex commercial landscapes.

The commercial advisory landscape

Technology, Cyber, Data & AI

Export controls, cyber threats, and digital sovereignty are reshaping IT supply chains. Meanwhile, AI is transforming procurement, from spend analytics and predictive demand forecasting to automated contract review and supplier risk monitoring. Organisations adopting AI gain greater resilience, speed, and deeper insight. Generative AI is streamlining contract drafting and routine procurement, while advanced analytics are increasingly used to enhance visibility of spend and suppliers. Procurement is now fundamentally data-driven, with spend analysis, ROI monitoring, and demand forecasting all strengthened by AI.

Global cost pressures & service transformation

Organisations are under mounting pressure to deliver efficiency gains while modernising workplace, digital, and IT services. Long-standing supplier relationships are being restructured to achieve both cost savings and improved service quality.

Complex & diversified supply ecosystems

Large organisations are moving away from single-supplier dependency, instead building multi-supplier ecosystems for greater resilience and flexibility. This diversification helps mitigate disruption but demands sophisticated contract management and integration.

Geopolitical disruption & supply chain realignment

Friend-shoring, regionalisation, and supply diversification are accelerating in response to global instability. Protectionism, sanctions, and fragile trade routes are forcing firms to rethink procurement strategies.

Sustainability, energy & critical resources

Securing access to critical minerals, semiconductors, and energy has become a strategic priority. At the same time, carbon border taxes and ESG-linked procurement are placing sustainability at the heart of commercial competitiveness.

“The team ensured our procurement was outcome-focused, not process-driven, resulting in tangible savings and better service.” – Procurement Director, National Infrastructure Client

How we help

  • Outdated contracts: We refresh agreements that have been static for years, introducing competition and innovation. 
  • Trusted Partnering: We bridge the gap between procurement and the business to drive optimized outcomes. 
  • Inefficient supplier landscapes and compliance complexity: We consolidate and streamline fragmented supplier ecosystems to reduce cost and complexity. 
  • Service quality gaps: By re-shaping tenders and KPIs, we align suppliers to user experience rather than purely cost. 
  • Capability gaps: We support clients in upskilling procurement and commercial teams with robust frameworks and repeatable processes. 
  • Balancing cost, resilience & ESG: We embed lifecycle value and sustainability into sourcing. 

Case studies

Driving cost efficiency and innovation in a £200m data centre retender

A major UK public sector body needed to retender its £200 million data centre services contract. The programme had to satisfy stringent Cabinet Office requirements, deliver value for money, and ensure future-proofed capability in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

Oaklin provided independent commercial advisory support to shape the retender strategy, engage effectively with the market, and deliver a compliant, competitive procurement — all under tight timescales and within a highly security-sensitive environment affecting critical national infrastructure.

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Workplace services transformation

Oaklin supported a large arms-length public sector body in retendering workplace services for over 40,000 users. The previous contract had been static for eight years, resulting in high costs and outdated delivery models. Oaklin redefined service requirements, conducted a comprehensive market engagement, and introduced a unit-priced commercial model.

The outcome was a £30 million OPEX saving over five years and significantly improved service levels.

Rapid capability procurement

A fast-growing automotive start-up needed to rapidly procure critical software and services to launch a new 4x4 vehicle. Oaklin managed multiple RFPs spanning e-commerce, payments, and digital delivery partners. Within five months, Oaklin successfully onboarded a £5 million strategic digital partner, enabling the business to meet its ambitious launch milestones. The engagement demonstrated Oaklin’s ability to balance speed, quality, and risk in procurement.

“Oaklin gave us access to first-rate, experienced resources but without the downsides of a large consultancy. They built trust and genuinely had our best interests at heart.” – Head of Finance Transformation, FTSE100 client

Insight

The Procurement Act 2023: A success or lip service which hinders the UK’s SMEs from accessing large government contracts?

The move away from the single market and the subsequent launch of the Procurement Act 2023, on 24 February 2025, have allowed the government to shape its own procurement regulations. But what do these reforms look like — and, more importantly, are they a genuine success or merely lip service that continues to hinder the UK’s SMEs from accessing large government contracts?

Find out more

Meet our team

Alex Walsh

Associate Partner

Matt Fitzsimons

Consultant

Leonie Jones

Consultant
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Alex Walsh

Associate Partner

Alex is an Oaklin Associate Partner with over 26 years’ consulting experience including 15 years leading transformation projects across transport, telecoms, utilities and the public sector. He is well versed in leading large systems integration programmes as well as complex procurements. Alex co-leads Oaklin’s Commercial Advisory capability and has led numerous successful procurements for clients in the transport sector, delivering significant CAPEX and OPEX savings whilst transforming existing services into modern capabilities.

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Matt Fitzsimons

Consultant

Matt is a Senior Consultant at Oaklin and leads the firm’s Commercial Advisory capability. He has extensive experience in commercial advisory and transformation programmes, playing a central role in designing and delivering major procurement and service transformation projects — particularly across the transport, utilities, and government sectors.

Matt combines strong commercial acumen with a focus on building trusted client relationships, ensuring that complex procurements deliver sustainable value. He has co-led Oaklin’s Commercial Advisory training, guiding teams through spend analysis, market engagement, tender design, and contract mobilisation. Known for his collaborative approach, Matt helps clients embed resilience, efficiency, and ESG considerations into their supplier ecosystems.

Leonie Jones.
Leonie.Jones@oaklin.com
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Leonie Jones

Consultant

Leonie is part of Oaklin’s Commercial Advisory team, where she contributes to procurement transformation and commercial assurance projects. She supports clients in reviewing supplier landscapes, designing new service models, and executing sourcing events. Leonie works across contracts, stakeholder engagement, and transition planning to ensure clients achieve value for money while maintaining service continuity.

With a background in structured project delivery, she bridges commercial, business, and legal functions to embed effective governance. Leonie is recognised for her analytical capability and her ability to integrate seamlessly into client teams, playing a key role in helping large organisations manage complex supplier ecosystems.