“There is so much that can be done in this space.”
That is why Christel Constant, Executive Board Member at Unite, is so excited.
Having originally transitioned to procurement from a career in financial technology, Constant explains that what inspired her to shift her focus to procurement was the potential of delivering real change, particularly with an eye on sustainability.
“Procurement decisions can shape supply chains in ways that reduce environmental impact, support fair labour practices, and encourage responsible business behaviour,” she says. “Even when it comes to indirect procurement of catalogue-based products, the potential is still significant. By choosing suppliers with sustainable practices, we can reduce waste, improve energy efficiency, and contribute to the broader sustainability goals of the company. It’s about recognising that every procurement decision, no matter how small, can be a step toward creating a more responsible and resilient supply chain.”
Transformation
Constant is passionate about leadership and has become a transformation enabler within organisations by exploring new market opportunities, presenting pioneering concepts, spearheading change, coaching teams and enabling significant growth. The company she works for is Unite, a buyer-first platform for catalogue-based demands across Europe, offering a single contractual partner, single contact and creditor. With over two decades of experience, its compliant e-procurement solution combines framework agreements and catalogues with a pre-integrated assortment from vetted suppliers for effortless sourcing and purchasing for private and public sector organisations. The company was founded as Mercateo in 2000 and is headquartered in Leipzig, Germany. It now operates in 12 European countries, with over 700 employees and revenue of €440.8 million.
Over the last 20+ years, Unite has acquired a solid foundation of fair competition and trustworthy partnerships. The platform’s scalable infrastructure supports connections, business stability and a robust supply chain. In 2022, Unite became the first platform business accredited with the Fair Tax Mark, representing the global standard for responsible tax practices. Earlier this year, Unite was awarded the EcoVadis Gold rating for the first time, recognising its significant sustainability efforts. This achievement places Unite among the top 5% of companies assessed during the period and within the top 3% in its industry.
How Unite is evolving indirect procurement
“Unite is transforming indirect procurement by integrating catalogue-based demand—encompassing ad-hoc (tail-end) needs and recurring (core) demand, which has traditionally been managed through framework agreements—into a single platform under one creditor. Currently, we handle contract management and order fulfilment, ensuring that buyers can easily track orders and manage returns. Financial processes, such as billing and payment, are simplified through a centralised system, enabling seamless transactions and mitigating financial risks.
“The next phase in this transformation is a shift to a service-led model, providing dynamic procurement solutions that address the full spectrum of catalogue-based requirements. Our PraaS (Procurement-as-a-Service) model will span the entire procurement lifecycle,” she explains. “From supplier and manufacturer qualification, ensuring compliance with industry and buyer standards, to generative demand analysis that enables automated, adaptive sourcing for repeat purchases. This approach unlocks significant, previously untapped cost savings for our buyers.”
Procurement’s shift
In October, Constant spoke and hosted a panel discussion at DPW Amsterdam 2024. The session focused on market-led strategies within indirect procurement. At Unite, the company views market-led strategies as creating an ecosystem where demand and supply meet seamlessly, providing full transparency for buyers and neutrality for suppliers. Unite centres its focus on three main aspects: providing access to a broad and diverse offering, delivering a user-centric experience, and enhancing supplier management efficiency. “We also touched on the growing pressure within procurement departments. As the number of professional buyers decreases, decentralised, requester-led purchasing has become more common,” explains Constant. “This shift demands more integrated compliance and ease of use, leading to a reduction in the administrative burden by managing fewer suppliers and centralising access through single creditor solutions.
“In implementing these strategies, the discussion highlighted the importance of finding the right partner to integrate with existing IT systems, provide clear change management policies, and ensure user onboarding and training to maximise adoption. At Unite, we designed our platform to enhance transparency and optimise indirect procurement. Until now, our focus has largely been on functional requirements. But we’ve already started incorporating non-functional requirements—such as sustainability measures like CO2 reporting, compliance, and broader ESG criteria—into catalogue-based procurement, with further enhancements planned to make these criteria transparent at the point of purchase. Ultimately, combining these elements can unlock efficiencies and create a more sustainable procurement ecosystem. This will drive long-term value for businesses and suppliers alike.”
DPW Amsterdam
This year’s theme at DPW Amsterdam was 10X and how organisations should think 10 times bigger than their current capacity. Paul Polman, the former Unilever CEO, spoke about how 10X is about a mindset shift. “Paul Polman explained the need to have very ambitious goals to build partnerships to create this systemic change,” explains Constant.
“At Unite, we’ve been at the centre of an ecosystem that includes buyers, suppliers, other e-procurement platforms, and IT partners that we integrate into our system. Here, we feel we can be at the centre of this change because we connect with the different stakeholders. For us, what is very important is that aiming for 10X is not just about growth. It’s about being purpose-driven. At Unite, our purpose is to connect the economy for sustainable business, which drives us. We need to achieve 10X our growth and impact because only then will we bring our purpose to life.”
Future proof
It is clear Unite has no plans to stand still. Next year, the organisation aims to launch a foundational service step. This will enable companies to reduce the complexity of their indirect procurement processes. “With our end-to-end support, businesses can focus on core operations while their indirect procurement is being handled efficiently,” she explains. “This approach not only improves operational efficiency but also ensures compliance and flexibility in managing supplier relationships.”
And with GenAI set to continue to shake the procurement space, Constant expects an ever-increasing adoption rate as time progresses. “In 2025 and beyond, I believe we are going to see lots of new offerings and changes,” says Constant. “Of course, GenAI and large language models will impact many industries. We are already working with these technologies to accelerate our impact on society and to power our statement and purpose. Next year will be a real amplification into getting some new technologies to support a more sustainable way to procure.”
Read more about what Unite has to offer here.
