S2C / S2P KPIs: Measures That Trigger Action

Define a small KPI set with one calculation, threshold, owner and action for each measure.

Build your procurement KPI baseline Back to Insights

Map each KPI to a decision

Decision-linked KPI register

Define the action before publishing the metric

A useful KPI has one calculation, a threshold, an owner and a decision that follows when performance moves outside tolerance.

Measure & definitionTriggerOwned action

Measure & definitionTime to first action: median by routeTrigger> 2 business daysOwned actionRouting owner rebalances queue and fixes cause

Measure & definitionS2C cycle time: P75 by complexityTrigger> agreed tier SLAOwned actionDeal desk resolves the blocking decision

Measure & definitionP2P exception recurrence: same causeTrigger> 3 weeks risingOwned actionProcess owner removes root cause

Measure & definitionPreferred-channel use: eligible spendTriggerBelow category targetOwned actionCategory owner changes route or supplier offer

Illustrative worked exampleContract cycle time turns red

Baseline: Averages look stable while high-complexity contracts wait in legal and business approval queues.
Decision: Use P75 by complexity tier and assign the deal desk to the oldest blocking decision.
Acceptance: Definition, source, threshold, owner and weekly action are visible in one register.

• Cycle time by request type (intake, sourcing, contracting, purchasing)
• Compliance rate with “why” (channel, supplier, contract usage)
• Touchless / straight-through rate in P2P + top exception reasons
• Supplier performance signals (OTD, quality, service, risk tier)

Assign an owner and action to every KPI

A KPI without a weekly owner and a defined action becomes dashboard decoration. Tie every metric to a cadence and a decision (what we do on Monday when it’s red).

Use definitions that withstand review

• One definition, one data source, one calculation method (documented)
• Segment by what changes the decision (region, category, workflow, risk tier)
• If you can’t explain it in one sentence, you can’t steer with it

Reference framework

OECD: Public procurement performance measurement framework ↗

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