How Bertelsmann Unified Procurement Across 7 Divisions to make Procurement Strategic

About Bertelsmann

Bertelsmann is a Germany-based global media, services, and education company with operations in over 50 countries. It operates through a decentralized model with seven core divisions, including RTL Group, Penguin Random House, BMG, and Arvato.

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“akirolabs enables us to manage the heterogeneous requirements of all Bertelsmann divisions whilst maximizing the transparency across our jointly defined category strategies"   — Dirk Kunz, Bertelsmann

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Bertelsmann, a multinational conglomerate with over 145,000 employees, operates through seven autonomous divisions. This decentralized structure supports innovation, but it posed major challenges for procurement. Each division had its own approach, systems, and priorities—leading to inconsistent sourcing outcomes, difficulty tracking spend, and a lack of visibility at the group level.

Procurement teams were often forced to choose between enforcing a top-down strategy that didn't reflect local realities, or allowing each division to source independently, sacrificing consistency and leverage. Strategic procurement—something that could drive real business impact—was being held back by disjointed processes and stakeholder misalignment.

With increasing business demands and growing complexity in the software and services categories, Bertelsmann needed a way to unify procurement decision-making without compromising its decentralized philosophy. The goal wasn’t control—it was clarity, speed, and strategic alignment.
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To solve the challenge, Bertelsmann adopted the akiro platform as a unifying layer across divisions. Rather than enforce rigid rules, the team focused on harmonizing decision-making using scenario modeling and transparent stakeholder engagement.

With akiro, procurement leaders could design sourcing journeys tailored to the business context—whether it was a back-office tool where efficiency mattered, or a critical application needing best-of-breed capabilities. Stakeholders were guided through these choices with clarity, transparency, and structure.

Key to success was akiro’s ability to reflect the real complexity of software sourcing: comparing total cost of ownership across solutions, evaluating business impact, and aligning on trade-offs. This allowed sourcing decisions to become more strategic, not just commercial.

Divisions retained their autonomy—but now worked from a shared framework that made collaboration possible. Procurement became an enabler, not an enforcer.
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The implementation of akiro across Bertelsmann’s seven divisions has delivered measurable results. Procurement cycles have been shortened significantly, thanks to the structured decision-making workflows and clear ownership paths built into the platform.

What once took weeks of back-and-forth—especially in complex categories like software—is now handled through transparent, collaborative sessions where all relevant stakeholders are informed and aligned. Teams report improved satisfaction with the procurement process and greater trust in how sourcing decisions are made.

The biggest shift has been cultural: procurement is no longer seen as a blocker but as a strategic partner. Leadership has full visibility into sourcing decisions, while divisions feel empowered—not controlled. As Bertelsmann continues to scale, this unified procurement model supports smarter decisions, better supplier partnerships, and long-term business value.
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