{"identifier":"procurement-professor-complexity-index-v1.0","version":"1.0","datePublished":"2026-09-03","name":"Procurement Professor Complexity Index","description":"Seven-factor editorial model for selecting a proportionate procurement response.","ratingScale":{"minimum":0,"maximum":3,"meaning":"A higher rating indicates greater procurement complexity or exposure."},"formula":"round(sum((rating / 3) * factor_weight))","specialistFlagRule":"A rating of 3 on supply continuity, business impact, or risk and compliance exposure creates a specialist-review flag without changing the score.","factors":[{"id":"continuity","label":"Supply continuity","weight":18,"prompt":"How difficult would interruption or supplier failure be to absorb?","anchors":["Easy substitute","Short disruption","Material disruption","Severe or single-source"]},{"id":"impact","label":"Business impact","weight":18,"prompt":"How much could a poor outcome affect customers, operations, or financial results?","anchors":["Negligible","Contained","Material","Enterprise-critical"]},{"id":"exposure","label":"Risk and compliance exposure","weight":16,"prompt":"How much legal, regulatory, privacy, safety, security, or reputational exposure is present?","anchors":["Minimal","Standard controls","Specialist review","Severe exposure"]},{"id":"market","label":"Supply-market difficulty","weight":14,"prompt":"How constrained, concentrated, volatile, or opaque is the supplier market?","anchors":["Many substitutes","Some constraints","Difficult market","Highly constrained"]},{"id":"specification","label":"Requirement uncertainty","weight":14,"prompt":"How uncertain are the need, specification, volumes, outcomes, or evaluation criteria?","anchors":["Fully defined","Minor gaps","Material uncertainty","Outcome still emerging"]},{"id":"implementation","label":"Implementation effort","weight":10,"prompt":"How much integration, transition, training, or operating change will the award require?","anchors":["Negligible","Light change","Coordinated change","Major transformation"]},{"id":"commitment","label":"Commitment and reversibility","weight":10,"prompt":"How long, costly, or difficult would it be to reverse the decision?","anchors":["Easy to reverse","Limited commitment","Costly to exit","Long or irreversible"]}],"tiers":[{"min":0,"max":24,"name":"Routine","summary":"Use an approved buying channel and a proportionate check of price, fit, authority, and supplier status.","actions":["Confirm the owner, requirement, budget, and approval path.","Check the approved catalogue, contract, or supplier channel first.","Record the selection rationale and receipt or acceptance evidence."]},{"min":25,"max":49,"name":"Managed","summary":"Use a structured comparison with explicit requirements, commercial assumptions, and contract review.","actions":["Compare credible options against stated requirements.","Document total-cost assumptions, dependencies, and exceptions.","Agree an implementation owner and proportionate contract controls."]},{"min":50,"max":74,"name":"Strategic","summary":"Form a cross-functional team and run a deliberate market, risk, competition, negotiation, and implementation process.","actions":["Assign accountable business, procurement, risk, and implementation owners.","Test the market and sourcing route before issuing documents.","Run supplier diligence, scenario analysis, negotiation planning, and transition governance."]},{"min":75,"max":100,"name":"Critical","summary":"Use executive sponsorship, specialist assurance, continuity scenarios, staged commitments, and a credible exit strategy.","actions":["Establish executive decision rights and independent specialist review.","Model failure, continuity, concentration, change, and exit scenarios.","Stage commitments where possible and govern implementation as a business-critical change."]}]}