Case Studies

Building a Global Contract Compliance Model: Audit Partnership’s Success Story

Executive Summary

In 2017, Audit Partnership partnered with one of the world’s largest retailers to expand its Contract Compliance programme across their U.S. operations. The goal was clear: to identify financial risks, strengthen the documentation of commercial agreements, and adopt a best-practice framework across all spend categories. Leveraging a specialised contract compliance team, customised methodology, and a collaborative supplier approach, Audit Partnership not only achieved the desired outcomes but also helped the client extend this successful model to other regions, including Canada and South Africa.

Objective

Key objectives in initiating this engagement with Audit Partnership were to:

Scale the Contract Compliance programme across the U.S.
Pinpoint risk areas and develop strategies to mitigate future financial loss.
Enhance internal processes by incorporating best practices into commercial agreement documentation and supplier engagement.

Organisation Background

The world’s largest retailer operates a vast supply chain with numerous commercial partnerships across categories and countries. With this scale comes complex procurement processes, large volumes of supplier contracts, and significant risk of financial leakage due to inconsistencies, undocumented agreements, or contractual non-compliance.

Prior to this engagement, Audit Partnership had been supporting them on multiple audit and recovery projects. This existing relationship, built on trust and proven delivery, made Audit Partnership the preferred partner for this extended Contract Compliance initiative.

Audit Partnership’s Service

To meet the expanded requirements, Audit Partnership established a dedicated team of contract compliance specialists with the depth and breadth to achieve the client’s goals. This ensured the right mix of technical expertise, industry knowledge, and capacity to focus on the growing needs.
A senior leadership team member with deep experience in commercial agreements was appointed as the account manager to oversee strategy, maintain service quality, and support the internal teams throughout the engagement.
Our approach was highly collaborative and integrated. Audit Partnership worked closely with process leads and business unit owners to create a transparent, efficient, and scalable audit framework. A key part of the success was our supplier collaboration model, designed to minimise disruptions while maximising recoveries. This methodology emphasised clarity, speed of resolution, and mutual respect, leading to improved outcomes for both the client and its supplier ecosystem.
The audit programme focused on high-spend and high-risk categories, ensuring a broad review across multiple contractual areas. Through continuous feedback loops and strategic reporting, Audit Partnership enabled them to better understand compliance gaps and proactively implement changes.

Highlights on Contract Compliance

Dedicated Resources: A separate team of contract compliance auditors plus senior account oversight to align with the client’s goals.
Cross-functional Engagement: Worked hand-in-hand with the client’s internal departments and supplier networks to drive value.
Supplier-Centric Approach: Transparent audit process that led to positive feedback from multiple client suppliers for professionalism and collaboration.
Geographic Expansion: Due to success in the U.S., the program was replicated in Canada and South Africa.
Best Practice Implementation: Recommendations were adopted to improve contract clarity, supplier relationships, and risk controls across the business.

Conclusion

Through expertise, process innovation, and a people-first philosophy, Audit Partnership delivered not just recoveries but lasting impact. The client has embedded the learnings into its global commercial practices, minimising future losses and fostering stronger supplier relationships.