Case Study Snapshot
Client: HICA Group
Sector: Care Sector / Residential & Specialist Care
Challenge: Managing 150+ suppliers across 17 sites, with limited visibility, high administrative burden and rising costs across multiple categories including energy
Solution: Strategic partnership with Avendra International, combining food and non-food supplier consolidation, energy procurement support and implementation of the Pi eProcurement system
Result: Streamlined supplier base, improved cost control and governance, and approximately £100,000 annual energy savings alongside wider operational efficiencies
The HICA Group is a not-for-profit care provider operating 17 care and support centres across the North of England. With more than 150 suppliers spanning food, beverage, uniforms, waste, energy and more, procurement had become increasingly complex.
Mark Midgley, Group Hospitality, Wellbeing & Procurement Manager, shares, “Managing this sheer number of suppliers was always our biggest headache.”
In early 2025, HICA partnered with Avendra International to bring greater structure, visibility and efficiency to its procurement activities. Mark explains, “What started as a food procurement conversation has very quickly developed into a much wider partnership.”
Pi Procurement system: Centralising control and simplifying operations
A key part of this transformation has been the rollout of Avendra’s Pi eProcurement system, designed to bring ordering, invoicing and supplier management into one central platform.
Mark says, “We’ve got 153 suppliers supporting our 17 centres, so our ultimate goal is to centralise ordering and invoicing through one digital platform.”
Pi is already delivering significant benefits, enabling teams to track spend, manage supplier orders and ensure compliance - all from one place.
“Pi does all of that… that level of control, cost management and forecasting in one place is a game changer.”
The system also supports menu management, allergen tracking and cost-per-serve insights, helping chefs maintain consistency and compliance across sites.
Mark adds, “Our chefs are loving the menu management module… It’s given us consistency and control.”
Energy: Unlocking significant cost savings
Beyond core procurement, Avendra International has also supported HICA in reviewing and optimising its energy contracts, an area often overlooked but with significant cost-saving potential.
Working with specialist partner Radius, Avendra conducted a full review of HICA’s gas and electricity procurement, taking the organisation to market to secure competitive fixed-rate contracts.
The result was approximately £100,000 in annual savings, alongside reduced administrative burden and improved contract visibility.
“Avendra understood our wider needs, stepped in and handled the whole process,” Mark says. “The savings were significant and, more importantly, it removed a huge piece of work from my desk.”
A long-term procurement partnership
As the partnership develops, HICA continues to expand its use of Pi, with plans to centralise procurement across all categories, from food and uniforms to contracts and reporting.
Mark says, “It’s great to continually review everything… Avendra will benchmark what suppliers are proposing and check the market on our behalf.”
Read the full case study here:
https://www.avendra.com/en/uk/resources/success-stories/hica-group-procurement-optimisation-100k-energy-savings
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