S2P Edge: February 2026

From Trapped Cash to Trusted Contracts: A Practical Path to Margin, Liquidity, and CFO Credibility

February 24, 2026

Finance and procurement leaders face the same pressure in 2026: improve liquidity, protect margins, and show the C‑suite proof—not promises—of impact. This edition goes deeper into 3 ways that leading teams are delivering results: turning spend and payment data into working capital, renegotiating supplier contracts that actually perform, and using Preventive Audits to recover promotional funding in-year—not after the fact.

Unlock Hidden Cash: Turn Spend Data into Working Capital Wins 

There is $1.7 trillion in working capital trapped in US companies per The Hackett Group— and even high-performing teams lose ground through early payments and misaligned terms.

In this session on March 4^th, Patrick Miller, PRGX VP of Global Solutions, will show how custom supplier playbooks uncover opportunities and give your team fact-based negotiation strategies—backed by ongoing visibility from PRGX Spend & Payment Insight™. We’ll unpack a case study where a specialty retailer went from playbook delivery to successful negotiation in just 30 days—delivering a 7x ROI with one high-spend supplier.

FYI – this webinar is eligible for 1.0 CPE credit in the NASBA field of study, Finance – Non-Technical.

Save your seat here.

Working Capital, Unlocked Across 14 Markets

A global retailer had regional Shared Service Centers operating at different maturity levels—fragmented data, inconsistent supplier management, and limited visibility into working capital across markets. PRGX deployed Spend & Payment Insight™ alongside advisory and recovery audit services to unify the spend view and apply best practices across all 14 markets.

Results

• $1.3B in savings and recovery opportunities identified
• $30M+ annual recoveries
• $1B+ in DPO optimization opportunities across UK, Canada, and Mexico

Read the full case study on Spend and Payment Insight for Working Capital Improvement here.

The 2026 Guide to Negotiating & Optimizing Supplier Contracts 

Renegotiation is the cleanest moment to reset performance. A signed contract doesn’t guarantee value— ambiguous language, outdated pricing, and uneven execution can add 12–18% in extra costs per Ardent Partners. Our new guide distills a practical renegotiation playbook.

5 essentials for your next renegotiation:

1. Get the language right: Precision prevents million‑dollar mistakes—especially on tiered pricing, markups, and pass‑throughs. Include robust audit rights and data retention.
2. Align on commercial intent: Clearly define rebates, volume tiers, T&M, lump sum, and force majeure terms so “how it’s billed” matches “how it’s written.”
3. Ensure accountability: Centralize versions, addendums, scopes, and email‑based terms; make obligations explicit for both sides.
4. Embed governance: Set a review cadence; use KPIs tied to business impact (pricing accuracy, rebate triggers, staff turnover on critical engagements); clarify remedies and risk‑sharing.
5. Structure the relationship: Employ continuous monitoring where it matters most. Contracts shouldn’t sit on a shelf.

Bring a pre‑renewal compliance review, market benchmarks, and data‑backed term proposals to the table—and you’ll lock in value before the next invoice. PRGX Contract Management combines AI and human expertise to deliver up to 6x ROI. Contract Insights™ AI is a purpose-built tool that extracts 105+ clause types and pinpoint key opportunities that generic tools miss—and PRGX experts help you act on them.

Preventive Audits at Waitrose (John Lewis Partnership) 

Waitrose wanted to accelerate recovery and increase collection of negotiated funding. PRGX’s AI‑driven Preventive Audit for Retail moved the audit cycle forward—catching leakage in‑year and reducing supplier friction.

Impact

• 40–50% of recoveries moved upstream in Year One
• 15% increase in recoveries
• 6–18 months faster to cash

Why it worked

• Real-time visibility into upcoming deals flagged issues before billing
• Ambiguity resolved early (GSCOP‑friendly), minimizing post‑event disputes
• In‑flight pricing and promotions aligned to protect margin

Client perspective

“ This has improved in‑year profitability, accelerated cash flow, and eliminated both the delays and ambiguity previously faced with certain retrospective recoveries.” — Keith Rosser, John Lewis Partnership

Read the full case study or watch this webinar replay to learn more about Preventive Audits for Retail.

Putting It All Together

Liquidity: You manage payment behavior deliberately, trading DPO and early‑payment economics based on category strategy and supplier realities—grounded in transaction‑level evidence.

Margin: Leakage is addressed at the source via Preventive Audits, standardized terms, and continuous Contract Monitoring—shrinking the gap between negotiated and realized savings.

Supplier trust: Early evidence and clear governance of terms and data drive faster, fairer resolutions; you spend less time arguing over the past and more time optimizing the next campaign, project, or season.

CFO credibility: You present auditable recoveries, DPO impact, discount capture, and Contract Management savings —visualized quarter‑over‑quarter.

Traveling this Spring?

Meet up with us at:

• SSOW Orlando | March 16–19, 2026 | Orlando, FL
• NAPES 2026 | April 13–15, 2026 | Miami, FL
• ProcureCon Connect | April 21–22, 2026 | Paris, France

Work With PRGX

Wherever you start—working capital visibility, contract renegotiation, or Preventive Audits —the compounding effect is the goal. If you’re ready to translate this into your categories, systems, and supplier set, we’re here to help with diagnostics, pre‑renewal compliance reviews, and preventive programs tailored to your supplier landscape.