The book takes the need to satisfy customers as its starting point. The strategic intent of the business at different stages in its lifecycle starts the journey. Market imperatives help to divide up the customer challenges while the choices made in supply structural infrastructure and support systems provide the capability to effectively satisfy the chosen market segments.

It draws on academic considerations of strategy, marketing, operations, procurement, supply chain management and contract management to bring the complex and dynamic challenges into a concise and coherent picture.

1. Financial and Strategic Objectives
   1. Introduction
   2. Start up
   3. Existing businesses, growing and ending
   4. Summary
2. Market Imperatives
   1. Introduction
   2. Value Proposition
   3. Value in Use or in Transfer
   4. Make/Do and/or Buy/Trade?
   5. Location
   6. Technology Leader or Follower
   7. Product/service range
   8. Order mix
   9. Competitive threats
   10. Substitute products and new technology
   11. Summary
3. Order qualifiers and order winners
   1. Introduction
   2. Order Qualifiers and Order Winners
   3. Possible Order winners and qualifiers
   4. Summary
4. Supply Side Infrastructure – Structural Features
   1. Boundaries of the Firm
   2. The Contract Lifecycle
   3. Private and Public Sector differences
   4. Procurement position
   5. Goods or services
   6. Relationship portfolios
   7. Supplier involvement
   8. Peer collaboration
   9. Summary
5. Supply Side Infrastructure – Support Systems
   1. Introduction
   2. Spend analysis
   3. Enterprise Resource Planning, e-business and compliance
   4. Product data management and product lifecycle management
   5. Logistics
   6. People skills
   7. Summary
6. Conclusions and recommendations