Business case
Procurement business case
A business case explains why a proposed change or investment is worthwhile, setting out the need, options, expected costs and benefits, risks and the basis for a decision.
Saved terms stay in this browser. No account or server request is involved.
Simply put
What it means in ordinary work
It makes the argument for doing something, including why the preferred option is better than the alternatives. It should be honest about uncertainty.
Why it matters
Sourcing decisions often compete for money, management attention and capacity. A clear business case supports prioritisation and later evaluation of whether the expected benefits were delivered.
A hypothetical in practice
A hypothetical business case for a contract management system compares three options, including implementation effort, licence costs, expected value leakage reduction and operational disruption. It identifies the measures that will be reviewed after launch.
Common pitfalls
A case built to secure approval can overstate benefits and omit transition costs. Record assumptions and sensitivities.
Approval is not evidence that benefits were achieved. Connect the case to post-implementation tracking.
Regional lens
How this lands where you work
The global explanation is canonical. Regional notes are additive, separately sourced and shown with their own review state. They never replace the global meaning.
Loading your saved region.
As-of date for date-sensitive regional content: 5 November 2026. Read the review policy.