By Sophia Zhang-Dees, Senior Group Client Relationship Manager
At conferences and in conversations with clients, there is one comment I hear surprisingly often:
“We’ve used them for years. We’re happy with the service. We’ve never had a major problem. So why would we change?”
It is an understandable position, but it always makes me think about the distinction between something having worked well in the past and it still being the right solution for what comes next. The absence of an incident does not necessarily mean the absence of risk.
Are we judging tomorrow’s decision based on yesterday’s experience?
So there is one question worth asking:
A supplier can have a good track record and still no longer be the right fit for your business as it is today.
Your requirements may have changed. Your operations may have grown. Your risk profile may be different. New technology and capabilities may have entered the market. Even the supplier itself may have changed.
None of this means your current supplier is doing a bad job.
It simply means that “it’s working” may not be enough of a reason to stop asking questions.
The comfort of the familiar
Long-standing supplier relationships have real value. Trust, familiarity and an understanding of the client’s operations take time to build.
But familiarity can also create an unintended blind spot.
When a relationship has worked for years, it is easy to stop looking at what has changed in your business, in the risk environment and in the wider market.
The question isn’t necessarily:
“Is our supplier doing a bad job?”
It may simply be:
“If we were selecting a supplier today, with our current requirements and risk environment, would we make the same decision?”
That is a very different question.
Reviewing doesn’t mean replacing
A review isn’t a decision to change.
It may confirm that the existing arrangement is exactly right. It may identify opportunities to improve the current arrangement or highlight new capabilities and approaches worth considering.
Past performance does not tell us everything about how a supplier will respond to increased demand, changing requirements or a serious situation.
The point is not to change for the sake of change. It is to make sure that the decisions supporting your business continue to reflect the environment in which you operate.
Don’t wait for something to go wrong
Risk management is about being prepared, not waiting for a problem before taking action.
If you only look at your arrangements after an incident, a service failure or a major change in your business, you may already be under pressure to make a decision.
There is value in taking a step back while things are going well and asking:
“If we were making this decision today, with what we know now, would we make the same choice?”
The answer may be yes, and that is absolutely fine.
The important thing is that you have checked.
A simple starting point
If you’re considering a review, these questions are a good place to start:
- What has changed in our operations, locations or projects over the last two years?
- Does our current arrangement still cover those changes?
- When did we last look at what else is available in the market?
- How would our supplier respond if our needs doubled or a serious situation arose?
As organisations expand into new markets, take on new projects or operate in increasingly complex environments, their security requirements can change too. Regularly reviewing whether your current arrangements still reflect those requirements is simply part of effective risk management.
Everything may be going well today. But if your business, risks and operating environment have changed, it is worth asking whether yesterday’s solution is still the right one for tomorrow.
About Sophia Zhang-Dees
Sophia is the Senior Group Client Relationship Manager at Castor Vali, working with organisations across the energy, maritime, manufacturing, education and charity sectors. Her role focuses on understanding client requirements and helping develop practical, reliable solutions that reflect the realities of their operating environments.
Born in China and educated in the UK, Sophia brings an international perspective to how risk is understood, communicated and managed across different cultures. This experience has shaped her belief that effective risk management must take account of local context rather than rely on a one-size-fits-all approach.
Connect with Sophia on LinkedIn.
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