About us
The Independent Buying Group was founded by Shona Motherwell, who has spent over 25 years in procurement. She held senior roles at SSE and BAE Systems and managed more than £1 billion in corporate spend.
She built The IBG on one idea. Small businesses deserve the same buying expertise and supplier leverage as large organisations.
We're based in Glasgow and work with businesses across Scotland, with plans to grow across the UK.
We've seen these problems from the other side of the SME market - in large organisations with dedicated teams, serious budgets and the buying power to demand better.
Smaller businesses often pay too much for essential services, deal with underperforming suppliers and have no time to fix either. Good suppliers also lose out when customers don't pay once a project is delivered.
We built The IBG to remove that stress. You get a stronger supply chain and the confidence to grow. Top suppliers get access to better customers.
Our services cover three areas.
Group tenders. We bring businesses together to go to market on high-spend overheads. Our collective buying power brings better rates and better service from suppliers. We’re launching with energy and card payments and fuel and other services will follow in 2027. You pay an annual fixed fee with no commission. We recently helped a local garage cut its card payment fees by 66%, from £18,000 a year to £6,000 but conversations with potential suppliers are also looking at improved service levels for our members.
Direct cost of goods review. We review what you pay for the goods you buy. We either negotiate better terms with your existing suppliers or run a tender to find alternatives. If you need a full supply chain audit or help running your own tender, we cover that too. We charge a fixed fee or a percentage of your savings. We do not take ongoing commission based on your spend.
Vetted supplier directory. You get access to trusted suppliers for overhead services, an area that is hard to source where quality and reliability matter more than the lowest price. The directory launches in Glasgow and grows region by region. It brings the buy local principle to the SME sector and helps businesses in the same region support one another. Access starts from £30 a month.
Every supplier in the directory is assessed against our Code of Conduct. We monitor credit levels, industry certifications and company insurances on an ongoing basis. Buyers also complete a short questionnaire, pass a credit check and sign up to the Code of Conduct before they get access.
The Code of Conduct gives us our name for it, CALM:
C - CLEAR Communication
A - ACCOUNTABLE Delivery
L - LEGAL Standards
M - MORAL behaviours
We're building a community of trusted suppliers and buyers. When the relationship works both ways, everyone benefits.
We’re building a community of trusted suppliers and buyers. When the relationship works both ways, everyone benefits.