Why Strategic Vendor Vetting Gives You the Edge in High-Risk Global Operations
For over 15 years, I've worked as an executive consultant, helping organizations navigate the complexities of global security, intelligence, and travel risk management. I've seen what distinguishes those who excel in high-risk environments like conflict zones, emerging markets, or disaster-prone regions from those who falter.
Success is not achieved following generic standard operating procedures; it requires a carefully crafted and thoroughly vetted strategy. Organizations must identify current and emerging threats, prioritize employee safety, eliminate inefficiencies, prevent disruptions, and enhance crisis response times. Achieving this typically goes beyond what can be accomplished with internal resources alone; it often requires the integration of specialized third-party vendors.
Imagine a multinational company sending employees to a volatile region without thoroughly assessing the latest threat intelligence due to inadequate or low-quality resources. This oversight can lead to a preventable incident that spirals into chaos, disrupting operations, demoralizing employees, and severely impacting the bottom line.
Unfortunately, I have witnessed this happen far too often, and it is usually unnecessary. The common excuse is a misguided belief that specialty vendors are too expensive. While this can be true if their services are engaged without considering program efficiency and redundancy, the consequences go beyond immediate costs. Such decisions can erode trust, damage reputations, and may even lead to project failure.
The solution? A strategic vetting process that strengthens your security, intelligence, and travel risk management frameworks. When done right, it's a game-changer that transforms your operations in risky environments. Let me share how I've helped clients turn risks into opportunities.
How Vetting Delivers Results
My work with organizations, from energy giants to tech innovators, has shown me that vetting is about focusing on an organization's specific mission. Here's how it works in practice:
Assessing and Mitigating Threats: Many of my clients rely on either internal programs or third-party vendors that are not aligned with the specific threats faced by their organizations. As a result, they often pay for tools that are either underutilized or ineffective, primarily because they have not kept pace with their constantly evolving threat environment. When I examine potential inefficiencies in a security program, I always begin with a thorough threat assessment. This process ensures that each identified threat is addressed using the most efficient and effective mitigation tools available. All mitigation efforts must be directly tied to current or emerging threats; otherwise, they can create unnecessary noise that hinders operations and delays crisis response.
Prioritizing Duty of Care: Your employees are your greatest asset, and their safety is non-negotiable. When evaluating a project, I consciously set aside the monetary costs associated with ensuring people's safety. This may seem unusual, but it is crucial to factor in the potential loss of human capital. Losing team members due to distrust, injury, or even death will ultimately cost my clients much more than investing in a high-quality supplier to ensure their safety. If I focus on budgetary constraints from the start, I risk limiting my options for the services in my network, potentially missing the opportunity to recommend the ideal solution to mitigate specific threats. By the end of the project, I typically find a cost-effective solution that provides both safety and efficiency.
Eliminating Inefficiencies: In high-risk environments, time is crucial. I help clients streamline complex processes that slow them down, such as complicated travel approval systems and fragmented security protocols among departments like GSOCs, Protective Services, HR, IT, and Travel Risk Management. For one client, I improved their travel risk analysis by eliminating inefficient internal teams and hiring a skilled travel risk management provider, reducing approval times by nearly 70% while maintaining thoroughness (and yes, they blamed me instead of their management... that's why you retain a consultant). This significantly enhanced operational efficiency and employee trust. While doing everything "in-house" may seem convenient, it's not always efficient. Evaluating all options and making tough decisions to optimize team effectiveness is essential.
Stopping Crises Before They Start: The least impactful crisis is the one you avoid. I help my clients stay one step ahead using predictive intelligence and scenario planning. This always requires finding multiple vetted sources of information and competent analysts at the strategic and tactical levels. Rerouting travel based on vetted geopolitical insights or dodging major disruptions during regional unrest requires a collection of resources. The suppliers providing these resources cannot make mistakes. Identifying the experts in the industry based on specific threats to my clients has saved millions of dollars and kept their employees safe. Proactive vetting turns anticipation into action.
Accelerating Crisis Response: In a crisis, every moment matters. I have seen organizations struggle due to unclear escalation paths, unvetted security assets, and outdated information. By evaluating crisis response plans and ensuring suppliers are capable, it is possible to react quickly and decisively. For one NGO client, I created an RFP process that helped them determine the best supplier for real-time proximity threat alerts and a streamlined communication process, reducing response times from hours to minutes. This kind of speed can turn a potential disaster into a manageable situation and, in some cases, even avoid it altogether.
High-risk environments demand precision, not cookie-cutter fixes. In today's fast-moving world, operating seamlessly in high-risk locations isn't just a necessity; it's a way to stand out. By vetting suppliers with a process beyond compliance and supply chain risk analysis, you will strengthen your security, intelligence, and travel risk management frameworks, protecting your people, unlocking efficiencies, preventing crises, responding faster, and making smarter use of your budget.
Keeping people safe is my calling. My approach is rooted in a dedication to deep expertise, real-world results, and a genuine commitment to my client's goals. I've dedicated my career to solving complex challenges for clients, and with me, they don't just get a consultant; they get a trusted partner who's all-in on their success.
Ready to take your program to the next level? Drop me a message on LinkedIn or email me at info@predictprotection.com to set up a conversation. Let's shape a safer, more efficient future for your global operations together.