Procurement Advisory · Melbourne, Victoria

Spending with a supplier?
That's procurement.

Most businesses do it every day without realising it. Everyone can always do it better. D1 Advisory gives you the practical support, independent guidance, and buying-side expertise you need so that you can make purchasing decisions you can stand behind.

Two black chess queen pieces standing upright on a transparent background.
Why this matters

The market is designed to help suppliers sell.
Not to help you buy.

Sales is one of the most accessible and invested in business disciplines. Do you know which discipline teaches businesses on the receiving end of a sales pitch how to navigate it? How about how to ensure that they’re making the right call for their organisation? That discipline is procurement. Procurement is meant to serve as the other side of the buy-sell equation.

D1 Advisory exists to change that equation. Every piece of advice, every assessment, every process review starts from one position: you are the buyer, and you deserve to be protected, informed, and in control.
Head shot of Sylvia Luchian on the street in Melbourne.
“Procurement done right doesn't cost you. It earns you.”
Clarity on how to buy in your organisation is not always 100% of the story behind why a better buying decision wasn't made. Most of the time, its clarity, structure, and having the right people in your corner. This holds true whether you're a small business owner with a significant buying decision ahead of you, or a large organisation that wants to build from the ground up a procurement function, or enhance the value your existing team brings already
Corporate headshot of Sylvia Luchian at D1 Advisory's Melbourne office
The practitioner

Sylvia Luchian
Founder, D1 Advisory

MCIPS
Certified DiSC Practitioner
Grad Dip in Governance & Applied Research
Grad Dip in Governance & Applied Research
Secretary, CIPS Victoria Chapter
Secretary & Governance Lead, Euraw Inc.
Full background and experience
10+
Years of procurement practice across government, financial services, and private sector
8
Industry sectors served, from corrections and infrastructure to superannuation and health
0
Supplier commissions, referral agreements, or product agendas. Ever.
1
Practice principal accountable for every engagement, from brief to delivery
How it's different

Three ways D1 Advisory works
with you. One consistent standard.

Pillar
1

Enhance

For organisations that want a clear, honest picture of where their procurement capability sits and the structured work to improve it. Enhance covers the assessment, the design, and the delivery of change inside your procurement function.

Capability Assessment
DiSC Profile
Function Set-up
Fractionalised Procurement
Pillar
2

Advise

For businesses that need a procurement specialist in their corner when the decisions matter. Advise provides direct, independent advisory support with no supplier bias, no product agenda, and no obligation to any outcome other than yours.

Advisory Retainer
Probity Services
Fractionalised Procurement
How it's different

Most procurement advice comes with a product, a platform, or a preferred supplier list attached.

01

No product agenda.

D1 Advisory does not sell software, hold supplier commissions, or have referral agreements in place. The only interest in the room is yours. As it should be.
02

No theory.

Every recommendation comes from work that has been done, tested, and delivered in practice. If something is a bad idea for your situation, it will be called a bad idea. Procurement advice that softens what needs to be said is not advice. It is a liability with a warm font.
03

A practice lead as your principal contact.

Every D1 Advisory engagement is led and signed off by Sylvia Luchian as practice principal. You are not passed to a junior analyst or handed between account managers. The person who assesses your situation is the person who owns the outcome. Support, production, and specialist input draw on a wider team behind the scenes. What stays consistent is the accountability at the front.
Sector experience

Cross-industry experience
that makes buying decisions matter.

Government & Public Sector
Financial Services & Superannuation
Health & Community Services
Infrastructure & Built Environment
Not-for-profit & Associations
Education & Professional Development
Technology & Professional Services
Corrections & Justice
Full background and experience
Head shot of Sylvia Luchian on the street in Melbourne.
“Procurement done right doesn't cost you. It earns you.”
Common questions

What people ask before they get in touch.

How do I get started?

Book a discovery call. It takes 30 minutes. No preparation required, no commitment, and no follow-up from a sales team. It is a conversation to understand your situation, work out whether D1 Advisory is the right fit, and if it is, to agree on what a sensible scope looks like.

Is my information confidential?

Yes. All engagements operate under professional confidentiality obligations. D1 Advisory does not disclose client information, share commercially sensitive details, or use client data for any purpose outside the scope of the engagement. An NDA can be executed prior to any engagement that requires it, which is standard for financial services, government, and organisations with material confidentiality obligations.

How long does a typical engagement last?

It depends on the scope. A single advisory conversation for a specific purchasing decision can be completed in a few hours. A process design project or capability assessment typically runs across several weeks. D1 Advisory does not lock clients into retainers or long-term contracts by default. Engagements are scoped to what is actually needed.

What industries does D1 Advisory work across?

D1 Advisory has experience across government and public sector, financial services and superannuation, health and community services, infrastructure and built environment, not-for-profit and incorporated associations, education and professional development, technology and professional services, and corrections and justice. The sector experience section of this page shows the types of work delivered in each area.

How is D1 Advisory different from a management consultant?

A management consultant typically works at the strategic level and presents recommendations. D1 Advisory works at the operational level and delivers outcomes. The difference is between being told what to do and having someone help you do it. D1 Advisory is a practitioner, not a theorist. The advice comes from having been in the room for these conversations, on both sides of the table.

Is D1 Advisory right for small to medium businesses?

Yes. D1 Advisory specifically works with small to medium businesses that do not have a full-time procurement function but still make significant purchasing decisions. You do not need to spend a minimum amount or have a formal procurement team in place. If a purchasing decision matters to your business, this is the right conversation to have.

What is procurement advisory, and why does my business need it?

Procurement is the process of deciding what to buy, from whom, on what terms, and at what cost. Most businesses do it every day without recognising it as a discipline. When it goes wrong, it costs money, time, and in some cases professional relationships. Procurement advisory means having a specialist in your corner who has no stake in which supplier you choose, who can help you define your requirements clearly before you go to market, evaluate your options properly, and commit to the right supplier on the right terms.

If your question is not here, book a discovery call. It takes 15 minutes, there is no commitment, and it is the fastest way to find out whether D1 Advisory is the right fit.
Book a discovery call
Ready when you are

A first conversation.
Let's make your next move count.

Book a discovery call. Come with a situation. Leave with clarity on whether this is the right fit and what a sensible next step looks like.