Case Study: DFTO – Building Scalable, Compliant Procurement Foundations for a National Rail Operator

23 Jan
Posted by: Barkers Procurement
Category: Case Studies
No Comments
Railway tracks stretching into the distance, symbolising strategic direction, structured transformation, and aligned procurement technology implementation.

The Department for Transport Operator (DFTO) is a government-owned company that oversees publicly owned train operators, playing a key role in the transition to Great British Railways by managing passenger services as they transfer into public ownership.

The Department for Transport Operator (DFTO) engaged Barkers Procurement to implement Coupa as its first enterprise procurement platform. DFTO is a newly established organisation, created to support the Department for Transport’s rail operating model and forming a key part of the future Great British Railways structure.

With significant growth expected in scale, complexity, and regulatory oversight, DFTO required a procurement solution that could establish strong governance and cost control from the outset, while remaining flexible and scalable as the organisation evolves. Barkers successfully delivered the Coupa implementation from kick-off to go-live in just 12 weeks, embedding robust procurement foundations designed to support long-term growth, assurance, and compliance.

Challenge

As a newly formed organisation preparing for rapid expansion, DFTO faced a number of foundational procurement challenges:

  • Embryonic procurement processes and controls, with no single, systemised way of managing purchasing activity.
  • Limited visibility of spend and commitments, making cost assurance and financial control more difficult.
  • Immediate need to embed governance and compliance, aligned to public sector and rail regulatory requirements.
  • Requirement for a flexible, scalable solution capable of supporting future growth, organisational change, and increased transaction volumes.
  • Compressed delivery timeline, driven by the need to establish robust controls early in the organisation’s lifecycle.

Solution

Barkers Procurement delivered a focused, accelerated Coupa implementation designed to establish strong procurement governance from day one, while enabling DFTO to scale with confidence:

  • Rapid deployment of Coupa P2P to introduce a single, controlled procurement process covering requisitioning, approvals, purchase order creation, receipting and invoicing.
  • Design and implementation of procurement governance including approval hierarchies, budgetary controls, and policy-aligned workflows to ensure compliance from day one.
  • Scalable organisational and approval structures configured within Coupa to accommodate future growth, additional cost centres, and evolving operating models.
  • Supplier and catalogue enablement approach to support compliant buying, reduce off-contract spend, and simplify purchasing for end users.
  • Spend visibility and reporting setup to provide procurement and finance teams with improved insight into purchasing activity and early identification of risk or non-compliance.
  • User-centred configuration and enablement ensuring the system was intuitive, supported rapid adoption, and minimised change fatigue within a new organisation.
  • Accelerated delivery methodology using proven Barkers implementation frameworks to meet the 12-week timeline without compromising quality or governance.

Results

The implementation delivered immediate value while establishing a strong platform to support DFTO’s future role within the UK rail landscape:

  • Successful go-live within 12 weeks, achieving all project objectives within a challenging timeframe.
  • First systemised procurement process implemented across the organisation, replacing manual and ad-hoc purchasing activity.
  • Improved governance and control with clear approval workflows, auditability, and policy compliance embedded within day-to-day processes.
  • Increased visibility of spend enabling better financial oversight, improved decision-making, and stronger cost management.
  • High user adoption driven by intuitive system design and streamlined purchasing journeys.
  • Future-ready procurement capability, with scalable structures in place to support organisational growth, increased transaction volumes, and additional Coupa functionality.
  • Reduced procurement risk through consistent processes, controlled supplier usage, and improved transparency.

Streamline your procurement – see how we can help

Our services

DFTO – Building Scalable, Compliant Procurement Foundations for a National Rail Operator – Case Study

Download Now
Tags:
Author: Barkers Procurement
Copyright © 2026 Barkers Procurement
Our Terms & Conditions. Privacy Policy.