Building a Winning Supply Chain Team: The Moneyball Approach to Small Supplier Sourcing

In baseball, winning teams aren’t built solely on star players; they’re built on players who consistently get on base. This is the core idea behind Moneyball, the best-selling book and popular movie that redefined how teams evaluate talent.  

Today, the same principle can be applied to procurement: organizations that use data to identify reliable small suppliers, who consistently deliver value, are building stronger, more resilient supply chains. 

In our recent webinar, The Moneyball Approach to Supplier Risk and Small Business Sourcing, we explored how procurement teams can uncover “undervalued players” in the supplier market.  

Instead of chasing only well-known, large suppliers, leading companies are leveraging data to discover small and diverse suppliers with the right performance metrics to help them win. 

Why data-driven small supplier sourcing matters 

Traditionally, supplier selection has often mirrored old-school scouting: procurement teams focus on the biggest names and assume they’ll deliver the best results. But just as Moneyball challenged baseball’s bias toward big hitters, procurement leaders are rethinking how they evaluate suppliers. 

The U.S. has over 33 million small businesses, representing 99% of all enterprises. Many of these small businesses offer specialized expertise, agility, and cost advantages that large suppliers can’t match. The challenge is finding the right small suppliers that can meet your organization’s needs. 

This is where accurate supplier intelligence transforms small supplier sourcing. Rather than giving small suppliers a token “at-bat” in an RFP, data allows procurement teams to focus on those most likely to get on base—suppliers with a track record of reliability, innovation, and compliance. 

The Moneyball playbook for small business sourcing 

Our Moneyball approach starts with three critical steps: 

1. Identify performance metrics that matter 

In baseball, on-base percentage was the metric that predicted wins. For procurement, the key metrics for small business sourcing might include delivery reliability, responsiveness, cost savings, or certifications. In the Supplier.io platform we created a TrustIQ metric that includes supplier history, experience, and size.  Using data, teams can rank small suppliers on these factors rather than relying on size or brand recognition. 

2. Uncover undervalued small suppliers 

Supplier.io’s Supplier Intelligence Platform offers access to over 10 million suppliers with more than 350 million insights, enabling procurement teams to find small, diverse, and sustainable suppliers that others might overlook. Data enrichment ensures you don’t just see who’s out there—but also which small suppliers are a strong fit based on verified performance and capabilities. 

3. Build the roster early and develop it 

Much like a winning baseball team scouts and trains talent before game day, organizations need to engage promising small businesses early. Developing relationships and supporting supplier growth ensures these small suppliers can step up when larger suppliers falter or when market conditions shift. 

The competitive advantage of small business suppliers 

Organizations that invest in small business sourcing don’t just win on resilience, they also gain measurable business impact: 

• Cost efficiency: Local sourcing reduces transportation costs and shortens lead times. 

• Innovation: Smaller suppliers often bring fresh perspectives and unique solutions. 

• Market expansion: Working with small businesses can open doors to new markets and customers. 

• Risk mitigation: A diversified supplier base reduces over-reliance on a single source, strengthening the entire supply chain. 

Winning with data in small supplier sourcing 

The Hackett Group’s 2025 Procurement Agenda highlights real-time data visibility and AI as transformational drivers for procurement success. By adopting a Moneyball mindset, organizations can use advanced analytics to uncover hidden opportunities in small supplier sourcing and reduce risk, all while building a supplier network that’s resilient and competitive. 

Supplier.io makes this possible with the industry’s largest, continuously updated database of small, diverse, and sustainable suppliers. Our platform helps procurement leaders identify the small suppliers who will consistently “get on base,” helping them win more contracts and deliver business impact. 

Conclusion 

In today’s volatile supply chain environment, the teams that win aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the most recognizable supplier names—they’re the ones that know how to use data to build a balanced roster of reliable small business suppliers. The Moneyball approach proves that with the right data, you can uncover untapped small suppliers and create a sourcing strategy that delivers both performance and resilience.