Does anybody have experience with a case study from Horvath (procurement, SCM)?

Hey Anonymous,

It’s notoriously hard to find exact case studies for niche boutique firms like Horváth. 

While I don't have direct ones, I have prepped a lot of candidates for Supply Chain and Procurement roles (MBB, Big4, boutique).

The reality is that most cases are highly likely to be similar to what you’d see at their competitors: Kearney, BCG-Inverto, or the SC/Procurement practice at McKinsey. E.g., calculate TCO, evaluate supplier risk, or tie supply bottlenecks to bottom-line impact. 

If it helps, I actually have 4-5 specific McKinsey and BCG-Inverto procurement or supply chain cases. 

Feel free to DM me for a free intro call, or just book a first session (50% off, promo code: Tommaso50-Coaching-1Wo)

Best,

Tom
 

Hi there,

Remember for procurement/supply chain, first you need to ask objective. In general this will either be "Reducing Costs" or "Fixing/Optimizing Production."

Within Reducing Costs, this could be contract renegotiation, finding new supplies, locking in futures contracts, automating processes (replace labor), changing transport methods, etc.

Within Optimizing Production, this could be a lot of the same i.e. automating processes, finding new suppliers, changing transport methods.

Generally, you'll want to segment the supply chain/procurement process to identify problems (i.e. where taking the longest or costing the most).

For Practice Cases Try The Following:

1) Search on Operations here: PrepLounge Operations Cases

2) Google and casebooks are your friend. For example Management Consulted master list... go to Accenture, Amex, AT Kearney, Deloitte, and LEK sections which specifically call out operations.

3) Send me a message and I can provide you with a few good ones and/or case you in them!

Horvath cases are more operationally grounded than MBB. Expect less abstract market entry framing and more real-world supply chain or procurement problems:

Reduce procurement spend by 15 percent across indirect categories, how do you approach it.

A manufacturer has rising lead times from a key supplier, what's driving it.

Should the client centralise or decentralise procurement across European subsidiaries.

Make versus buy on a specific component.

The round is usually 30 to 45 minutes, one or two interviewers. Expect a short company background, clear problem statement, and one or two exhibits with cost breakdowns or supplier data. Math is less heavy than MBB but grounded in operational metrics like cost per unit, total landed cost, lead time impact.

Three things to prepare:

Learn procurement and SCM vocabulary. Direct vs indirect spend, TCO, supplier consolidation, single vs dual sourcing, safety stock, working capital.

Practise structures beyond profitability and market entry. Cost reduction, operational improvement, supplier strategy, footprint optimisation.

Be ready for open-ended hypothesis-driven discussion. Depth matters more than slick framework delivery.

Good luck.

Hey! I recently coached a candidate who went through the Horváth case round (procurement/SCM focus), so here’s what you can expect. Horváth cases are typically structured, data‑driven, and very operational, with a strong emphasis on procurement levers, supply‑chain transparency, cost breakdowns, and process optimization. The format is usually one interviewer‑led case plus a short deep‑dive discussion. You won’t get exotic strategy cases — think along the lines of: identifying savings potentials, analyzing spend categories, evaluating supplier performance, or redesigning an S&OP or logistics process.

The key is to show that you can structure an operational problem cleanly, quantify impact, and translate findings into actionable recommendations. If you’re comfortable with classic procurement levers (e.g., bundling, spec optimization, make‑or‑buy, supplier consolidation) and SCM basics (inventory drivers, throughput, bottlenecks, service levels), you’ll be in good shape.

Alessa

Hi there, 

I've had candidates interviewing with Horvath before, so do reach out if you need help. 

Additionally, I encourage you to reach out to the recruiter and understand more about the format of the interview and ask them whether they can share any prep materials. 

The better your understanding of how they will structure the interview process specifically for your role, the more targeted you can be with your prep. 

Fingers crossed!
Cristian