As I continue to explore the evolving Service Supply Network in the superannuation industry, there is a common concern that using multiple service providers increases complexity and weakens accountability. In practice, the opposite can be true. A well-designed service supply network can reduce risk, improve resilience and create better member outcomes by ensuring each provider is focused on what they do best.
The risk is not the number of providers. The risk is unclear ownership, disconnected data, inconsistent processes and governance that stops at contractual boundaries. In a modern superannuation operating model, accountability must be designed across the network, not negotiated after something goes wrong.
A strong service supply network brings together specialist providers under a common operating rhythm. It defines how work moves across parties, how decisions are made, how exceptions are managed and how performance is measured against member outcomes rather than isolated service levels. This creates the conditions for scale without losing control.
This matters even more as automation, AI and data-enabled services become embedded across administration, insurance and member servicing. Technology can accelerate service delivery, but it also increases interdependence. The organisations that benefit most will be those that invest in interoperability, shared knowledge, clean data, practical governance and human capability alongside digital change.
For funds, this is an opportunity to move beyond vendor management and into network orchestration. It allows each partner to contribute its strongest capability while maintaining a single view of service quality, operational resilience and member impact. The result is a more adaptable, transparent and value-driven model for delivering services across the superannuation ecosystem.
The future will not be defined by organisations trying to do everything themselves. It will be defined by how well they bring together the right providers, with the right capability, under the right governance, to deliver consistent outcomes for members.
Jimmy Mullen – Executive Manager, Consulting Services
IQ Group | September 2026
