Four unique fit for purpose offerings
Procurement Advisory Service
We are a specialist Procurement Consultancy with an à la carte offering. Our services are specifically designed to be flexible. We help our customers with ad hoc needs as well as their long term requirements.
Current and Past Assignments include:
- Building and managing a Supplier Management Team for a mid-size law firm.
- Procurement Function Transformation, rapidly adding value and improving compliance, rationalising, upskilling & training teams in the latest sourcing techniques; also enhancing management of suppliers.
- Developing Managing a Supplier Data Management (SDM) Repository for all supplier information. A good SDM provides current, accurate and actionable information about suppliers and contracts that can be accessed easily by all internal stakeholders.
- Negotiate Data Protection Agreements (DPA) and perform DPA audits.
- Negotiation training and coaching for Supplier Relationship Owners (SROs) and other Supplier Managers.
- Interim staffing for remote Chief Procurement Officer and Category Manager.
Monitoring and Tracking
Our Monitoring and Tracking (M&T) Service is designed exclusively to demystify the confusion created by supplier invoices.
Suppliers deliberately do not provide details in their invoices, and where they are provided, frequently invoices do not match the details in the agreed contracts and/or rate cards. Stakeholders find it difficult to validate and approve invoices with 100% confidence.
We work for the stakeholders to map and validate the invoice at a line item level. We ensure systems cross-reference invoiced charges to agreed pricing, so stakeholders can reliably approve the invoice for Accounts Payable (AP) processing.
We also work with the supplier to be certain their invoices clearly highlight approved
- Price x Quantity (PxQ)
- Unit of Measure (UOM)
- Unit Cost (UC)
In the absence of these the invoice processing is delayed while we work to rebuild and validate the correct charges.
During the invoice validation process, we fix overcharges and, occasionally, undercharges too. We eliminate charges that should not be invoiced (free shipping and handling etc.), along with any fraudulent charges and instances of bait-and-switch, often found in office supplies invoices.
A Line Item Level Review is a rigorous and robust exercise. Over time it helps the supplier become more accurate in invoicing. You benefit from better value, and the supplier gains by being paid in a timely manner.
Contract Compliance Review
A Contract Compliance Review closes the gap between agreed prices and what’s invoiced. It focuses on reviewing individual multi-year contracts to identify and maximise savings during the contract. Crucially, there’s no need to wait for the contract to expire or renew.
Suppliers seldom review contract T’s & C’s once the deal is signed, and customers rarely review monthly invoices for accuracy or adherence to negotiated prices.
Suppliers regularly charge prices not in the negotiated rate card, or items not covered by original negotiations.
Our experience has proven that this rate card “gap” ranges anywhere from 20% to 40%. We identify the “gap” quickly and either have procurement professionals renegotiate new pricing, or we help stakeholders themselves renegotiate.
Typically, savings optimisation and reduced pricing can save customers 10%-20% on monthly invoices.
This service is offered on a per contract and Time & Material basis.
Unique Benchmarking
The Unique Benchmarking of multi-year contracts can present customers with huge opportunities to reduce costs, and improve quality and Value Add from incumbent suppliers.
Incumbent suppliers can bring many benefits, including good working relationships. However, incumbent suppliers can become sloppy when it comes to price, quality and Value Add. More cost is added over time, and fewer services are provided. New suppliers do more for less.
Our Benchmarking process is transparent and by invitation only. It requires the incumbent supplier to identify 2-3 like-for-like competitors who are allowed to “Price Benchmark” comparable services provided by the incumbent. The competitors provide written proposals that the incumbent supplier can review, question and sign-off on. The incumbent supplier then has the opportunity to meet or beat the new pricing proposal and retain the business with a new contract based on current market pricing.
Typically, customers save between 10%-20% on current monthly invoices going forward.
