Indirect cost optimisation
Telecommunications, IT, services, logistics, consumables: necessary spending, far from your core business, that grows without anyone really looking at it. We bring it back to market levels, usually with double-digit savings and minimal effort from your people.
Why indirect costs?
They are spread across many suppliers and cost centres, and rarely have a single owner. Historic contracts renew themselves, without being compared with a market that has changed in the meantime.
Every euro saved here goes straight to the margin, without touching the heart of the business.
Which spending categories?
- Telecommunications: voice, mobile, data
- IT: software licences, hosting, networks, outsourced services
- Services: cleaning and facilities, travel, printing and mail
- Logistics and transport
- Consumables and medical devices
How do we work?
- Analysis
We collect contracts, price lists and spend data, interview the people responsible, and compare costs and terms with the market - Action plan
We request offers from current suppliers and qualified alternatives, negotiate, and present comparable scenarios - Implementation
You choose the solution; we help with the agreements and check that the new terms are actually applied - Ongoing review
We check prices and service quality on real invoices, with a quarterly report on savings and new opportunities
Analysis and action plan take a few weeks; the review continues in the following months.
What about trusted suppliers?
They stay part of the analysis. At the start we agree with you the quality requirements that cannot be compromised, and we respect the relationships that matter. You always decide: often the best result is to stay with the same supplier, on better terms.
How much effort does it take?
Very little. Analysis, requests for offers, negotiations and checks are done by us. We ask your people for the initial data and for decisions; after that, only routine handling of orders and payments.
How are we paid?
Our fee is linked to the savings actually achieved.
Some results
In the partners’ experience, annual savings have ranged from 12% to almost 50%, depending on the category. Some examples:
- Regional bank, telecommunications -43%
- Digital services provider, mobile telephony -48%
- International law firm, IT services (hosting, data network, disaster recovery) -23%
- Healthcare group with dozens of sites, medical devices -12%
- Multinational food company, outsourced IT services -28%