Delivering M&A due diligence and planning for a major NHS provider
Delivering M&A due diligence and planning for a major NHS provider
The Challenge for the Client
This commercial services organisation wanted to pursue an opportunity to acquire similar bodies from the public sector as the market was going through a significant period of change. Without the necessary available in-house resources to undertake the due diligence, they needed competent and experienced external help.
Rapid Engagement
Acert was recommended; our proposed team comprised three consultants each delivering key expertise: contract and commercial, M&A with sector expertise, and project management. The client invited us to rapidly engage and project manage the process against a very aggressive timeline.
Project Success
Every aspect of the process was quickly mapped out, with relevant Q&A and data-gathering activated quickly. All of the required information was pursued, discovered and presented to stakeholders with strong programme leadership ensuring that our client remained in full control of the negotiations.
Driving managed print savings for a national hospitals group
Driving managed print savings for a national hospitals group
The Challenge for the Client
This private hospitals group provides secure mental health services at its facilities throughout the UK. With a long-term copier/printer agreement expiring soon the Finance Director and Head of IT were keen to seek savings and capture the benefits of a managed print solution.
Building on Success
Acert had previously saved this client a significant sum on their Telecoms and WAN provision, and at the time were engaged on similar managed print agendas with other hospital groups. After carrying out some preliminary analysis to assess the scale of the project, we were able to demonstrate a healthy return on investment in our services and lay out the benefits of the proposed commercial and technical solution.
Formal Methodology
We reviewed the market for suitable candidate suppliers and engaged via our standard multi-stage methodology:
- Request for Information – to explain the opportunity and allow us to qualify the candidate list, followed by an evaluation and initial shortlisting
- Request for Proposal – to allow the suppliers to set out their solutions and approaches, and to allow us to distil our requirements and then shape the final short list
- Request for Quotation – to enable final negotiation on a level playing field
- Bid Summit – to allow the suppliers to present their solutions in a series of presentations leading to the client’s decision to award
Contract Development and Negotiation
With the preferred supplier selected, we then took charge of contract development and negotiation alongside the supplier’s own due diligence process, to establish the final scope and commercials. Upon signature of the agreement we were then retained to programme manage the implementation.
Value to the Client
Through all stages of the project our deliverables were on time and in line or ahead of the client’s expectations. Projected savings were achieved and the client has gone on to successfully extend their relationship with the supplier, to further benefit the hospitals team and the front-line users.
Selecting the right IT partner for the Fostering Network
Selecting the right IT partner for the Fostering Network
Strategy into Action
The Fostering Network is the UK’s leading fostering charity. Following a strategic review of their internal IT, they concluded that they urgently needed to refresh their infrastructure and systems and that a formal procurement process was required. Acert was recommended to design and support the market entry programme.
Approach
In the absence of clearly defined specifications we adopted a three-stage approach with formal evaluation and scoring at each step. Firstly, a Request for Information was drafted and sent out to potential suppliers requesting expressions of interest and some key company data. The responses enabled us to refine the list for receipt of an RFP.
Our Request for Proposal set out the Fostering Network’s organisational requirements and asked for each bidder‘s most cost-effective solution. Using the solutions suggested in the responses, we worked with the client to decide upon the best fit for them.
The third and final stage was a final Request for Quotation with a defined specification and a structured quotation template.
Selection and Contracting
Once the client had selected their preferred bidder we worked to negotiate terms with the successful supplier, ensuring that the formal proposal was translated into contractual deliverables: documenting transition, services, key processes and obligations, change control and exit procedures as well as the SLA and Service Credit regime.
Creativity Rewarded
Our creative approach to the Fostering Network’s situation meant that they were able to define their future IT strategy in a highly cost-effective manner, in course of selecting its delivery partner. They benefitted from a well-defined five-year investment structure and a contract that balanced the needs of both parties.
Managed print project management and procurement for a global enterprise client
Managed print project management and procurement for a global enterprise client
Rapid Growth
Having grown massively both organically and by acquisition, this large media conglomerate recognised the opportunity for business improvement and savings to be realised from a shared services approach. A substantial IT innovation project had been established right across the scope of technology for the business. In-house and office (managed) print was one of eight categories targeted.
Immediate action
An audit was commissioned to develop a meaningful understanding of the scale of the opportunity. The project required collection and analysis of data from many tens of companies and locations in the UK, US and Germany, as well as detail-gathering on the underlying contractual and commercial position across hundreds of individual local agreements.
Tangible results
The assessment phase was delivered to budget on an aggressive timeline, revealing a $1m+ annual savings opportunity. We went on to commission and manage an expanded assessment, covering sites in a further fifteen US cities. As a result of the success of the initial phases, we were retained to project manage the supplier selection process in the US, UK and Germany, together with subsequent contract negotiations.
Solution Strengths
Acert was engaged because of our relevant competencies including:
- Deep knowledge of the managed print market, solutions and delivery models;
- Global supply-chain co-ordination and solutions architecture experience
- Multi-faceted project management across the technical, information-gathering, solution architecture and market entry elements of the programme
- Rapid engagement and project onboarding capability
Ability to bring in additional associates and resources for short-term requirements
Business Impact
The assessment phase covering c.30,000 staff and c.140m pages per annum was completed in under five months. Market entry and supplier shortlisting for the three territories followed quickly, with new contract development and negotiation over the following five months.