Improving the speed to contract for CNS Group
Improving the speed to contract for CNS Group
The Client
CNS is a leading UK provider of Information Assurance and IT Security services and solutions. Its clients vary in size, from FTSE 100 and large public sector organisations to SMEs. Following significant period of growth in the size and scope of the services that it offered, CNS realised that its standard agreements needed a comprehensive overhaul.
Our Appointment
Acert was recommended by one of CNS’s business partners and was engaged to develop a completely new set of standard contracts to enable rapid business take-on for new clients, without compromising the risk profile of any party.
Four new main agreements were drafted:
- Standard Terms and Conditions
- Statement of Work for Managed Services
- Statement of Work for Professional Services
- Non-Exclusive Marketing Agreement (governing the promotion of CNS’s services by third parties)
Enduring Business Benefit
Ultimately, as a result of our engagement, the new contract model and boilerplate contract library has greatly increased the speed at which CNS is able to formally conclude commercial terms with new customers.
Cloud automation solution for a leading IT managed services company
Cloud automation solution for a leading IT managed services company
Strategy into Action
Our client needed specialist procurement help to acquire a cloud automation solution that would enable them to offer their own clients faster and more agile hosting solutions – with speed to revenue as a primary driver.
With a track record of delivering value for this client, Acert was engaged to drive the procurement project; from definition of requirements, vendor long and shortlisting, RFx content development to project management, vendor presentation and evaluation.
Value to the Client
The client’s service operations and product management teams were able to make an informed choice on the preferred solution having had the benefit of intensive exposure to the solutions in a consistent and highly comparable process.
Driving telecom savings from market aggregation
Driving telecom savings from market aggregation
Building Consensus
A key business partner made us aware that a number of organisations in the hospitality sector were in the market for new telecoms provision. We knew that there was an opportunity for significant savings improvement through collaborative aggregation. We therefore approached each organisation with the savings proposition and established the core membership of an ad hoc procurement group.
We ran a short recruitment campaign and attracted more clients to bring their requirements to the project, eventually resulting in a combined annual spend of £1.2m. Our expert associates ran a solid RFx process and bid summit negotiation over the next two months, resulting in individual agreements , with each client benefitting from the collective negotiated outcome.
Tangible Savings for all Participants
The successful bidder was a national telecoms provider with a high-quality service, excellent references and highly competitive pricing. Resulting savings ranged between 19-32%, with an overall average saving of 24% of the aggregated spend.
WAN Procurement
WAN Procurement
Building on Success
Following a successful telecoms procurement engagement with this national hospitals client, we were invited to propose for procurement of their MPLS WAN, as the current agreement was expiring soon.
Gain-share Model![](http://www.acertassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Acert_hospital_wan-300x164.jpg)
We had included a gain-share component within our client agreement to demonstrate confidence in our ability to succeed. We assembled a good shortlist of vendors capable of providing the national coverage, engaging them via an RFI/RFP/RFQ process, which was successfully concluded at an Acert ‘bid summit’ process among three finalist vendors.
Value to the Client
The client was delighted with the final outcome – a 41% saving against current, 5% ahead of projections.
Managed Print for a London hospitals group
Managed Print for a London hospitals group
Building on Success
Acert’s initial work on spend analysis with this London-based private hospitals client had revealed a significant expenditure category in printing and copying. Further investigation established that current agreements for copiers and printers were over-extended and under-performing. The large number of individual printers in place also indicated large benefit potential from a device consolidation and managed print solution initiative.
We proposed a formal discovery process to scope the opportunity, outline the solution approach, identify the available savings and provide detailed costings for market entry, contracting and transition support.
Phased Approach![](http://www.acertassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Acert_London_Hospital-300x164.jpg)
Each stage was successfully executed, winning client’s approval for the next phase. We employed a comprehensive supplier selection, tendering and award process to drive highly competitive offers from the market. We provided advice and guidance to the client who selected a preferred and reserve vendor. Retained to manage the contracting phase, we developed and negotiated the service and rental contracts, securing greatly improved commercial terms for the client. Our engagement was then further extended to project management of the service implementation the following months.
Tangible Savings
Each phase of the engagement ran according to its expected time and outputs. The resulting long-term partnership between the client and supplier successfully delivered the expected benefits from a fully managed, secure, ‘print-anywhere’ environment. As a result of our project, the client made substantial savings from reduced print costs, which easily exceeded the £1m (like-for-like) savings target.
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![](http://www.acertassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Acert_NHS-300x164.jpg)
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![](http://www.acertassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Acert_hospital_print-300x164.jpg)
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.
Reducing foodservice complexities in a well-known West End store
Reducing foodservice complexities in a well-known West End store
The Challenge for the Client
With more than 20 in-store foodservice outlets under his control, the Director of Restaurants needed to improve the management of ingredient costs, menu control and new product development. Thousands of SKUs together with process complexity challenges meant duplication, stock control difficulties, supplier ordering challenges and a clear-cut opportunity for margin improvement.
Practical Support![](http://www.acertassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Acert_west_end_food-300x164.jpg)
Acert was engaged to assist in the required process analysis and SKU consolidation work, to establish an accurate rate of SKU churn, map the relevant systems architecture and propose optimal SORP processes.
Following the success of the first phase, we were then engaged to lead the project for delivery of the recommendations, covering supplier renegotiations and process change.
Tangible Savings
With a percentage of risk taken into account, predicted savings of 7% would return a significant six-figure sum. At the end of our involvement, negotiation and consolidation, SKUs with the highest spend had returned a 9% saving with more to come, as well as a further 2% in supplier management savings to be derived from a future EDI implementation.
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![](http://www.acertassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Acert_fostering_network-300x164.jpg)
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.
Selection of a comms solution provider for the CBI
Selection of a comms solution provider for the CBI
Business Imperative
The CBI had developed plans to standardise office operations on a converged mobile and VOIP solution. To ensure that it could benefit from the best solution and cost, the team planned a formal market entry programme. Acert was recommended to them to design and run the process.
Analytical Approach
Working closely with the client, we developed an RFP that encouraged the creativity of suppliers to define the most cost effective solution, providing them detailed analysis and profiling key aspects such as SMS, ‘internal’, external and international calls.
Central Role![](http://www.acertassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Acert_voip-300x164.jpg)
The client’s management team down-selected five organisations to receive the RFP. Our management of the process included:
- Single point of contact for all bidders
- Reviewing all responses (including requesting further information where appropriate)
- Formal evaluation and documented assessment of the merits and/or shortcomings with each of the bids
- Selecting/recommending a preferred and a reserve bidder
Business Impact
As a result of the process, the CBI selected a (new) business partner to provide an end-to-end, fully managed service for its end-users. The implemented solution delivered on the key requirements of low cost, high flexibility and a future-proof technical solution.