Consultancy Support

An increasingly important part of our day-to-day client business is the provision of professional, creative consultancy advice to an ever increasing portfolio of clients throughout the corporate, commercial and public sectors of the catering market.
 
The background and depth of experience of our senior employees enables us to take on a number of management consultancy assignments which essentially come under the twin services of:

Price Analysis and Benchmarking (for both in-house and contractor operated sites)
Contract Tendering and Evaluation

Price Analysis and Benchmarking

As a recent Deutsche Bank study found, a 30-40% reduction in the total purchasing costs of contract caterers is realistic for many key products. Many in-house operated catering services struggle to negotiate truly competitive terms with suppliers.
 
ipa offer a solution.
 
Our analysis provides a fast and accurate assessment of price competitiveness and a comprehensive report will detail any potential savings that can be achieved. The detailed analysis measures clients existing food cost items against the 'real' price paid from our supplier base. The 'real' prices have been negotiated by ipa with nationally recognised manufacturers and wholesalers on a contractual basis and are being applied to independent and group operated business using the ipa purchasing service.
 
The analysis is a fast and accurate assessment and allows ipa to measure the effectiveness of each clients purchasing and put forward recommendations to improve unit costs, procurement policies or systems.
 
This service can be provided on a monthly/quarterly basis or as a single audit. It is designed to be flexible, so as to maximise the benefit to your business, enhance your company's performance and meet your business needs and purchasing objectives.

Contract Tendering and Evaluation

Our consultancy team has experience in managing the contract tendering process for a wide range of public sector and private companies. Assistance can be given at all stages of the tender process:

• Preparation of Tender Documentation,  
• The Tender Process  
• Tender Analysis  
• Supplier Negotiation and Selection  
• Appointment of Suppliers  
• Supplier Start-Up  

It is our policy to only use members of our own, full-time consultant team on all projects to ensure full accountability throughout the process. We have found that by using this approach, we can establish and maintain good levels of communication throughout the project, thereby minimising unnecessary delays and misunderstandings.

To speak to one of our consultancy team please call 01372 466 966