Before we negotiate, we understand the contract
We examine the agreement, term, renewal and notice provisions, supplier obligations, volume history and the commercial importance of the relationship. Legal interpretation remains with your legal advisers where required.
From there we establish a negotiation plan grounded in alternatives the business could actually adopt. A threatened switch isn't useful leverage unless that alternative is credible.
Beyond the unit price
Supplier value includes service levels, reliability, delivery charges, rebates, minimum order quantities, indexation, credits, warranties and termination rights. We keep the comparison like-for-like, explain material deviations and make the trade-offs explicit.
Decisions stay with you
Our role is to research, challenge and negotiate within an agreed mandate. Your company approves final terms and signs its own contracts. We document the agreed baseline and the saving that can reasonably be attributed to the engagement.
Example: rejecting a price rise without damaging coverage
Consider a hypothetical multi-site business whose incumbent service provider proposes a 12% renewal increase. A meaningful review checks the precise scope, labour hours, indexed clauses, site coverage and underlying cost components, rather than simply demanding a price closer to broad sector inflation.
Compare the incumbent's itemised offer against at least one operationally credible, scope-matched alternative. Any improvement should be recorded in the executed contract and matched to invoices before calling it a delivered saving. Use our dated ONS price-pressure tool for context, not for a guaranteed counteroffer.
A real-world decision to test
Example mandate: a maintenance agreement renews in four months. Its advertised annual fee excludes emergency call-outs and inflation adjustments. Comparing two headline prices would be meaningless without the schedules, response times and extras.
What you would receive
An approved negotiation brief, comparable commercial alternatives, a clear record of proposed contract changes and an implementation handover.
Organisations preparing for major renewals, supplier consolidation or a targeted commercial reset.
You need legal representation in a contract dispute or require us to sign supply agreements on your behalf.
Questions worth asking
Do you contact suppliers without approval?
No. We establish the negotiation mandate and any sensitive supplier-relationship boundaries first.
What if our supplier contract cannot be terminated yet?
We first check the actual renewal, notice and variation provisions. If commercial terms cannot change safely now, a sensible mandate may focus on the next renewal rather than a threatened switch.