Choosing a telecom procurement partner is a big decision. For most businesses, telecom expenses are between the third and fifth most substantial IT cost, and global telecom contracts can influence enterprise decision-making over several years. End-to-end support throughout the procurement process is key to extracting the greatest value, and even well-skilled procurement teams can struggle without expert assistance.
To provide insight into the telecom arena and understanding on how to find the support you need – here are three factors to investigate when choosing a procurement partner.
1. Market Knowledge
The telecom market is ever-evolving; constantly changing and adapting to cater for the arrival of new trends and technologies.
Although in-house procurement teams are undoubtedly skilled at managing large, ongoing contracts, only those familiar with the telecom arena will have the knowledge needed to navigate many of the finer details, such as handling viable rates, terms and waiver negotiations.
In addition, your procurement partner can create customized reports – tailored to your organization and your specific requirements – that can aid in securing stakeholder approval.
2. Minimum Service Capabilities
Not all telecom procurement services are created equal. While one vendor may choose to focus predominantly on providing research-driven insights, another may believe that compliance control is of higher importance.
To secure the best value, however, your chosen procurement partner must be capable of providing your in-house team with end-to-end procurement support, including:
- Access to benchmarking data to extract the best terms and rates.
- Telecom spend analysis, including call profile and spent report analysis.
- Development of the RFP.
- Profile analysis, including customized vendor suggestions.
- Tender data analysis and report creation.
- Predicted savings analysis per vendor per tender.
- Communication and negotiation with bidders, if specified.
- Neutral and independent expertise.
- Global delivery capabilities.
- End-to-end contract management facilities.
3. Impartial and Independent Viewpoint
And not all telecom service providers are born equal. For example, in some instances, telecom procurement providers receive royalties, commissions and kickbacks from vendors they’re assessing. This conflict of interest often leads to poor advice – compromising the impartiality and value of the service.
A neutral procurement partner can offer unbiased advice that can help your organization to navigate this choppy vendor environment and sort the fact from the fiction, and the good from the bad.
Selecting a publicly-traded procurement partner – with no vendor affiliation or ties and no hidden agenda – can ensure that your best interests are prioritized, enabling you to achieve the best terms and rates from the most well-suited provider.
Not all telecom service providers are born equal. For example, in some instances, telecom procurement providers receive royalties, commissions and kickbacks from vendors they’re assessing.
Choosing a Telecom Procurement Partner
Looking at the characteristics we've talked through can help your organization find best the telecom procurement partner for you. And providers of telecom expense management (TEM) services will likely feature on your shortlist.
With an in-depth knowledge of telecom vendors – including a thorough understanding of what rates and terms, they are prepared to offer – best-in-class TEM providers have experience of procuring the best contracts. What's more, as providers of expense management services, not only can they provide the minimum service capabilities to get the best rates and optimum terms, but they can also ensure those rates are honored throughout the contract lifecycle.
A TEM provider is a great choice for telecom procurement partnership. And, as a market leader in the TEM space, Cass Telecom should be your premier choice. Gartner highlights Cass as the only publicly-traded vendor with the global delivery capabilities to satisfy enterprise demand. And with over 60 years of experience in delivering expense management services, Cass offers unmatched reliability, experience and insight.
To speak to a Cass expert about your procurement needs, why not get in touch? Or, to read about how Cass saved an Oil and Gas giant $6 million by renegotiating and consolidating five major telecom contracts, read the case study here.
Topics: Sourcing
