PCMG - Professional Cost Management Group Ltd

Frequently Asked Questions Back

• Can your recovery service improve on what we do in-house?

  Yes. We have a database of over 500 different claim types, including over 100 different billing problems on BT's systems alone. Some errors occur repeatedly, some apply only to certain areas of the country and others are specific to individual suppliers. Individual companies don't have the time, specialist software, resources or experience to perform a truly thorough investigation, plus we are constantly searching for new errors the suppliers, or indeed other areas of the supply chain, make. Because we are paid by results, we have the incentive to examine past records in great detail to uncover any due repayments.

• What levels of recovery can I expect?

  Every client is unique, with different processes, controls, contracts and spend patterns, so it is difficult to predict levels of recovery. However, we have undertaken over 4,000 reviews with the average recovery in the region of 1-2% of auditable spend – though this is as high as 15% in some industries, on some utilities. When you consider we can review 6-years worth of expenditure this can amount to significant levels of recovery.

• For a recovery service, how much of my time is needed?

  We understand the value of your time and the need to work unobtrusively and our proven approach is geared towards us undertaking as much of the work as possible. After an initial hour-long meeting, we require access to your billing and contract data – and for an Accounts Payable audit read-only access to your payment systems. The project is then delivered off-site, with updates as regularly as you require and at the end of our investigations, we will present a detailed report to your stakeholders.

• How does the recovery service work?

  • You receive an initial visit, without obligation, from one of our consultants. • We then require access to as much billing data as possible, in paper or electronic format, and copies of relevant supplier contracts and rate cards. If necessary, we can provide the resource to extract and copy the billing data on site. • We require a letter of authority, enabling us to ask your suppliers pertinent questions. • In some cases, our technical experts may visit your site(s) – at our expense – to investigate potential overcharges. • We deliver a detailed report, usually within 6 to 8 weeks, outlining initial savings and refunds which have been identified and the actions needed to realise them. • We present the findings and perform all necessary ongoing negotiations with your suppliers to secure the refunds. • With your agreement we implement all ongoing savings. You receive copies of all relevant documentation.

• When and how much do I pay for a recovery service?

  • We work on a contingent fee basis, only when you have received value back from your supplier do we obtain our share. We manage the entire process until you receive this value, preferably in the form of cash to your bank. • Our fee depends upon a number of factors – scope of works, availability of data, previous works undertaken by any in-house or external teams and our consultants will agree this with you before the project commences.

• How are your Optimisation services priced?

  This very much depends upon the service you require, as the program is tailored to your requirements. However, in the main we prefer to work on a contingent fee basis where we share in the benefit we obtain for our clients. Our consultants will agree the payment mechanism with you before any project commences.

• What input is required from me to engage in an Optimisation programme?

  As with our Recovery Service, we aim to minimise the time required from your team and we will drive any initial inventory building ourselves. However, we do need input from your team to ensure we have categorised and mapped all the services and expenditure to your hierarchy at the outset - this is then automated going forward.

• How do you ensure security and continuity for your web-based systems?

  We ensure that all corporate security requirements are met. Clients can access the servers through private leased lines or via an IPSec VPN. We utilise state-of-the-art business continuance systems that allow our clients uninterrupted service in the event of an emergency.

• My company has offices in several countries. Do you provide your Services globally?

  Many of our clients have international locations. We have made recoveries in telecoms expenditure in several European countries through delivering to our proven approach. Our Optimisation Services are applied globally through our capability to handle multiple languages and currencies – the technology we utilise to drive the services is deployed across the globe and accepts data from multiple carriers in multiple formats.