She spoke of the need to reduce overheads and the cost of distribution to permit the BBC to divert funds to spend on core content – producing programmes for the viewer and listener. If we look at this in the context of any business it addresses what Auditel stands for. We deal, on your behalf, with the cost of just doing business whilst you, the business owner or manager, can concentrate on your core activity. Call 01554 770816 or email Auditel now to find out how we can release you to grow your business.

Take as an often overlooked example the cost of office consumables and stationery. I have recently been analysing an accountancy practice’s expenditure. This is a reasonably-sized but not particularly large practice and I was able to save the client over 25% on their electricity and gas prices. However, when we tendered for their consumables and stationery supply, the savings percentage of almost 50% produced an almost identical cash saving.

The moral of the story? Well, there are numerous opportunities to reduce your overheads in business; you just need to have the time and experience to focus on identifying and then exploiting these opportunities. Most small to medium-sized businesses simply cannot apply this focus, through lack of time and resource. In the example I’ve quoted, the percentage saving was so great simply because over time, the focus on stationery costs was lacking and for understandable reasons. If you need staples, paper or pens, well you just have to order them. That’s why a business should consider outsourcing to the experts who can devote time and expertise to these overlooked areas. If you would like us to help your business focus on getting costs under control call 01554 770816 or email Auditel now.

Civil servants have promised to review the controversial 200% plus hike in business rateable values in Narberth after a public meeting in the town.Seventy business people turned up to meet a representative of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) which sets the rates.
The meeting was called by AM Angela Burns who said she was delighted that the agency’s Brian Jones agreed with her suggestion to look into Narberth’s exceptionally large jump in rateable values.
Shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels in Narberth have seen their rateable values increase on average from £3,800 to £12,000 in the latest revaluation. Western Telegraph

Mark Field, Conservative member for Cities of London and Westminster, accused Chancellor Alistair Darling of seeking to “plunder” businesses and treating them like “cash cows”.
In a Commons debate, Mr Field highlighted the impact of three tax moves:
The five per cent increase in business rates this year.
The business rate revaluation, which will come into effect in April next year.
The levy being imposed to raise £3.5 billion for Crossrail.

London Evening Standard

Auditel can help your business understand the impact of the revaluation that comes into effect in April next year. Call 01554 770816 or email Auditel… but if you are considering an appeal act quickly

Yet, accountants KPMG reveal, ‘although businesses are under constant pressure to reduce costs, many find it hard to do so in a sustainable fashion. Nine out of ten cost reduction programmes fail to achieve their targets, and the gains that are achieved appear to be short-lived. One of the single biggest barriers to achieving these targets is the lack of adequate processes within organisations to drive cost reduction.’

That’s why with an Auditel trusted adviser in place, our clients confirm that it’s like having an additional dedicated management team working for them. We quietly take care of all your complex cost and purchase management issues, leaving you to focus on your core business. What’s more, because we work on a contingency fee basis, there are no up-front investment costs, no resources tied up in a project waiting for results and no hidden charges.

Many companies are now turning to outsourced providers of cost and purchase management.

Chris Allison, Managing Director of Auditel, the leading exponent in this field, explains: “Effective cost and purchase management is intelligent and ethical and leads to sustainable growth. It should not be confused with short-term cost cutting exercises that treat problems in isolation and put clients, staff and society at risk.”

Here are some recent savings made by our network:

Mears – Business Support Services
Electricity: £24,000; Electricity rebate: £8,500; Communications: £49,000; Communications rebate: £10,500; Gas: £1,300; Gas rebate: £300; Water rebate: £400.
Total savings: £94,000

Whiting & Partners – Chartered Accountants
Communications: 33%; Electricity: 23%; Gas: 13%; Office supplies: 25%.
Total savings: £100,000+

The Commonwealth Club – Private Members Club
Electricity: 52.5%; Gas: 42.3%; Fixed Communications: 44%.

Other savings include £48,030 for housing association charity CCHA, £122,900 for Haileybury School, £54,496 for the National Motorcycle Museum and last but not least, over £4 million for Pizza Express in a thirteen-year period.

As Dean Styger, Finance Director of Talacre Beach Leisure Group reports: “I am continually amazed by the breadth of knowledge and business experience Auditel have within their organisation. I have no hesitation in recommending them.”

Give yourself a present and call 01554 770816 or email Auditel for your free business healthcheck. We enjoy playing Santa…

I wish you a very Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year!

‘Charities are facing rising demand and shrinking incomes during the recession and a third are now unsure about the future. However, 21% have tried to reduce office and energy costs.’

reported the Charity Commission last month. Clearly, and especially in this difficult climate, there are many more who would profit by taking this step.

This comes from a recent press release on the importance to charities of keeping costs under control. You can read the whole article here. However I wanted to draw your attention to a few key points from it (and, to be honest, these don’t apply only to charities):

‘Best practice should include the following:
A comprehensive, in-depth review of current essential services expenditure
A thorough analysis to determine where savings can be made
A detailed report of recommendations including information about how the consultants will earn their fees, eg, on a contingency basis or a set fee
A consultant should take full responsibility for managing relationships with existing or new suppliers’

Auditel has had considerable success over the years in helping charities get their costs under control. Also taken from the article above are some notable successes:

• YMCA £135,000
• John Grooms £54,000
• Ben £47.500
• Anthony Nolan £32,200
• Naomi House £13,800
• RAFA 35% electricity, 25% gas, 23% communications
• RSPCA 29% electricity, 20% communications, 20% gas, 45% security, 50% cleaning materials

If you run a charity and would like our free advice, please call 01554 770816 or email Auditel

The first point to consider is also the most important: My company, Auditel does much more than just find a good deal. Refer to previous blog posts to understand more but, for the moment, suffice to say that when you sign with us you’re acquiring a partner, a trusted advisor who will work to understand your cost base, establish if it is or is not appropriate to the nature of your business, identify how you’re spending your money in that category and advise you how to reduce your expenditure in a number of ways, of which the lowest price is just one and not always the most important. Auditel offers a holistic approach to managing down costs and improving procurement practices. We look at every possible aspect of cost and because we do all the work we remove the cost of your organisations’s time spent in working on those areas.

The second point to consider is “reward”. The Auditel offer guarantees that the full extent of the service will still cost you nothing. We share the savings we can realise – that’s all – and we only invoice the client after he has had the financial benefit of lower bills. This is one model for rewarding your intermediary. There are others: a fee charged in advance and then in stage payments; commission paid by the supplier to the intermediary, a broker, and included in the price the client pays; membership fees to a buying consortium who in turn almost certainly take a commission from the supplier and you pay that commission in the price. Only you can decide what’s right for your business but remember that Auditel is truly independent of all suppliers as we take no commission so we get no reward for proposing one supplier over another. That means you always get the best rate available and in effect, the market pays, not the client

Call me today on 01554 770816 or email Auditel