Supplier credibility serves Auditel clients well

As cost and purchase management consultants it’s often assumed that our focus is just on saving money for our clients. Well, it is, of course. But the Auditel service is so much more. For example, one of our manufacturing clients with a significant energy spend had been trying to move to a more effective rate with an alternative supplier but was being thwated at every attempt by the stringent application of credit checking restrictions. In other words, supplier bureacracy was forcing them to continue paying over the odds. However, by leveraging the contacts and relationships we have built over 16 years as consultants in the energy industry we’ve been able to negotiate a manageable and affordable security deposit arrangement, enabling our client to benefit from both lower energy rates and improved service. I think that’s what you call a win win win situation!

Auditel Consultant goes the extra miles for ex-servicemen’s charity

Good luck to Auditel Consultant James Bury who is setting off today to run/walk the equivalent of 4 marathons in 2 days to raise funds for the British Limbless Ex-servicemen’s Association. This is an organisation that works tirelessly to help servicemen and women who have lost limbs or eyes and, very sadly, the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq means demand for their services is increasing daily. James has been providing cost reduction services to BLESMA for several years but wants to go further in raising both funds for and awareness of their phenomenal work. Appropriately enough, given the city’s association with the armed forces and Wednesday’s homecoming parade, James will be starting his epic trek in Winchester and will be making his way along the South Downs Way to Eastbourne, over 100 miles away.  His aim is to do it in under 48 hours, but with good weather and a fair wind, hopes to be quite a bit quicker. So far James has raised over £700 in sponsorship and been really delighted by the enthusiastic backing of so many people. It demonstrates tremendous support for our forces, and the strong desire to help those who have sacrificed so much.

Swindon Chamber of Commerce vote Auditel Consultant as their new President

Congratulations to Auditel Consultant Nick Beaumont-Jones who, after serving as Vice-President of the Swindon Chamber of Commerce since last October, has just been elected President with immediate effect.

In addition to the usual duties, Nick’s new role includes directorship of the Swindon Strategic Economic Partnership (SSEP) acting as the Chamber’s representative. The SSEP is regarded as the foremost body for business and public sector partnership in the Swindon area.

Naturally Nick is delighted to be taking on his new roles and is very excitied about the prospect of working with such important players in the local business community, and to cementing and enhancing Auditel’s place in that community. Once again, Nick, congratulations and the best of luck!

(P.s. The Swindon Advertiser was a bit later than us in ‘breaking’ this news, but you can read their 8th July article on Nick’s appointment here.)

Could you use a little help to make even more savings?

In conversation with one of our consultants today he casually mentioned that he’s just realised savings of 56% on stationery and office consumables expenditure for a PLC client. As with many of our larger clients, this was a business cost area they were pretty confident they had under control but agreed to let our chap have a look at anyway. After all, his detailed audit, analysis, tendering of the market and recommendations report wouldn’t cost them a penny upfront so they had nothing to lose. Needless to say they’re very impressed and looking forward to more savings in other business cost areas also under review.

T-Mobile and Orange merge to form ‘Everything Everywhere’

Key industry leaders turn out in force to meet Auditel consultants

Auditel Supplier Expo 2010

Friday 14th May saw over 200 Auditel consultants and representatives from 31 of the UK’s major suppliers of business services at Whittlebury Hall near Towcester for our Supplier Exhibition 2010. This annual event is an invaluable opportunity for Auditel consultants and suppliers to meet face-to-face and enhance knowledge and understanding of each others’ services in a way that adds real value to our client offering.

As the team from Scottish & Southern Energy said on the day, “It’s always great to see old faces and meet news ones, and to move forwards with building even better relationships with the Auditel network. As always, this year’s exhibition has been a pleasure to attend and an asset to our business.”

While from an Auditel consultant’s perspective, Nigel Collins neatly sums up the value of the Exhibition, “This is always a highlight of the year for me. As our business is so dependent on good supplier relationships and as business relations are made between people rather than companies, the Supplier Exhibition continues to be the most important event on the Auditel calendar.” Read more…

Auditel to sponsor prestigious IoD awards

Auditel are happy to announce that we will be sponsoring the Institute of Director‘s 2010 Large Company Director of the Year award. The annual Director of the Year awards ceremony, which will be held this year in London on 1st October, is a premier event in the IoD’s calendar and we’re delighted to be participating in this prestigious event.

Why it pays to engage management consultants

Divorce lawyers aside, it’s difficult to think of a group of professionals viewed with more world-weary cynicism than management consultants. Steal your watch and then charge though the nose to tell you the time, that’s how it goes, isn’t it? An unnecessary luxury and first thing to cut back on when times get tough? Well, turns out it might be time to re-assess; cost management consultancy actually adds value to UK businesses and delivers an impressive return on investment. Read more…

Auditel work with hospice to bring savings and peace of mind

The recession has been very difficult for organisations of every type but none more so than in the charity sector where over 170,000 organisations are competing for fewer funds. With both corporate and individual donations down since the start of the credit crunch, a study carried out by the Charities Aid Foundation and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations estimated a fall in funds of 11%, or £1.3 billion, between 2008 and 2009. The Earl Mountbatten Hospice on the Isle of Wight has experienced this fall at first hand and, like many other charities, was keen to reduce overheads and increase available funds without negatively impacting on the vital medical and nursing services they provide. Having been recommended the Auditel service by a colleague at another hospice, Read more…

Will your company be affected by the new CRC scheme?

From April this year, an estimated 70,000 companies in the UK with half-hourly electricity meters will be legally required to register under the Environment Agency’s CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC).

Put simply, CRC is a cap-and-trade scheme which offers financial incentives in return for improved energy efficiency.
All the UK’s 70,000 or so organisations with half-hourly electricity meters will be obliged to register and, of these, around 5,000 large public and private sector organisations whose annual consumption is 6,000MWh or more will be legally bound to participate fully or face financial and other penalties.

For an ‘at-a-glance’ guide to participation and compliance requirements, and to find out more about how the scheme might impact on your organisation, download a copy of our new CRC Scheme brochure.