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Left to right: Laurence Fitch, Auditel Consultant; Jon Moore, Chief Executive, Moor Park and Ruth Dawe, Auditel Consultant

Auditel have been on Moor Park’s radar since being recommended to Chief Executive, Jon Moore, in 2008 by a business contact. He recalls, “Following a good exploratory meeting to discuss where improvements could be made, I gave Auditel the go ahead to look into a number of areas.”

The main cost areas covered by their agreement were: utilities, telecoms and dried and frozen foods.

In phase one of Auditel’s analysis, savings of 34.9% were identified on fixed line telecoms and this was followed by 9.9% on catering costs – mostly dry goods. Auditel then turned their attention to mobile phone costs and delivered impressive, ongoing savings of 45.3%.

Although in contract at the outset of their investigations of Moor Park’s expenditure, savings on gas and electricity, which Auditel had identified at the outset have now also been realised. Over four sites the savings on electricity varied: from 5% at the Mansion, to over 30% at each of the other three sites. On gas, Auditel have also lowered the cost by 17.3%.

Naturally, Jon is delighted with the savings and talks of Auditel in glowing terms. “I have been very impressed. They are a pleasure to work with and I can tap into and refer to their knowledge, confident that I will be getting good advice.

“The money they have saved us has been reinvested in low voltage lighting in the Mansion, which in turn will deliver further savings which can be reinvested.

“Auditel have really benefited our business with their specialist knowledge, advice and awareness of our needs. They have become an outsourced member of our management team.”

Savings Breakdown:

Telecoms
- Fixed line 34.9%
- Mobile 45.3%
catering 9.9%
Electricity
- Company Properties 34%
- Irrigation Pump 35.3%
- Main Building 5%
Gas 17.3%

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Left to right: Barry Cutler, Auditel Consultant and Martin Lloyd, Headmaster, Avalon School

Martin Lloyd, headmaster of Avalon School, first came across Auditel just over a year ago as a result of a recommendation from a parent who had had previous dealings with them.

“I thought Auditel looked professional and felt I had nothing to lose by trying them out. In the short to mid term survival is the objective for many schools. Happily, Avalon, with its niche reputation for getting children through the 11 plus exam, is in good shape, but as a belt tightening exercise I thought we should give it a go.“

In the first instance, Auditel Consultant, Barry Cutler was engaged to analyse the school’s energy expenditure and this was followed by a three month audit of their catering costs.

Martin continues, “Barry has been very amenable – and painstakingly thorough. His comparative analysis was exhaustive and seemed to stretch to the size of three telephone books! He has also been excellent at liaising with suppliers.”

Auditel’s analysis has returned impressive savings for the school: 30% on energy (a combination of electricity and gas expenditure), and 27% on catering costs and janitorial supplies. Money which can be ploughed back into the educational budget.

Martin adds, “The savings Auditel has made for us are very welcome, but in addition to that the service has been professional and helpful and Barry has always been willing to spend time making sure we know exactly where we are.“

“Unlike some so-called cost savings companies, Auditel remain involved in an ongoing fashion.”

Martin has found the whole experience very positive and doesn’t rule out further projects with Auditel.

”My dealings with Auditel have been very positive and I will certainly recommend them to other schools.”

Savings Breakdown:

Energy 30%
Gas 10%
Catering 27%

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Left to right: Neil Crook, Auditel Consultant and Simon Whitaker, Director, Daisy Chain Day Care

Simon Whitaker is the Director of Daisy Chain Day Care, in Shropshire. Originally setup by his mother, a primary school teacher, in 1989, it has grown from one nursery employing a handful of staff to four preschool nurseries with 72 staff looking after the needs of up to two hundred children a day.

Times have changed, though. The recession has left some parents seeking alternative family and friends based child care solutions and every penny counts.

Simon remembers how Auditel first came to his attention. “My accountants recommended I give Auditel a try in 2010. It was actually just as well, because if they had come to me direct I would probably have dismissed the idea. But I respect their judgement and I thought I might as well give it a go. At worst I would be wasting just an hour or two.”

When Simon met Auditel Consultant Neil Crook, he was impressed by the Auditel approach and initially engaged him to analyse Daisy Chain’s costs for energy and broadband.

Auditel’s analysis delivered savings of 35% on electricity, 10% on gas and a massive 64% on telecoms. As a delighted Simon joked, “If my calls were any cheaper you would be paying me!”

On a more serious note he adds, “The results speak for themselves and the savings are very welcome, but there are other benefits. Auditel have become a trusted outsourced member of my management team. Their involvement saves me so much time and they go the extra mile when necessary.” Simon recalls, “We had a problem with the new broadband and Neil took it almost personally, not letting up until he was satisfied that the new supplier had sorted it out for us.”

Ongoing and planned projects

Auditel are currently looking into Daisy Chain’s merchant card service provider and will then turn their attention to the insurance costs.

He concludes, “I’m very grateful to my accountants, DRE & Co, for the introduction to Auditel.”

Savings Breakdown:

Electricity 35%
Gas 10%
Fixed Line Telecoms 64%

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Their Head Office is in Hastings and they have three training centres in Southampton, Doncaster and Watford where they offer career change training programmes for people wanting to change their working lives and learn to be, primarily, plumbers or electricians.

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Left to right: Marc Rickard, Finance and Operations Director, New Career Skills and Len Loizou, Auditel Consultant

Marc Rickard has been the Finance and Operations Director of New Career Skills Ltd (NCS) since 2009.

On taking up the post he inherited an email from Auditel passed on to him by his predecessor.

“The Auditel [offer] was interesting, but my interest was tinged with scepticism. I wondered whether an outsourced consultant, working remotely, could really get the job done.

However, keen to make sure that NCS’s costs were under control, Marc had a meeting with Auditel Consultant, Len Loizou, in July 2009 and signed an agreement, initially to look at electricity, gas and fixed line communications expenditure.

Len soon got to grips with the paperwork and his expert analysis, coupled with Auditel’s bespoke business tools and buying power, soon paid dividends, achieving savings of 28% (over £6,000) on electricity, 35% (over £4,000) and 32% (over £4.500) on telecoms.

Impressed by these savings and Auditel’s professional approach, Marc then engaged Len to undertake the much bigger task of analysing the spend on consumables in NCS’s training centres. These costs cover all the tools of the trade used by the trainees to learn their new skills and include consumables such as copper piping which regularly gets bent out of shape and needs mending or replacing.

“This is a complicated area and I’ve been impressed by Len’s methodical and persistent approach, wading through stacks of paperwork and how he has gone out of his way to understand how this business works.” Len’s persistence has paid dividends here too, with his in-depth analysis unearthing savings on consumables of 19% (over £11,500).

Marc says, “I am very pleased with the results Auditel has achieved and the effect it has had on New Career Skills’ bottom line.”

Savings Breakdown:

Electricity 28%
Gas 35%
Fixed Line Telecoms 21%

Total Savings to date – £27,095

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Formerly known as Churcher & Churcher, the firm was established approximately 125 years ago by two brothers in Gosport, Hampshire. Ever since, excellent legal knowledge and first class client care have been the drivers of their success. The firm has grown considerably – first expanding to Fareham and then Cosham, Lee-on-the- Solent, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight.

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Left to right: Gail Clark, Auditel Consultant; Nicholas Eve, Partner, Churchers Solicitors; Dennis Sprague, Auditel Consultant

What were your first impressions of Auditel?
I was very impressed at our initial meeting, Auditel immediately understood what I required and offered solutions to everything raised.

What areas are Auditel currently working on for you? Does a particular area stand out for you?
Card payments, Water rates, Hygiene services, recycling and waste disposal and DX. We have made savings on everything Auditel has looked at, but the outstanding performance is definitely Postage – DX. In one office the fee was more than halved and there have been substantial savings at the other offices as well.

Are there any other areas in the future that you would like to involve Auditel in?
Yes – we will be looking at stationery supplies and energy next year.

What benefits have Auditel brought to Churchers as part of this business relationship?
We believed we kept a close eye on our suppliers and costs – we now realise that this really wasn’t the case and we needed an outsider’s view on things to help us obtain the best deals available.

What are Churcher’s plans for the future?
We are a High Street law firm and intend to continue to supply our services to both businesses and individuals at an easy accessible local level. We also hope to continue to grow along the South Coast in the future.

Savings Breakdown:

Card Payments 24%
Water rates 29%
Hygiene Services 39%
Recycling and Waste Disposal 55%
Postage-DX 23%

Planned for 2013
Stationery supplies
Energy

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It was the place where Princess Diana famously shook hands with a patient suffering from AIDS at the height of the media frenzy around the disease.

Today the site has 16 beds with plans to move to a new larger development in the next 18 months. They are also heavily involved in HIV care, treatment and education across east Africa.

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Left to right:Ruth Dawe, Auditel Consultant; Ross White, Executive Director, Mildmay Mission Hospital; Joe Thomas, Director of Finance, Mildmay Mission Hospital; Laurence Fitch, Auditel Consultant.

Mildmay Mission Hospital, along with most other charitable organisations, has had to tighten its belt in the current economic climate and Auditel’s successful involvement has been very timely.

The Mildmay charity has two distinct areas of operation: fundraising and international aid on the one hand and the UK hospital on the other.

Auditel consultants, Laurence Fitch and Ruth Dawe approached the Mildmay Mission Hospital in March 2010 and since then have impressed an initially sceptical Director of Finance, Joe Thomas, with their professionalism, knowledge and willingness to get on with whatever needs to be done.

“It has been fantastic dealing with them both,” he enthuses. “They just get on with it, make no extra work for us and really know their stuff.”

Auditel have investigated a number of cost management projects since 2010, including indepth analysis of Mildmay’s spend on electricity, gas, janitorial supplies, fixed line telecommunications and stationery.

By switching Mildmay to a new supplier and negotiating a new contract, Auditel delivered savings of 33.2% (£9,711) on electricity in Year One and will achieve savings of 29.0% (£8,755) in Year Two.

Auditel also moved the gas supply to a new supplier in December 2010, on a 2-year fixed term contract. This change generating further substantial savings of 33.2% p.a. (£7,012).

Savings of 16% on janitorial supplies have also been made. In fact, as well as the savings made, the client has also benefitted from Auditel’s implementation of a structured core list, thus ensuring that they are buying at a better price and buying effectively.

Although Mildmay were mid-way through a long-term fixed telecoms contract, Auditel were able to secure 33% call savings for the first year. Once contractual commitments ended they then negotiated the outright purchase of the telephone system securing first year savings of £4,500 (68%) and subsequent annual savings of £7,000 p.a.

Lines, calls and telephone maintenance were then switched to a new supplier providing savings of 17% on line rental, a massive 40% on call traffic and 65% on telephone system maintenance.

Auditel has also identified potential annual savings of 54.5% on stationery and is planning further initiatives including printed matter, photocopying, print and copy where substantial savings are also expected.

Savings Breakdown:

Electricity
Year 1 33.2%
Year 2 29%
Gas 33.2%
Janitorial Supplies 16%
Fixed Communications (old supplier)
Year 1 Initial call savings 33%
Purchase of telephone system 68%
Fixed Communications (new supplier)
Line rental 17%
Call traffic 40%
Telephone system maintenance 65%
Stationery 54.5%

Cost area analysis planned for 2012:
Printed Matter, Print and Photocopying

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Left to right: John Wrelton, Managing Partner, Wilkie, May and Tuckwood and Colin Stewart Auditel Consultant

With its Head Office in Taunton, seven Estate Agency offices across Somerset, as well as a letting agency and a financial services business Wilkie, May and Tuckwood are well on their way to achieving their aim to becoming the leading estate agency firm in the South West.

The last two years have been pretty tough for the Estate Agency sector and although the West Country hasn’t been affected as badly as some parts of the UK, it has become increasingly important to keep an eye on business expenditure.

So when partners, Colin Stewart and Peter Jewell approached Managing Partner, John Wrelton, with Auditel’s cost and purchase management model he jumped at the chance.

As John says, “At a company of this size we simply don’t have the time to continually look for better deals. So the Auditel offer is brilliant for us. Someone takes the trouble to audit our outgoings, it costs us nothing and potentially saves us money.“

It was agreed that they should concentrate on three main cost areas: telecomms, stationery and office consumables, and insurances.

Colin explains, “There were a number of offices and cost centres and services were split between three service providers including BT – in short a nightmare to administer. One of the key outcomes of the process was to simplify and consolidate.”

This consolidation process has resulted in projected savings of £9,000 (45%) on their current spend. In addition to which John now receives a consolidated monthly cost centre report that details invoiced costs by line and cost center thus cutting his administration time significantly.

Savings of 18% have also been achieved for stationery and the ongoing analysis of insurance is also looking very positive.

John is very pleased, “When I first approached John I felt that the business was too small to make any significant improvement, but I was prepared to go through the process on the basis that a competitive review has value irrespective of the outcomes. The results have been excellent.”

Savings Breakdown:

Telecoms 45%
Stationery & Print 24.8%
Insurance – to be confirmed.

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They are expert in core accountancy needs, such as payroll and preparation of accounts, as well as providing expert advice on key areas including financial accounting, company tax, tax planning, corporate finance, business strategy, management accounts and audit assurance.

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Left to right: Kevin Powell, Partner, Knill James; Gail Clark, Auditel Consultant; and Dominic Shephard, Senior Manager, Knill James

Auditel first came to the attention of Kevin Powell, Partner at Knill James, when Gail Clark approached them in 2010. Having heard good things about Auditel, he set up a meeting to find out whether they could help lower Knill James’ operating expenditure.

From the outset, it was obvious that they would be in good hands and Auditel were signed up in November 2010. Senior manager Dominic Shephard takes up the story: “I was very impressed with Auditel Consultant Gail Clark. She was very professional and clearly knowledgeable about our key cost areas. Auditel’s no win, no fee offer was also much more attractive than paying a company to find us savings and then, months down the road, not finding any!

In addition to which, Dominic was particularly pleased to find that Auditel didn’t simply cut costs and walk away. “They also provide ongoing management of the cost areas they have audited.”

Auditel were duly engaged to analyse a variety of Knill James’ costs including mobile phones, electricity, fixed line telecoms, waste management, vending machines and photocopiers.

Dominic continues, “Auditel started with the mobile phones. It is an absolute minefield for a lay person to unravel. Auditel has not only sorted it out and saved Knill James 20% in the process, but also saved me personally a huge amount of time with their ongoing cost management. And it’s all part of the service!

“The savings which are beginning to come through now are very welcome, but the biggest factor for me has been the time-saving.”

Having experienced the benefits themselves, Knill James are now looking to introduce Auditel’s cost and purchase management service to their own clients.

Savings Breakdown:

Mobiles 20%
Confidential waste 69%
Vending Machines 12%
Electricity 7%

Other cost areas under audit:
Fixed Line Telecoms 47%
Photocopiers 22%
Printers 50%

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Left to right: Gail Clark, Auditel Consultant; Andy Hill, Director OBC Accountants; Dennis Sprague, Auditel Consultant

Auditel first came to the attention of Michael Ogilvie, one of the two Directors at OBC, in Autumn 2011.

Keen to see whether they could lower their expenditure, he asked Financial Controller, Jill Lovegrove to assist them by providing the necessary paperwork and answer the myriad questions that she imagined they would need answers to in order to learn more about OBC.

“I work on the third floor and I had prepared myself for days of running up and down the stairs, helping them with their queries and generally giving clarification where necessary.”

The reality was a pleasant surprise.

“I handed over the files for them to analyse and apart from a couple of questions they were able to extract all the information they needed from them. They were extremely professional and an absolute pleasure to deal with.

“Everyone wants to cut costs, but most don’t want to invest the time it will take out of their day working with external consultants. We’ve all heard people say, ’You won’t know I’m there’, but in Auditel’s case, in terms of disruption, it was true. I was able to get on with my work and was then presented with their very detailed reports.

“Auditel has looked at our utilities, gas and electricity, and confidential and other waste, but the big saving has been on stationery costs.

“We had been using the same supplier for years, so moving elsewhere wasn’t easy, but the transfer was handled expertly by Auditel and the new supplier, recommended by Auditel, has proved to be excellent, meeting all our needs from day one.

“We will definitely continue to work with Auditel and our directors will be going out to OBC’s clients to promote the Auditel service alongside our core offerings.”

Savings Breakdown:

Electricity 20%
Confidential and other waste 30%
Telecomms 36%
Stationery 55%
Postage (Franking) 33%

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Roast is dedicated to traditional British cooking using fresh seasonal produce sourced entirely in the UK.

It has seating for 110 on two levels, and currently caters for between 2,500 and 3,500 customers per week, depending on the time of year. Since opening in 2006, Roast have added two takeaway outlets to their flagship restaurant: Roast to Go in Borough Market and Roast Westfield in Shepherd’s Bush.

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Left to right: Sergei Gubars, General Manager and Wine Buyer at Roast and Auditel Consultants Claire Power-Browne and Ravi Khakhria

Auditel first met Iqbal Wahhab, founder of Roast Restaurant, at an IoD event. He was impressed by Auditel’s service offering and appointed them to run the rule over Roast’s business costs.

Sergei Gubars, Roast’s General Manager and Wine Buyer, takes up the story. “Roast has been a success from day one. We are very busy and the restaurant is full. But, I felt that we could probably increase our net profits by taking a closer look at our expenses.”

Sergei liked the fact that Auditel did much more than talk a good game. “I was pleasantly surprised by Auditel’s approach. It was not at all aggressive. It was clear that they were experts at what they said they could do and weren’t afraid to go the extra mile.”

The first project they were asked to work on was the gas supply. This has now been completed and, as a result of their expert analysis, Auditel have delivered savings for Roast of a massive 52%.

Sergei and Iqbal Wahhab were delighted. Not just because of the savings, but also by the way Auditel worked with them.

Sergei continues, ”Working with Auditel is very easy. They are always on the case and ready and willing to provide feedback and follow-ups when asked. The money they have saved us so far is great news and will be used directly to improve the customer experience, allowing us to add improvements to our interior design and air conditioning.”

With a new kitchen suite about to be fitted, Auditel are now carrying out an examination of the electricity supply as well as following up concerns about the level of Roast’s water bills. The latter has led to a survey carried out by Auditel and further investigative work in conjunction with Borough Market to see what can be done.

They are also engaged in looking at Roast’s print costs and are working hard to ensure that the ethical and green buying policy of Roast is upheld throughout the process. And they have also been asked to look at the management and hosting of Roast’s website.

Sergei concludes,”I really like working with Auditel, they do a great job and I look forward to continuing working with them in the future.”

Savings Breakdown:

Gas 52%

Other costs planned for 2012:
Electricity, Water, Printing and Website Management

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