The CU Approach
Assessment and Analysis:
Corporate United applies analytical capabilities to a variety of our activities for the benefit of our members.
This process begins with the research applied to the development of new offerings. From measuring the impact of the categories we are considering for inclusion in our portfolio to understanding the market dynamic of an area that needs to be re-sourced, our analysts are keenly focused on collecting all of the data relevant to making the best recommendations to our members.
The process continues with assessment of our members’ current agreements. By conducting a thorough total cost assessment of our members’ contracts, we are able to provide them with a clear picture of the value of participating on the Corporate United agreement.
Throughout the contract lifecycle these analytical capabilities are exercised to audit suppliers, identify opportunities for improvement, and manage the risk associated with shifting markets. Combined, these analytical services represent a great value for our members, particularly those who lack the resources to maintain this focus on their own.
Sourcing:
By applying our committee-based leveraged sourcing process to a variety of indirect spend categories, Corporate United is able to generate significant value for our members initially and on an ongoing basis.
Using our aggregated buying power to affect the negotiation process, Corporate United achieves excellent pricing, terms, and conditions on behalf of our members. Beyond that initial value, most Corporate United agreements contain additional incentives based on volume tiers that only an organization of our scale can achieve.
The negotiation of the agreements affords members an efficiency that can not be duplicated by any other solution. The ability to access these agreements easily not only means rapid access to savings, it means that our members can tackle a higher percentage of their own portfolio by applying resources to more projects. In today’s environment of escalating savings objectives, support like this is almost a necessity.
Implementation and Compliance:
A contract is only as good as your ability to implement and manage it, and Corporate United understands this better than anyone. Rather than leaving our members to navigate this difficult process on their own, Corporate United focuses on facilitating the implementation process and structuring programs to ensure high compliance so that members realize the savings identified in the assessment process.
This is a significant differentiating factor in the Corporate United model, and one that adds tremendous value to our members’ spend management efforts. By introducing best practices utilized across our suppliers and members, our ability to advise and support these important efforts is an asset to all participants on our agreements.
Contract Management:
Perhaps the most important component of our value proposition is that our involvement continues throughout the lifecycle of an agreement. Corporate United has invested heavily in contract and supplier management capabilities that allow us to monitor and measure our suppliers.
These people and processes help to mitigate scope and price creep by maintaining close communication with suppliers as well as ensuring adherence to terms and conditions. In doing so, Corporate United acts as an extension of our members’ spend management organizations, providing support for resource-constrained corporate procurement teams.
Supplier Development:
Corporate United has been successful because we have maintained a commitment to applying leverage and collaboration to all aspects of our business. This is especially true of our ongoing interaction with suppliers.
Corporate United recognizes the importance of continuous improvement, but also that both the buyer and supplier have roles to play in realizing the benefits of a partnership. Our scale affords Corporate United the opportunity to work at the highest levels of our suppliers’ organizations, and in doing so we are able to drive improvements that ultimately impact the bottom lines of our members.