Ensuring Long-Term Supplier Service<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>Will You Get The Service You Deserve Next Year?<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>When you’re an “Important Customer” to a supplier, your needs get immediate attention. You don’t have to be a huge company to be an “Important Customer.” That doesn’t hurt, but there are other ways to become and stay important to your suppliers. Let’s explore one approach.<\/p>\n
In contracts involving multiple payments, a supplier wants as much money as possible up front. This may lead them to desert you towards the end of the contract when their revenue from you is small and their revenue from new customers is large. So it’s better for you to have an arrangement where less money is paid in the beginning of a relationship and more is paid in the end.<\/p>\n
Here’s an example of a typical initial proposal from a software supplier for a three-year contract:<\/p>\n
\n\n\nCost Component<\/td>\n Amount<\/td>\n Payment Due<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nLicensing Fee<\/td>\n $165,000<\/td>\n Upon signing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nImplementation Fee<\/td>\n $150,000<\/td>\n After implementation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nMaintenance Fee<\/td>\n $60,000<\/td>\n @ start of each year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nTOTAL<\/td>\n $495,000<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nOf course, you’re going to negotiate this offer, right? A revision left up to the supplier may reduce the licensing and implementation fees by 20% and reduce the annual maintenance fee to $20,000, resulting in a total cost of $312,000 and a savings of $183,000. That’s a nice savings, but the arrangement makes you less important as time goes on. A better way to restructure the pricing and achieve the same savings is as follows:<\/p>\n
\n\n\nCost Component<\/td>\n Amount<\/td>\n Payment Due<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nLicensing Fee<\/td>\n $72,000<\/td>\n Upon signing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nImplementation Fee<\/td>\n $60,000<\/td>\n After implementation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nMaintenance Fee<\/td>\n $60,000<\/td>\n @ start of each year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nTOTAL<\/td>\n $312,000<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nBy distributing costs towards the end of the contract, the supplier has a financial interest in being responsive late in your relationship. Other ways of staying important include using option years, termination provisions, and liquidated damages clauses in your contracts. So the next time you are about to finalize a long-term relationship, consider how you are going to remain important to your supplier throughout the entire contract.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Do You Want a More Rewarding Procurement Career?<\/h5><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/12\/spsm_verify.jpg\" "\\"spsm_verify\\"")
<\/span><\/div>Are you tired of not getting enough opportunities, respect, and money out of your procurement career? Well, guess what? Nothing will change unless you take action towards becoming a world-class procurement professional.<\/p>\n
Earning your SPSM Certification is the action to take if you want to bring the most modern procurement practices into your organization and achieve your career potential. Download the SPSM Certification Guide today to learn how to get started on your journey to a more rewarding procurement career!<\/p>\n<\/div>
Download<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>Need Better Performance From Your Procurement Team?<\/h5><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/12\/services.jpg\" "\\"services\\"")
<\/span><\/div>Are you a procurement leader whose team isn\u2019t achieving the results you know are possible? Maybe it\u2019s not enough cost savings. Or frustrating performance from the supply base. Or dissatisfied internal customers.<\/p>\n
You need a performance improvement plan that\u2019s easy to implement and quick to produce results. The NLPA can help.<\/p>\n
Download our whitepaper \u201cThe Procurement Leader\u2019s Guide To A More Successful Team.\u201d You\u2019ll learn the 7 steps for transforming your staff into a results-producing, world-class procurement team.<\/p>\n<\/div>
Will You Get The Service You Deserve Next Year?<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>When you’re an “Important Customer” to a supplier, your needs get immediate attention. You don’t have to be a huge company to be an “Important Customer.” That doesn’t hurt, but there are other ways to become and stay important to your suppliers. Let’s explore one approach.<\/p>\n
In contracts involving multiple payments, a supplier wants as much money as possible up front. This may lead them to desert you towards the end of the contract when their revenue from you is small and their revenue from new customers is large. So it’s better for you to have an arrangement where less money is paid in the beginning of a relationship and more is paid in the end.<\/p>\n
Here’s an example of a typical initial proposal from a software supplier for a three-year contract:<\/p>\n
\n\n\nCost Component<\/td>\n Amount<\/td>\n Payment Due<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nLicensing Fee<\/td>\n $165,000<\/td>\n Upon signing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nImplementation Fee<\/td>\n $150,000<\/td>\n After implementation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nMaintenance Fee<\/td>\n $60,000<\/td>\n @ start of each year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nTOTAL<\/td>\n $495,000<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nOf course, you’re going to negotiate this offer, right? A revision left up to the supplier may reduce the licensing and implementation fees by 20% and reduce the annual maintenance fee to $20,000, resulting in a total cost of $312,000 and a savings of $183,000. That’s a nice savings, but the arrangement makes you less important as time goes on. A better way to restructure the pricing and achieve the same savings is as follows:<\/p>\n
\n\n\nCost Component<\/td>\n Amount<\/td>\n Payment Due<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nLicensing Fee<\/td>\n $72,000<\/td>\n Upon signing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nImplementation Fee<\/td>\n $60,000<\/td>\n After implementation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nMaintenance Fee<\/td>\n $60,000<\/td>\n @ start of each year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nTOTAL<\/td>\n $312,000<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nBy distributing costs towards the end of the contract, the supplier has a financial interest in being responsive late in your relationship. Other ways of staying important include using option years, termination provisions, and liquidated damages clauses in your contracts. So the next time you are about to finalize a long-term relationship, consider how you are going to remain important to your supplier throughout the entire contract.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Do You Want a More Rewarding Procurement Career?<\/h5><\/div><\/span><\/div>Are you tired of not getting enough opportunities, respect, and money out of your procurement career? Well, guess what? Nothing will change unless you take action towards becoming a world-class procurement professional.<\/p>\n
Earning your SPSM Certification is the action to take if you want to bring the most modern procurement practices into your organization and achieve your career potential. Download the SPSM Certification Guide today to learn how to get started on your journey to a more rewarding procurement career!<\/p>\n<\/div>
Download<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>Need Better Performance From Your Procurement Team?<\/h5><\/div><\/span><\/div>Are you a procurement leader whose team isn\u2019t achieving the results you know are possible? Maybe it\u2019s not enough cost savings. Or frustrating performance from the supply base. Or dissatisfied internal customers.<\/p>\n
You need a performance improvement plan that\u2019s easy to implement and quick to produce results. The NLPA can help.<\/p>\n
Download our whitepaper \u201cThe Procurement Leader\u2019s Guide To A More Successful Team.\u201d You\u2019ll learn the 7 steps for transforming your staff into a results-producing, world-class procurement team.<\/p>\n<\/div>
When you’re an “Important Customer” to a supplier, your needs get immediate attention. You don’t have to be a huge company to be an “Important Customer.” That doesn’t hurt, but there are other ways to become and stay important to your suppliers. Let’s explore one approach.<\/p>\n
In contracts involving multiple payments, a supplier wants as much money as possible up front. This may lead them to desert you towards the end of the contract when their revenue from you is small and their revenue from new customers is large. So it’s better for you to have an arrangement where less money is paid in the beginning of a relationship and more is paid in the end.<\/p>\n
Here’s an example of a typical initial proposal from a software supplier for a three-year contract:<\/p>\n
| Cost Component<\/td>\n | Amount<\/td>\n | Payment Due<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||
| Licensing Fee<\/td>\n | $165,000<\/td>\n | Upon signing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||
| Implementation Fee<\/td>\n | $150,000<\/td>\n | After implementation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||
| Maintenance Fee<\/td>\n | $60,000<\/td>\n | @ start of each year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | |||||||||||||||
| TOTAL<\/td>\n | $495,000<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Of course, you’re going to negotiate this offer, right? A revision left up to the supplier may reduce the licensing and implementation fees by 20% and reduce the annual maintenance fee to $20,000, resulting in a total cost of $312,000 and a savings of $183,000. That’s a nice savings, but the arrangement makes you less important as time goes on. A better way to restructure the pricing and achieve the same savings is as follows:<\/p>\n
|
![](\"https:\/\/www.certitrek.com\/nlpa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/12\/services-contracting.jpg\" "\\"services-contracting\\"")
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