StartWrite Telecoms, Energy and IT Consultancy for UK Businesses


FAQ | Fixed Fee Benchmarking Assignment




revealWhich categories or spend are covered by our fixed fee introductory offer?

One or all are included depending upon the bespoke nature of the assignment:
  • MARKETING & BRAND DESIGN
  • FACILITIES MANAGEMENT (hard & soft services)
  • HUMAN RESOURCES
  • ENERGY & CARBON FOOTPRINT (Utilities, gas & electric)
  • TELECOMS (Mobiles, Broadband, VOIP and leased line network)
  • CLIENT STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT


revealHow are savings calculated?

Savings are calculated from:
  • the difference between either your best final offer or your current contract prices
  • quarterly bills available from the date of our first telephone call or e-mail
  • any current or evergreen expired contracts in place from our first telephone call or e-mail
  • being your exclusive consultancy service whilst the savings pledge is in
  • We can only make the promised savings if you implement our recommendations in the time frames proposed. If you do not do so then we cannot refund our fees.


revealHow much is the fixed fee?

The fixed fee varies according to the volume of spend we analyse:
  • for a total annual spend ranging from £10,000 to £40,000, the fee is £450. Or from £41,000 to £100,000 the fee can be around £650.
  • then pro-rata for multiples of £50,000 in spend from £100k upwards.
  • exceptions to this are for multiple sites or separated spend categories where our pricing is subject to further agreement.


revealHow much of your time does the initial telephone conversation take?

Time is money - we understand that - so we won't waste even a second of your valuable time. Which is why, although the work we do might take quite a lot of our time ... it won't take up ANY of your time! The minute you give us the go ahead (which could be as little as just 10 minutes after meeting with us) we won't necessarily bother you again personally until we put the report of our conclusions and recommendations on your desk. And because that report will be detailing the specific savings we can make ... the 5 minutes it will take to read WILL be a very valuable use of your time.

revealWhy are our services not free?

Remember when your grandma told you 'there's no such thing as a free lunch'? Well she was right. Anyone who offers you the free lunch of a no cost telecom/energy review is almost certainly just looking for commissions for themselves and will not be able (or willing) to go to work for you in your best interest. So that 'free lunch' could end up costing you dearly. Our very reasonable (and fully guaranteed!) fee ensures that we ONLY ever have your interest at heart and if you keep your suppliers that is OK with us.

revealHow do we invoice you?

We do not invoice for our fees until 60 days into the investigation by which time:
  • 1st quarters deliverables will be known
  • Quarter 2 and quarter 3 delivery and payment plans will be agreed


revealHow do we work with your other consultants?

Only one team can control delivery by:
  • being your exclusive consultancy service whilst the savings pledge is in the delivery process
  • being your primary contractor for professional services


revealHow do we work with your ideas already in progress?

Ongoing savings plans will not count towards our targets, however:
  • we can only genuinely deliver our promised savings if you implement our recommendations
  • and in the time frames we recommend


revealHow do we work with your staff and their good ideas?

Ongoing staff initiatives will not count towards our targets, however our methods:
  • ensure nothing is changed without their prior agreement
  • ensure there is no conflict between their good work already in progress and our efforts
  • ensure StartWrite does not financially benefit from their good work already started
  • are proven to remove any conflict of interests which we know will occur from time to time
  • document why you are using a supplier, for what reasons and the reasons why they continue to be used.


revealHow do we set the scope?

Within the first month the following matters and material are logged and agreed as in or out of scope:
  • bills, contracts, quotations and supplier proposals
  • good ideas already significantly developed by your staff
  • planned upgrades or new installations contributing to cost improvement plans


revealWhich INsource services are included?

The services and tools we use and included within the fixed fee are:
  • regular monthly progress meetings covering all outcomes and actions
  • quarterly summary reports covering ongoing improvement plans and future requirements
  • documentation in MS Word
  • sharing of our market knowledge and experience to your best advantage
  • advising and recommending on suitable products and services as necessary