About You

What is it?

Think of us as a buying department that offers its services to a wider audience. Imagine you were a large multi-national with billions of pounds to spend each year then you would expect to be offered better rates than your business currently enjoys. Not only do these large outfits have massive purchasing power they also have teams of buyers dedicated to getting the best deals. You can’t hope to compete with the big boys, can you? Not normally, no. However, you can if you join the Montagu Pryce Purchasing Consortium.

How does it Work?

Deals change and prices fluctuate, so we send you details of deals when you need them - ie when you are approaching the end of a contract with your current supplier. That way they are always current and represent the best that is available to you at that point.

Also, each month we send out an email newsletter to consortium members identifying the best current deals in at least 2 key areas that are not normally contracted. You can contact the suppliers, quote your membership number and benefit from the low rates. Or you can stay with your current supplier. It’s your choice. We just present the information so you can make an informed choice. You could even use the information to re-negotiate with your current supplier by getting them to price match.

You can also contact us and ask us to look at a product or service for you. If it’s one we have the latest information on we will supply it to you free of charge. If it’s something we will be covering next month we can supply the information then, again for free. If you need it now we can do the research and present the information to you within a week – there is an additional charge for these ad hoc services (contact us for rates).

What is Included with my Membership?

1. You will receive a unique membership number that will be recognised by the suppliers who offer their services and will guarantee you their lowest rates.
2. You get a report that benchmarks your current expenditure in the areas you have provided us with usage data. We use this report to keep you up-to-date on what deals are available when you need them - when contracts are coming to an end.
3. You get a monthly email newsletter that will identify a minimum of 2 key areas that are not traditionally contracted with in-depth analysis of the market and the best prices that are currently available.
4. You are able to call on us for other products and services that are not covered in the monthly email as and when you need them. If we have the information it’s yours for free. If we will be doing the analysis in the coming months, again, it will be yours for free. If it’s unique or you need it now, we will do the research and present the findings for a modest fee.
5. If you are a Premier Member you are covered by the Montagu Pryce unequivocal guarantee - providing you qualify you are guaranteed of saving a minimum amount which we determine based upon your annual expenditure level**. If we cannot achieve these savings for you we will make up the difference. You will be better off by at least the amount covered by your expenditure level. GUARANTEED!
6. As a consortium member you will be entitled to significant discounts off other Montagu Pryce services and will receive preferential terms for settling your account - for qualifying businesses, this alone makes the membership fee more than cost-effective.

**The amount of the Guarantee varies dependent upon the value of your annual expenditure. They are as follows:

::	< £50,000 expenditure p.a.	Guarantee = £2,000
::	£50,000 - £100,000 expenditure p.a.	Guarantee = £5,000
::	> £100,000 expenditure p.a.	Guarantee = 5% - capped at £100,000

How do I join?

On-Line
Choose your membership level - FREE, FREE Plus or Premier Member - then complete the on-line application form (or print out a hard copy to send / fax back to us), this will assess whether you qualify for the guarantee (non-qualifying companies can still join – just will not receive the guarantee)
By Phone
Not sure about something or just prefer to deal with a person? Then simply contact us and we will ask you some questions to see whether you qualify for the Guarantee and then take down all the necessary details to get you started on the road to savings.
By Post or Fax
Download the form most relevant to your business complete it and either post or fax it back to us.

How much does it cost to join?

TRIAL membership provides you with a FREE Bench Marking Report and also with FREE analysis for a SINGLE cost centre. If we don't indentify any savings there is nothing to pay whatsoever. If we identify savings and you want to benefit from them we offer two alternatives.

1. You can pay us a nominal fee of £250 to become a limited member of the Consortium (limited to the one cost centre only) and we will supply you with the details to make the savings, you then pay us 25% of the savings we've found, paid Quarterly in arrears.
   Or
   
2. You pay us nothing to join the consortium but instead you pay 50% of the savings, paid Quarterly in arrears.

Most people choose option 1 but it's your choice. Remember, you only pay us if we make savings of mre than £1,000 for you. No savings = no charge.

This service is only available on cost centres with a minimum annual value of £10,000 to £50,000.

FULL membership is charged for at rates that are determined by your level of expenditure in the relevant categories (see below). In addition to the Benchmarking Report and the reminder service FULL members also get a Guaranteed level of savings that works out about 4 times the cost of joining - if someone were to offer you a Twenty pound note for a Fiver, chances are you'd bite their hand off, that's exactly what we offer FULL members but on a more meaningful level. FULL Members can add as many cost centres as they wish and they get significant savings on the fees we charge on our other services - this alone more than pays for FULL membership. Membership fees are as follows:

Less than £50,000 Expenditure p.a.

Quarterly Payments:	£12.50 per week
OR a Single Payment:	£499 (23.23% saving)
Savings Guarantee:	£2,000

£50,000 - £100,000 Expenditure p.a.

Quarterly Payments:	£25.00 per week
OR a Single Payment:	£998 (23.23% saving)
Savings Guarantee:	£5,000

More than £100,000 Expenditure p.a.

Quarterly Payments:	3.5% of spend (capped at £70,000) made up of 4 payments of 0.5% and balance (1.5%) over remaining Quarters when 10% savings achieved
OR a Single Payment:	2.5% of spend (capped at £50,000 = 28.57% saving) made up of 1 payment of 1% immediately, followed by balance (1.5%) when 10% savings achieved
Savings Guarantee:	£10,000 or 5%, whichever is the higher - capped at £100,000

All fees are subject to VAT, charged at the prevailing rate.

How can you provide this for FREE?

Many of our best clients start off as FREE members. They get the benefit of savings on a single cost centre and then upgrade to FULL members and many of them go on to use our fully managed services and make even bigger savings.

Also, by providing a free service we end up with an even higher collective spending power and this helps us make even more savings for members and ultimately more revenue for us.

Do you offer a Domestic service?

We often get asked whether the deals we structure with suppliers can be used by the business owners and staff in their homes. The answer is - sometimes. It all depends on the deal and the supplier. If we have arrange a low price with a specialist commercial insurance company it's unlikely they'll offer you a policy covering your household contents or buildings insurance but the deals with energy companies often come with access to domestic rates that are not achievable elsewhere. Where suppliers are able to offer deals that may be of benefit to members outside of the workplace we let you know and you simply use your company membership ID to access these rates.

What is the CA report?

The CA Report is a clear, concise report that fully analyses and itemises your current expenditure showing you exactly how much you are spending now. It also shows how much we can get the exact same (or equivalent) items for you and the savings you can make if you adopt the suppliers we identify as offering better value for money.

How can the CA report save me money?

You can either switch to the suppliers we identify who offer better value for money or you can use this information to negotiate better terms from your current suppliers

How much will the CA report cost me?

The initial analysis and the report iteself are FREE of charge. If we don't identify any savings for you we give you the report and you have received some free consultancy. If we do find savings then we charge a percentage fee, the rate will depend upon whether you are a consortium member or not.

.: Consortium members only pay 25% of the savings and get to pay monthly in arrears.
.: Non-members pay 50% of the saving and pay quarterly in advance

Join the consortium, it's cheaper!

How do I get my CA report?

Just get in touch using our contact form or give us a call on 0845 057 4030.

What is HBA?

HBA involves analsying your past bills and looking for any discrepancies that have led to you being overcharged. We then negotiate with the suppliers on your behalf and secure you refunds in cash or in the form of credit notes.

How far back can you go?

Up to 6 years

How much can you claim back?

This will all depend on why the overcharge came about - were you missold, have you been on the wrong tarif, have you incorrectly invoiced etc - it will also be determined by whether you are still using or intend to continue to use the supplier who owes you money.

How much does it cost?

We don't charge for the analysis, the report or carrying out the negotiations with the suppliers. Only if we secure you refunds do we charge and the rate will depend upon whether you are a consortium member or not:

.: Consortium members pay 35% of the refund we secure and pay this monthly in arrears.
.: Non-members pay 50% of the refund and pay quarterly in advance.

Join the consortium, it's cheaper!

How do I get my HBA report?

Just get in touch using our contact form or give us a call on 0845 057 4030.

What is a Rate Review?

We analyse your rates bill and compare it to what other businesses in your area are paying and check you are not paying too much. We look for reasons why your bill should be lower - type or size of business, premises size, location, reliefs etc.

What is a Rate Appeal?

If we establish that you are paying too much we will handle the complete appeals process with the VOA to ensure you pay a fair amount for your rates

What is a UBR?

Uniform Business Rate - the amount in the pound that you will have to pay. When the UBR is multiplied by your rateable value this determines the base figure for your rates.

Do I have to pay rates?

Usually, yes. However, there are certain circumstances that this may not be the case - charities, certain business types etc - by letting us look into your rates we can establish whether you do have to pay and if so how much.

How much can you reduce my rates by?

This will vary across regions and businesses. As a general rule of thumb we suggest you reckon on 9% savings as an average.

How much will it cost me?

We don't charge for the review and if we feel an appeal is justifiable we don't charge for that either. we only charge if we can secure a reduction in the amount you pay for your rates. How much will be determined by whether you are a consortium member or not:

.: Consortium members pay 35% of the reduction we secure over a 5 year period and get to pay this monthly in arrears - the government funds our fees for you and you are always better off.
.: Non-members pay 50% of the reduction and pay quarterly in advance, also over 5 years.

Join the consortium, it's cheaper!

How do I get you to look into my rates?

Just get in touch using our contact form or give us a call on 0845 057 4030.

What is grant & funding support?

These are grants and sources of cheap and subsidised finance available to businesse in Europe which are generally available to qualifying businesses to promote growth and employment in less well-off areas

Do I qualify for it?

We will look at your business, your location, your project and the proposed deliverables to establish whether you will qualify for support.

How much can I get?

This will vary depending upon all the factors but it is almost certain that we will help you get the highest level of support available and substantially more than if you don't use us.

How do you help me get it?

We start by looking at your project and then look for ways to make that project fit the widest range of support packages that exist. We help in the writing of the grant application and by ensuring all of the criteria are met. We even attend interviews / presentations if required and follow the application all the way through to the last payment being made to you.

How much will it cost me?

This will depend upon the project but can consist of a mixture of hourly and results based fees. Either way it will be less if you are a consortium member as then you would receive a 25% reduction in our charges.

How do I get you to secure grants and funding for my business?

Just get in touch using our contact form or give us a call on 0845 057 4030.

How can you improve my sales?

We are sales oriented and can analyse your business with a view to identifying what makes you different to your competitors. We can help devise and implement sales strategies that work and we can even manage full campaigns for you that are guaranteed to bring in more sales. We can do all this becasue we are sales professionals who don't have to get side-tracked by the minutiae of actually running your business.

Why do you think you can do this better than me?

We might not, you might already be doing all the things we would do. However, as we don't charge for an initial consultation it costs nothing to find out - why not give us a call or use our contact form to get in touch and we'll see whether we can help you.

How much can you improve my sales by?

This will depend upon too many factors to be able to answer here. However, if we take you on then we will have set targets to achieve.

How will you improve my margins?

By looking at ways to charge more, generate repeat business and lower costs. We will get more business from the current sales channels that you already employ and we will look for new avenues of leads and sales to augment what you already do.

What is "equity participation"?

This is where we take a stake in your business in lieu of charging for our services - you get increased value and profits, we get to share in these by gaining a stake - this is a completely voluntary arrangement and if you prefer to pay us in the more tarditional manner for our services we won't be offended.

How much will it cost me?

This will very much depend upon what we are having to do. We can charge a daily rate for our services or we can specify a percentage of the increased profit / sales, or a mixture of the two. We can invoice you for our fees once the agreed targets have been achieved or we can take an equity stake in your business, the choice is yours.

Either way, the amount you pay us will be less if you are a consortium member as then you would receive a 25% reduction in our charges.

How do I get you to improve my sales and my margins?

Just get in touch using our contact form or give us a call on 0845 057 4030.

How can you offer such a generous guarantee?

Because we know that our methods will save businesses money, all we need to ensure is that you spend enough to qualify. If you do qualify then we are 100% confident that we will save you at least £2,000 and almost certainly a lot more besides. Depending upon your annual business expenditure we offer a guarantee up to £100,000 where we place a cap.

How does the guarantee work?

If we fail to identify savings in excess of the specified amount within 12 months of your membership coming to an end then we will refund you the difference. For instance, if you are covered by the £2,000 guarantee (less than £50,000 annual expenditure) and we could only identify savings for you of £1,200 we would give you £800 to make up the balance. It's exactly the same procedure for all our guarantees, irrespective of the level.

Am I really guaranteed to be £2,000 / £5,000 / upto £100,000 better off?

Yes. All you need to do is implement our recommendations and we will save you money. If the savings aren't there we will make up any shortfall. You really cannot lose!

How can I join the consortium?

You can join online, fill in the relevant PDF application form ( for companies who spend less than £50,000 p.a. .::. for companies who spend £50,000-£100,000 p.a. .::. for companies who spend more than £100,000 p.a.) and send it to us via the post or attached to an email or if you prefer to do it in person over the phone you can do so by calling us on 0845 057 4030.

When will I see results?

From day one we will provide you with information that can reduce your outgoings and this will continue for the duration of your membership.

Why should we use you if we already have our own buying department?

Even if your buying department is super-efficient the chances are we will have some deals that are just beyond their ability to negotiate - this is down to economies of scale and the fact that we wield a massive purchasing power that can be brought to bear to secure lower prices. If we don't manage to improve on your buying department you can draw on our guarantee and gain peace of mind that your systems are as good as they can possibly be.

I'm a buyer, if you're good you'll make me look bad?

Not at all. You would only look bad if you didn't use the resources available to you and continued to pay too much for the goods and services your business uses. No business owner is going to be upset if you can reduce their costs and they'll be even more pleased if yo ask us to perform a HBA to get back any overcharges that may have been paid in the past.

We're already in a buying group, why should we join yours?

Most buying groups are industry specific and often relate to specialist products that these industries use. We are non-industry specific as all businesses use the goods and services we source. This means that we will complement any buying group you might belong to already and in the highly unlikely event that we don't save you money then you have our unequivocal guarantee to safeguard you and GUARANTEE you savings of between £2,000 and £100,00 depending upon your expenditure levels.