The brief.

One of the UK’s leading property management firms came to us for help ensuring compliance with the latest public sector procurement regulations, enabling them to continue securing valuable contracts in a competitive market. Our client manages local authority properties, offices and communal spaces. Having won these contracts through public procurement events, they needed a compliant supply chain maintain future success. 

A critical requirement in public sector procurement is that any subcontracted work must be re-tendered every five years, and the tendering process follows strict regulations. Our client needed expert guidance to stay compliant and continue growing their public sector portfolio.

Our services.

Within the programme, we were retained to:

• Design and execute facilities management RFPs for the public sector properties they manage.
• Ensure compliance with the Procurement Act 2023.
• Leverage our expert sourcing toolkit to deliver best-in-class sourcing events.
• Create a transparent and competitive environment for suppliers to submit strong bids, lowering the costs to our client.

“We have a great sourcing team, but they are often stretched across multiple projects. Given the complexities of sourcing for public sector properties, we relied on tkg’s deep expertise to deliver a fully compliant solution.” 

The result.

As public sector buyers increasingly audit third-party contracts, our client is now assured of their full compliance with the new regulations and is positioned to secure even more contracts in the future. With this in place, the team can focus on expanding their portfolio and confidently serving public sector clients.

The brief. 

We were engaged by a leading telecommunications provider to assist with their Contact Centre-as-a-Service (CCaaS) procurement process. With internal restructuring and tight timelines, the client needed support in sourcing a new platform and ensuring a seamless transition from their legacy systems.

The client was looking to move away from their legacy voice platforms and implement a next-generation CCaaS solution integrated with Salesforce. With multiple IT projects running concurrently, key stakeholders were managing both strategic initiatives and day-to-day operations, creating a resource gap. As a result, the client required a procurement partner to provide CCaaS procurement expertise and support in contractual and commercial execution, all while adhering to a strict deadline to ensure the transition was completed on time.

Our services.

Within the programme, we were retained to:

• Provide CCaaS procurement support, collaborating with the client’s team to define project scope and objectives.
• Manage the procurement process, working closely with the client’s CCaaS project team to facilitate discovery sessions and supplier presentations.
• Coordinate with suppliers to deliver highly focused proposals, including tailored solutions and pricing models.
• Provide detailed feedback and recommendations following supplier demonstrations.
• Assist the client in selecting the preferred supplier.
• Facilitate the agreement execution by working closely with the client, the supplier, and the supplier’s preferred delivery partner. 

The outcomes.

The procurement process and contract negotiations were completed on schedule, enabling a smooth transition to the new platform. Our commercial insights helped the client secure favourable terms, balancing cost efficiency with flexibility.

The brief.

We were engaged to conduct a review of our client’s telecommunications (telecoms) and technology services, with a focus on supporting them to secure new customers. Having invested in cloud-based omni-channel contact centre technologies, they were well placed to deliver complex customer experience solutions. However, they also wanted to ensure they could access a more flexible technology cost-base with simpler technology requirements. By introducing a new commercial model, they hoped to strengthen their position in the market, delivering highly tailored, omni-channel solutions, and less complex technologies aligned to their clients’ needs. 

Our services.

Within the programme, we were retained to:

• Help shape the technology strategy to create a differentiated operating model.
• Lead the technology procurement processes, to achieve highly competitive pricing across contact centre, connectivity, and workforce management technology solutions.
• Facilitate discovery sessions and supplier presentations throughout the tender process, enabling each supplier to deliver highly focused propositions and pricing proposals.
• Execute a professional sourcing process, including all elements of the design build and run of the Request For Proposal (RFP) process, including, shaping requirements, writing the RFP, evaluating tender responses, and providing feedback on submissions to our client.
• Support contract negotiations and the onboarding of new suppliers.

“Working with tkg helped us to introduce a fresh approach to our telecoms and technology services, which would ultimately make us more attractive to new clients. We saved significant sums that far outweighed the cost of a professional IT procurement event. We knew our clients benefitted from market-leading, complex technology solutions, however, when attempting to win new business, in a highly competitive marketplace, it was crucial to introduce a price-sensitive commercial proposition within our portfolio.

We are now very confident in our technology capabilities, having the necessary levers in place to tackle the most complex client requirements, and are more confident that we can deliver simplified solutions at highly competitive rates. This is something we would not have been able to achieve without tkg.”

Call to action

The brief.

Our client, a leading UK property management business with its own internal procurement team, were facing challenges with demand and required additional resources. As the pressure on the team fluctuates throughout the year, they were looking for a solution that would allow them to access on demand, flexible resources. Their aim was to work with an organisation that would operate as a seamless extension of their team and minimise the costs of taking on more full-time employees.

We were therefore engaged to provide this service and alongside this acted as an independent external agency to help assess RFP opportunities where other parts of their group were competing to deliver the service.

Our services.

Within the programme, we were retained to:

• Provide MCIPs qualified procurement professionals to the client on an “on demand” basis.
• Identify procurement operating model improvement opportunities.
• Act as a seamless extension of the client’s internal procurement team.
• Deliver multiple projects to a very high standard.

“We love the flexibility that tkg provides. Having a team of experts available, on demand, when we need them has really helped us transform our procurement function. It’s given us the breathing space to implement process change, which creates significantly greater value for all stakeholders.”

We continue to work with the client on an ongoing, on demand basis. The ability to access our services with ease at very short notice has made us a key part of their procurement operating model.

The brief.

We were approached by a large retail brand to support with improving their partnership with one of their existing BPO suppliers. The relationship had become strained through a combination of significant operational challenges, including changes in management positions within both organisations and the commercial structure incentivisation for the supplier not being aligned to the overall customer experience strategy of the buyer.

Some of the challenges included:

• The commercial assurance and governance model with the supplier was causing friction and restricting the client’s ability to deliver their customer experience transformation.
• There was a disconnect between the commercial incentivisation for the supplier and the client’s service expectations.
• Basic operational practices and delivery metrics were not being adhered to and the client was looking to take greater control.
• The supplier was leveraging the contract to their advantage, and therefore appeared to not be working in partnership.

Our services.

Within the programme, we were retained to perform a supplier health check assessment to help our client understand whether the partnership was repairable and if the supplier had the capability to work with the client on their digital transformation journey. This included:

• Analysing the overarching business strategy, and within this any desired customer experience outcomes.
• Performing an invoice audit to validate the fees from the supplier with the contract.
• Assessing the contract with its commercial terms and benchmarking this with industry best practice.
• Understanding the complexity of the service delivery from the supplier.
• Reviewing the contract and the associated governance in place.
• Reviewing processes, procedures, models, data and governance surrounding the sizing of the operation and approval of staffing.
• Analysing the outputs that were delivered by the supplier to the client, the basis of the data and the reliance on their infrastructure to support this.
• Reviewing the RACI between the client’s retained team, wider business and the supplier.

From this, we were able to:

• Provide our recommendations outlining how to improve the partnership with the supplier, including rebuilding the commercial structure in the contract and rebalancing the risk between the client and their supplier.
• Build a change programme for the client and lead the workstreams to reinstate the current contractual position, implement a new governance model and build a new commercial partnership.

“Working with tkg was easy, enjoyable, and delivered on expectation in both value and return on investment. The team listened and understood our objectives and tailored the support by providing industry professionals with the skills and expertise to deliver our requirements.”

Our client was impressed with our agile and hands-on approach. We successfully obtained a significant rebate from the supplier linked to our invoice audit. Plus, the new commercial structure and governance meant that the reduction in the charges moving forward were significantly less compared to before our intervention, contributing to an increase in service quality by focusing the supplier on the metrics that made a difference.

We were retained as an advisor to the client’s management team and continue to support them across numerous projects.

The brief.

We were engaged by a global technology company who were experiencing challenges with their supplier invoicing reconciliation processes and contract adherence. We performed an extensive audit of their legacy invoices and support processes, and from this provided our recommendations for how to make improvements. Given our experience providing similar services to other clients, with millions of pounds in value being scrutinised, we were able to create a solution for our client that would deliver them greater financial control, more operational rigour and savings that delivered a 300% return on our fee.

Our services.

Within the programme, we helped our client to:

• Conduct an end-to-end review of the invoicing process from the creation of the purchase order through to the invoice being paid.
• Perform a risk assessment of the data sources being used to generate the invoice linked to the charging mechanisms in place.
• Benchmark the historical and current invoices against alternative Management Information System data sources.
• Review and suggest improvements to the governance model that controls and approves expenditure with the supplier.
• Reconcile the change control notes against the outcomes delivered, ensuring the flow through of changes to the underlying business case.
• Assess the level and appropriateness of additional spend and understand change control procedures.
• Propose changes to the process, governance, data sources, Management Information and contract, to recover historical over-billing and ensure future charges are maintained at an appropriate level.
• Review commercial inputs and outcomes, providing support to ensure appropriate actions are in place.
• Advise commercial amendments and propose how to resolve any commercial risks and issues.
• Review financial forecasting for profitability and alignment to operational execution.

“The support, advice, insight and recommendations provided by the tkg team were beyond our expectations. We were impressed by the calibre of the individuals involved and the actionable report they built for us. The work the team at tkg did, has helped create a new way of working in an area we thought was operating well before they became involved.”

The client was exceptionally pleased by the results we achieved. The invoice reconciliation work, as it almost always does, found significant savings, which once implemented, will deliver a return of over 300% against the tkg fee. We were delighted to have left behind a significantly improved data management and operational governance framework that will ensure our client will be self-sufficient in the months ahead.

Call to action

The brief.

Our client approached us to gain a better understanding of the outsourced call centre supplier landscape. Having outsourced for a number of years to a selection of suppliers in the UK, they were keen to get a better understanding of the current UK outsourced market and what alternative suppliers were available. This included being interested in learning who could support them and from where, their previous success stories and case studies, and what rates they could expect.

Our services.

Within the programme, we helped our client to:

• Understand customer service delivery models for similar complex products to theirs.
• Explore the channels that are currently served by their competitors.
• Benchmark their current supplier prices against like-for-like services delivered by other suppliers.
• Highlight potential new delivery locations for language requirements, backed up with country assessments to shape their understanding of potential new markets.
• Review their contract and commercial model to ensure they were going to market with an industry-leading proposition.
• Support the development of their Request For Proposal to ensure they went to market with a clear, compelling sourcing event that led to better submissions from suppliers.

Through our benchmarking services, we were able to demonstrate to our client how their current suppliers compared to the rest of the market. We created a report for them which compared their current suppliers and provided a view of alternatives, including comparisons between:

• Charging mechanisms.
• Price points across geographies and languages.
• Scale of capability.
• Scale of languages.
• Ranking in markets.
• Detailed case studies for each supplier.

“Your insights really helped us understand the available options for engaging a new supplier. We started to learn more about the wider market and your review of our contract, commercial model and RFP, was invaluable.”

Call to action

The brief.

We were engaged by a leading telemarketing organisation to conduct a review of their legacy telecommunications (telecom) services. We supported our client to assess the wider technology market, because they felt significant improvements could be gained from deploying cloud-based technologies, which would integrate seamlessly with their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. They had already invested in their existing CRM platform, and they wanted to ensure they were accessing all possible benefits. Overall, they hoped to increase agent productivity and sales conversion rates, strengthening their position as a leader within the regulatory technology and legal technology sectors.

Our services.

Within the programme, we were retained to:

• Support with the purchase and implementation of a new cloud contact centre platform.
• Facilitate supplier discovery sessions and presentations throughout the tender process, enabling each supplier to deliver highly focused propositions and pricing proposals.
• Enhance the sourcing process, including evaluating tender responses, conducting scoring, and providing feedback on suppliers’ submissions to our client.
• Help our client to assess the suitability of each supplier and understand which supplier would offer the best cultural fit.
• Ensure our client fully understood the commercials of each solution, including the ongoing costs associated with professional services.

“As our business expanded, it became evident that our legacy systems were inadequate. With guidance from tkg, we conducted a comprehensive market review and selected a supplier that enhanced our CRM and outbound dialler functionalities. This new unified system not only automates calls, increasing customer engagement time, but also consolidates our reporting, offering valuable insights from a central platform.

The experience of working with tkg has been a great success, because they have supported us to gain efficiencies. Our agents are spending less time toggling between multiple systems and more time having meaningful conversations with our customers. On average, we have seen sales increase by 30%.”

Call to action

The brief.

Given the cost and complexities of attracting and retaining skilled contact centre resources for short term surges in demand, our client appointed us to support them to build out an eco-system or network of qualified and accredited contact centre suppliers, across the UK, EU and South Africa. We were engaged to review their resourcing and service delivery plans in partnership with their recruitment team and create a subcontracted delivery model for them. The aim was to enable them to enhance their capacity and capability and mitigate recruitment risks and service volatility during surges in capacity.

The client was impressed by our innovative approach to building flexible, cost-effective and time-efficient peak management services. Given our experience with similar clients, we were engaged to deliver a full scope of services, including the design, set-up and service implementation of the solution, all the way through to managing the ongoing operational service assurance of the subcontracted contact centre suppliers.

This project allowed our client to access new resources, initially for a short period of time to help them cope with the surges in demand at certain points in the year.  The partnership between our client and their supplier has now grown to include multilingual language delivery, an all-year-round supply of talent and a more flexible service delivery model.

Our services.

We were retained to shape, steer and drive the programme. Our services included:

• Acting as the focal point for the design of a viable and sustainable operating solution that would support with challenges in peak contact times.
• Sourcing and contracting suppliers on our client’s behalf and ensuring all commercial terms were agreed to and aligned to their end client’s pricing mechanism.
• Providing ongoing project management services, including regularly updating our client on the implementation and service delivery performance.
• Overseeing key inputs from support teams in terms of capacity management, training delivery and quality management.
• Enabling the management and governance across the supply chain and resolving any overage or underage in capacity.
• Acting as the focal point for service delivery decision-making, covering requests for additional hours and overtime.
• Managing the ongoing overall operational performance of the capacity delivery including, service performance against agreed performance indicators, such as contact centre service level agreements and KPIs.
• Ensuring consistent service delivery at the frontline through the operation of adequate controls, covering set-up, implementation, and ongoing risk management.
• Creating relevant service manuals aligned to the current service delivery and client contracts.
• Working effectively as a project leadership team as subject-matter experts for operational delivery from a subcontracted eco-system.

“We are proud to have successfully delivered the programme, given the complexities and the interdependencies between tkg and many other stakeholders. We were able to obtain a balance for our client of enhancing their service delivery, whilst also building in scalability and good programme discipline.” – tkg team 

“With the involvement of your team of industry experts, we were able to support our client to manage complexities and establish greater control and consistency. Our core team were able to focus on business-as-usual delivery, while tkg took care of our seasonal peak. We thoroughly benefitted from working with them.” – CEO, client

The programme has been successful in building out capabilities for our client across an eco-system of suppliers providing frontline contact centre resources across the UK, EU and South Africa.

Call to action

The brief.

We were engaged by our client who was looking to outsource their in-house contact centre operation to a specialist contact centre supplier. They required support to design a service solution and then conduct a market engagement exercise. As we have previous experience in conducting projects of this nature and with our digital procurement platform housing a rich dataset on our marketplace of pre-vetted suppliers, we were able to quickly and efficiently support our client to meet their requirements.

Our services.

Within the programme, we were retained to: 

• Build a long list of suppliers that could meet our client’s requirements using our digital procurement platform.
• Identify and shortlist suppliers who were most suitable for our client, providing a detailed analysis and deeper qualification criteria around the suppliers’ operational capabilities and experience.
• Conduct a Request for Proposal process and score the responses collectively and digitally, to establish the most suitable supplier.
• Support site visits where our client got a better sense of each shortlisted RFP participant.
• Undertake financial due diligence on the selected supplier to ensure they met the necessary level of stability, and our client would be properly equipped with the complete picture of their chosen organisation.
• Use our extensive knowledge of best practice, particularly in service schedules, to support the design and negotiation of the contract between our client and the chosen supplier.

“The Knowledge Group’s support was fantastic in helping our organisation understand the sourcing process, what capabilities were available in the market and ultimately deliver successful outcomes for our people and business.” 

We achieved the following outcomes for our client:

• Reducing estate costs including infrastructure, equipment, technology.
• Delivering scalability and flexibility, allowing the organisation to handle fluctuations in call volumes without the need for significant investments in infrastructure and training additional staff.
• Enabling the organisation to focus on core competencies and strategic priorities through working with a specialised supplier.
• Improving customer experience through the supplier’s advanced technologies and systems, providing improved response times, reduced call waiting times, and enhanced customer experience.

Call to action