In this article, NPI’s Paul Steiner discusses the political fallout that threatens economic improvements. To fund the healthcare reforms set forth by Congress, medical device manufacturers will soon be charged a 2.3 percent excise tax on the sale of most medical devices.

The threats to and opportunities for the medical device industry over the next several years will be equally substantial. Reducing rampant vendor overspending is one way to tip the scales in favor of manufacturers. By offsetting the recent tax increase, medical device companies can commit more spend to R&D, protect jobs and innovate. And it’s faster than waiting for a political solution.

A lively debate is taking place between Spend Matters, Ariba and Forrester on Procurementleaders.com. The big question: will procurement software really improve performance, or is this just another software purchase with incremental but not game-changing value? What do you think?

http://blog.procurementleaders.com/procurement-blog/2010/6/4/the-big-debate-aribas-commerce-cloud-will-open-the-door-to-m.html

With the recent volcano eruption in Iceland, major manufacturers with global suppliers have had to halt operations as flights were grounded throughout Europe. Earlier this year, an earthquake in Chile ground supply chains in the area, halting major food source supplies.

Can disaster planning really help prevent these supply chain disruptions? Are the risks associated with lean inventories worth the cost when operations are halted until supplies are re-stocked? Natural disasters like this, and even the current BP oil leak, can prompt manufacturers to look more closely at their master operating plans.

Read More: http://www.manufacturing.net/Article-Handling-Supply-Chain-Disruptions-052110.aspx?menuid=242

There’s a new addition to the NPI team, and you should care because she is not only helping us, she’s helping Atlanta. Aside from her extensive work in enterprise technology, Barclay is highly involved with TechBridge, a non-profit organization that specializes in helping other nonprofits use technology to serve their respective communities. If you have not checked out Techbridge – you should. Barclay has served as co-chair of the Digital Ball Sponsorship Committee as well as on the Executive Committee for two years.

The beauty of Techbridge is that it fully employs the minds and skills of its volunteers. It empowers other non-profits like microfinancing does – putting the power of technology into the hands of a diverse community, each member of which has their own vision for social change.

In this volatile business environment, saving money often means cutting jobs.  At NPI, we believe our proven price benchmarking strategies can allow you to cut costs without cutting jobs.

How does price benchmarking work and how can it benefit your business?  Quite simply, it is the process of determining the fair market value for any product or service, and then ensuring that your contracts are in line with these levels.  We find that many businesses are over paying based on telecom, transportation and technology industry price benchmarking levels.  With appropriate strategies in place, your business can negotiate contracts with more favorable terms.

Our goal is to protect your business from overspending by providing a fresh set of eyes, market based perspective and industry knowledge that allows us to uncover cost savings previously overlooked.  Effectively using our price benchmarking services to negotiate favorable contracts allows you to retain valuable human capital.  With benchmarking tools, your business retains the employees needed to be able to innovate and succeed in the future.

The strategies we offer can result in savings returns in as little as 30 to 60 days.  Savings from layoffs are often not seen for nine months or more.  We know that our price benchmarking strategies for telecom, transportation and technology results in millions of dollars of savings annually.  Don’t think that just because you have a long term contract that our strategies won’t be able to help you.  Our tools allow you to approach a vendor with a fact based discussion showing areas of over spending.  Discussions backed with price benchmarking facts can lead to contract savings for your business.

Maintain your ability to grow and succeed in these tough financial times.  Contact NPI today to implement price benchmarking strategies that will lead to cost savings without the need for layoffs.

IT and telecom expenses are typically among the largest for any organization.  Effectively using telecommunications expense management tools can lead your business to significant costs savings.  Here are some of the activities typically involved in telecommunications expense management initiative:

• An evaluation of your telecom consumption.  A typical menu of telecom services can include local, long distance and wireless phone, VPN, PBX, conferencing, email and data expenses.  Getting a handle on these variables is what telecommunications expense management is all about. 
• Establishing business-wide telecom policies.  Once you know your menu of telecom services, it is wise to establish policies for their use. Telecommunications expense management helps to ensure that all employees use the same carrier and equipment and can greatly reduce costs.
• Creating a centralized telecom management team.  Establishing a person, or group, that is dedicated to telecommunications expense management can facilitate cost savings for your business.  Ensuring your telecom team knows your inventory, approved carriers, discounts and policies prevents individual departments and locations from impacting the telecom budget.
• Identify unused or underutilized services.  For many companies savings can quickly be obtained by closing unused accounts or eliminating costs related to non-essential services.  With employee turnover and job reductions, many companies are paying for phone lines and services no one is using.
• Contract review and renegotiation.  A thorough review of your contracts and associated costs will often reveal several easy cost savings options.  Renegotiating contracts with your carriers to obtain more favorable terms is an essential component of telecommunications expense management.

Ensuring the success and profitability of your business is a high stakes job, which means that keeping expenses in line and negotiating contracts with favorable terms is a battle which is only ever increasing.  With the assistance of the spend management experts, these tasks become much easier. 

The NPI spend management team is a hands-on group of experienced negotiators that specialize in the fields of telecom, transportation and information technology.  Each member of our team has years of experience in the industry they support.  Knowing firsthand what vendors are willing to compromise on, means we can quickly lead your business to cost-savings and spend management success.

The goal is simple: provide assistance with the re-structuring of contracts to achieve fair market pricing and favorable terms.  Our partnership approach to spend management begins with an in depth analysis of business practices, and continues through an ongoing dedication to finding new ways to reduce expenses and improve operations.  Our spend management service includes market analysis, vendor audits, price benchmarking and assistance with contract negotiations. 

But where to turn your focus? NPI focuses on transportation, telecom and IT – areas with the most volatile expenses any business faces.  We also look to uncover opportunities for cost savings and more favorable contract terms which result in both long and short term gains for the bottom line.

From small parcel shipping and international freight and logistics, to IT infrastructure and telecommunications expense management, choose a team which has the experience, knowledge and commitment to find spend management solutions that will benefit your business. 

Contact us today to learn more about NPI and our approach to spend management.