Companies work with an assortment of groups, from collection agencies to hiring agencies, to supplement and support their core services. Outsourcing is a common practice for businesses today in areas including staffing, corporate services and recruitment. A corporate travel agency may be used to handle travel arrangements for company employees. Staffing companies and recruiting agencies help organizations address their manpower needs, and collection agencies are selected to improve companies’ bottom lines. These non-core expenses can consume a significant part of a company’s budget. Experienced ERA consultants analyze supplier costs in expense categories like these to help clients recover cash flow.

When organizations need to reproduce content or graphics (reprography) through methods such as scanning, photography or digital printing, they often call in a managed print services provider. Managed print providers help companies evaluate and manage document output devices used for printing and imaging. Architectural/engineering blueprints, maps, indoor and outdoor signage, corporate graphics and legal exhibits are all examples of document and image reproductions. To unlock additional managed printing solutions savings for their clients, ERA consultants complete a thorough review of managed print services expenses. If there are opportunities to recover cash flow from this supplier base, “managing” managed print solutions just became a lot easier.

Whether it’s providing food or meals on or off-site, businesses and institutions incur costs related to food services, including food catering services. Catering companies often work with organizations to prepare and serve food at various business and employee events. ERA collaborates with clients to help them improve cash flow by reducing expenses from their supplier base, taking a close look at corporate catering services, the costs associated with food service distributors, and costs of food service supplies.

It can be email or “snail mail,” but every business relies on mailing services offered by various mailing companies. ERA analysts who are familiar with businesses’ corporate mail and business mail needs work regularly with clients to review mailing services expenses. From mail server services for email to bulk mailing costs, ERA helps organizations find additional savings to boost cash flow, and helps them build the best supplier relationships at the lowest cost.

Pens, paper, staplers, CDs, binders, toner cartridges and more are business essentials. Companies of all sizes use office supplies every day, and these expenses can add up quickly. ERA assists organizations in managing expenses from their supplier base, bringing “insider” knowledge about suppliers and pricing to clients in areas including business supplies. Are the cheap office supplies promised by office supplies distributors really the least expensive? Are bulk office supply purchases always the lowest cost alternative? ERA consultants will review costs to enhance cash flow.

Printing services, and the need for printing supplies, vary widely from business to business. Books, magazines, brochures, posters and other documents are examples of printed materials, yet each of these jobs may be printed using different processes and equipment depending on color, quantity and other variables. Some companies require commercial printing services from printing companies who handle large-scale business printing needs, beyond standard desktop publishing. ERA works with organizations to help them uncover print management savings opportunities across the spectrum of printing services, adding dollars to the bottom line.

From an operational viewpoint, the day-to-day aspects of running a business may be relatively predictable. The right people and processes are in place. Yet for specialized expertise, organizations often contract with professionals outside the company for various business professional services. A corporate lawyer, or business attorney, is often a contract resource. Companies may also retain the services of a legal services corporation, an IT managed service provider, architects, management consultants, physicians and others depending on their needs. Knowledgeable, experienced ERA consultants work with clients to review professional services expenses including corporate attorney fees to assess cost-savings opportunities.

Business records management is the practice of controlling an organization’s important records from records creation and records storage to disposal, and every industry is subject to state and federal regulations for records compliance. Companies today depend on electronic records management systems and records management software to ensure the integrity of payroll, financial, medical, government forms and other records. Records management also includes electronic document management systems to store paper documents in a digital format. As one of the world’s leading networks for cost, purchase and supply management, ERA’s goal is to help organizations find savings across major expense categories such as records management.