We often bring up managed IT procurement when discussing other support services with prospective clients. They look at us with some bewilderment; they’ve never heard of it. Or, they have but they think managing contracts and suppliers as-a-service is the preserve of Big Enterprise, not SMEs.
Depending on what your business does, you may have tens – if not hundreds – of IT relationships in place to buy, build, maintain and manage the technology you rely on. As technology evolves, it’s not surprising that many businesses – of all sizes – are struggling to keep on top of a complex web of purchase orders, agreements, contracts, and licenses. At best, it’s a distraction from mission-critical work. At worst, it’s a serious drain on time and resources.
Managed procurement outsources that responsibility to a third-party like Neos. We have the scale and negotiating power to leverage our own network of IT vendors, partners and suppliers, as well as being able to define, purchase and configure the right tech for your business without fuss.
How managed procurement works
Put simply, the goal of managed procurement is to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure compliance with standards and regulations.
- Plan & Align
We work with you to get a clear picture of your IT requirements, aligned to how your business works and your regulatory responsibilities.
- Source, Negotiate & Buy
We work with our network of partnerships direct with vendors, and with wholesalers and distributors, to find the right technology at the right price.
- Build & Manage
After purchase, procurement transitions into our everyday support and managed services. We standardise hardware and software to fit the right role using the principle of least access to do a specific job, protecting your data and cyber security and maintaining compliance. We’ll also handle returns and inventory management – meaning no surprises.
- Maintain & Optimise
We’ve got years of experience (in some cases, two decades’ worth) across the hardware, software and systems we implement for clients. You’ll be getting best practices baked in from setup, followed on by market-leading levels of support and security. Throughout, we keep you informed on the status of your IT estate so you can assess upcoming spending and value delivered.
- Sunset & Repurpose
When hardware reaches the end of its supported lifespan, we work with you to transition over to something else, as well as finding green or charitable new homes for fully wiped machines.
Benefits of managed procurement for small businesses
Neos-IT’s Managed Procurement service:
- simplifies vendor, supplier and contracts management so you can focus on what’s more important
- augments your in-house capabilities and expertise, reducing the burden on internal resources
- increases compliance ‘as default’ by making sure technology is correctly purchased and configured from day one to the appropriate standards for your business
- lowers costs by negotiating at scale with the right vendors – both directly, through our partnerships with Dell, Logitech, HP and Microsoft, and through our relationships with wholesalers and distributors for access to competitive pricing and leading support.
Read more about managed procurement and working with Neos-IT.