Keep your bottom line clean
There are a range of options to consider when choosing suppliers and products for cleaning and washroom. Make sure you are forearmed with the right information before committing your spend.
Cleaning and Washroom products may seem a little out of sight and out of mind. Yet these do represent a sizeable amount of spend for businesses every year. This is because products such as toilet paper are an essential item.
There are special requirements for cleaning that are also part of many businesses. This category includes everyday cleaning through to food and industrial cleaning. It also includes the types of paper products used in bathrooms and kitchens.
Choosing the right products can be more complex than you think:
- Products designed for the consumer market are rarely suitable for a commercial environment. This may be due to safety, special requirements or just heavier usage.
- Determining best fit-for-purpose can be confusing with a wide range of products.
- The quality vs price equation is not always obvious.
- Undertaking price comparisons may not be straightforward. For example, different sheet sizes, single or double ply on paper towel, toilet paper etc.
Transparency creates accountability
Supply Clusters provides transparent reporting on Cleaning and Washroom products. All available 24/7 through our member portal. Simply sign up to our Standing Offer arrangement and your data will be available. Members have access to their data including detail on every single transaction. Join today and start saving on Cleaning and Washroom products. You will see all the detail you need to manage your needs:
- Quantity and Spend by period
- Purchases by cost centre
- Transaction level detail on each product ordered
Things to look out for when choosing cleaning and washroom products
Sign on bonuses
Like some other commodity industries, a sign-on bonus is sometimes offered. This an up front payment for awarding the contract. While it may look lucrative to you in the short term – the supplier will always recoup this money over time. These “incentives” can also lock you into volume or time commitments.
Pack size confusion
It is common for different brands of similar product to come in different sized packs. Then there are different pack sizes in individual packages (e.g. 200 vs 250 sheets). There are also bulk packs for both chemicals and paper to consider. Suppliers may use these opportunities to swap in a cheaper priced product.
The cheaper alternative
This involves the substitution of a cheaper product in place of a premium or branded product. Generic brands may offer valid ways to save over branded products. So it is important to ensure that these products deliver the same result. Without harsh or less eco friendly chemicals.
Product substitution
It is a challenge for many suppliers to maintain adequate stock levels. When stock runs out an alternative product is often supplied to meet demand. Sometimes this alternative product may have a higher profit margin. This type of market behaviour may be more common than you think.
Deliver a Cleaner Result
Like Office Products, considering the Cleaning and Washroom category is not as simple as it may appear. Here are some things to consider:
- Increase your leverage by consolidating this category spend with other commodity categories.
- Look at rationalising the product range to make it easier to manage the range as well as negotiate price.
- Choose a provider has the ability to provide specialist advice.
- Ensure that the range is broad enough to offer both brand name and quality generic products.
- Authorisation controls for ordering outside the list of contracted items.
- Ordering controls limiting the range that is available for order.
- Small order size controls to avoid delivery charges or penalties.
Supply Clusters Offer
Supply Clusters partner with Winc for your cleaning and washroom product needs
Supply Clusters members receive the following benefits from Winc:
- Free spend analysis. Save time – have our team of analysts do it for you.
- Reduce the number of vendors and standardise products to maximise savings.
- A contracted basket of over 1000 cleaning and washroom products.
- Manufacturer discounts available only to Supply Clusters members.
- No delivery fees.
- Ordering and buying behaviour compliance tools.
- On-line portal to access your spend data.
- Volume rebates (Premium Members) across all spend with Winc.
