FAQs

We work hard and do a good job. What makes you think you can do better?

• Based on our extensive experience, no company buys perfectly in every area.
• We can assign as many people for as much time as necessary to produce lower costs for you. Unless your purchasing department has the manpower necessary to dedicate a team of people exclusively to cost reductions it’s impossible to achieve the best possible pricing.
• PMA draws on a database compiled from researching and negotiating with thousands of suppliers over a wide range of industries - often dozens of times with a given supplier each year. We have the luxury of using the work you have already done to qualify suppliers and set product specifications.

We have so many things to do. Why should we take time to work with PMA?

• Because most employees cannot invest as much time in research and negotiation as PMA can. We will devote our professional staff to producing results for you. You need only to give us a list of your suppliers, addresses, and annual spending; speak with us briefly about your suppliers; and make decisions about PMA’s cost-reduction proposals.

Why should we work with PMA when we can do the same work ourselves?

• Because, in most cases, you cannot do the same work - because your staff cannot focus exclusively on reducing costs, cannot draw on an extensive supplier database such as ours, and cannot produce results as quickly

How will PMA interact with our staff?

• With sensitivity, directness, and honesty - the same way we interact with your suppliers. For a cost-reduction project to be successful, your buyers and end-users must support our process. We will make sure they understand our intentions and strategies and we will involve them as much or as little as they would like.

If PMA is successful, how will it reflect on our purchasing staff?

• We cannot substitute for the work they do - placing orders, controlling inventories, scheduling production, setting specifications, etc. We will confirm those spending areas where your price is competitive and we will identify additional opportunities for you to lower prices, gain refunds, or earn rebates from existing or alternate suppliers.

Could PMA damage our supplier relationships?

• In working with more than 6,000 suppliers over 15 years, the spend management team at PMA has never once damaged a client / supplier relationship. In fact, it is our goal to improve your relationships with your suppliers. We use the knowledge gained from our extensive marketplace research to speak with your suppliers directly, with respect and consideration. We treat suppliers fairly and we typically work with leading suppliers time after time.

Why would a supplier work with PMA?

• Our comprehensive and timely marketplace research, reported directly to your suppliers, motivates them to improve their pricing and/ or services. Suppliers also have the opportunity to expand their business with your company or earn business from other PMA clients. As an independent party, PMA listens to your suppliers in a way you may not, enabling them to express their thoughts, ideas or grievances - and get a quick response.

What happens after PMA's initial involvement with my company ends?

• Our goal is to train your employees in our philosophy and methods so they can view their performance objectively and continue to attack costs. PMA remains available for consultation about specific suppliers or large purchases, and we can revisit spending areas from our initial cost-reduction project. From our experience, even when our price-monitoring stops, your savings continue into the future.