Expanding the Results: With the success and testimonial at a single office, we tailored a targeted email campaign to all Ameriprise offices in the region explaining specifically what their savings could be. Results at one office could be parlayed theoretically to 10,000 similar operations around the country

1. Case Study - Ameriprise Financial
Above the Standard Procurement Group, Inc. ®, www.atspg.com

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Case Study - Ameriprise FinancialOctober 15, 2012
T
his client partner approached us via personal contacts and word of mouth.
They are a small office of six professionals, which is very typical of the
Ameriprise model. National Ameriprise offices are locally owned franchis-
es responsible for their own operations, advertising, sales, and staff. In Rochester
alone there are five Ameriprise offices. This is in contrast to other financial ser-
vice companies that maintain a centralized infrastructure and management, such
as Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney, and other notable financial institutions.
Because they are an independently operated small office, it was determined dur-
ing our no cost assessment that they were unable to take advantage of any type
of leveraged spend and were paying a disproportionate amount for office related
materials and services.
Spend Analysis Conducted
An on-site meeting and full spend review revealed that the single largest spend
item by far was office supplies, mostly toner and paper. Other categories had
small potential for future engagements, including telecom and payroll. Other
categories were not auctionable like building rental, utilities, and insurance.
Office Supplies
Office supplies are purchased by an administrative assistant who uses the Staples
Reward on line system to order and receive. It was managed fairly well with
monthly discounts taken advantage of and rewards point used.
Savings project conducted
„„ With six month’s worth of purchasing data a bid package was developed us-
ing a representative market basket of materials.
„„ A Request for Proposal was sent to four potential suppliers including the in-
cumbent Staples, Office Max, WB Mason, and FM Products (local distributor).
„„ Proposals were requested for basket of top purchases plus delivery plus other
value add products or services they might offer.
„„ Staples Advantage was selected by the client, which is a selective tiered
program offering discounts to larger accounts. By positioning the client as a
part of a larger potential buying group (Ameriprise overall), the discounts are
higher than a single office might achieve.
„„ Staples was brought in to assist with the implementation and highlighted sev-
eral other areas of spend that the client could utilize Staples for – janitorial,
coffee, and merchandising.
Company
Name
Ameriprise
Financial –
Pittsford, New
York Office
Industry
Financial
Advisement and
Services
Initial
Need(s)/
Project(s)
Cost Reduction
with
Operational
Spend

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Case Study - Ameriprise FinancialOctober 15, 2012
3
Results
After implementation, savings on office supplies was documented to be 20% on
same-item sales. Furthermore, alternative products (generic paper, remanufac-
tured toner) presented a significant level of potential savings if the client chose
to take it. As for service level, a local representative was on-site to meet with the
office and establish a relationship for future service. The bottom line result, just
for this one area, was thousands saved per year.
The client office was pleased enough to offer this testimonial on the project. They
said:
“We have utilized Above the Standard Procurement Group with great success in
saving time and money. As a small office we do not get the leverage of a corporate
buying contract, and quite frankly, we do not have the time to analyze every pur-
chase we make. Their competent team reviewed our expenditures and leveraged
their network of suppliers to provide a significant cost savings to us, with minimal
time effort on our part. It probably is the best investment you can make in your
business to control costs going forward, and we highly recommend their services.”
Richard C. Oaster, CFP, MBA, CDFA, Ameriprise Financial Services, Pittsford NY
Expanding the Results
With the success and testimonial at a single office, we tailored a targeted email
campaign to all Ameriprise offices in the region explaining specifically what their
savings could be. Results at one office could be parlayed theoretically to 10,000
similar operations around the country.