March'23 Newsletter

Welcome to Spring (almost!) and our latest client newsletter. We're delighted that so many clients are finding the publication interesting and relevant to their growth, innovation and improvement agendas. ??

Client organisations tell us they are still struggling to find the expertise they need for projects and new initiatives. Our marketplace is changing the way they find and engage this expertise, making it quick and easy to scope, search and select the support required.?

In this edition we take a look at the challenge of getting value for money when engaging consulting and contractor expertise. We hear from a recent client success, meet one of Portevo's NEDs, and ask the simple enough sounding question, 'What is strategy?'.?We hope you enjoy the read.

How do you get value for money from consultants and contractors?

It sounds like an obvious premise; any engagement of external expertise should deliver you, the client, the value you expect from it.?

And yet, as in most markets, getting true value for money requires effective market competition, something which can be in short supply when buying consultancy and contractor services.

Large firms dominate marketshare despite their relatively small footprint, according to?Consultancy UK. In the UK, mid-sized and large consultancy firms account for around 7% of the entire market by number. Larger firms, however, account for the lion’s share of consulting revenue. Revenues generated by the world’s top ten management consultancies exceeds $50bn per annum - that's as much as 50% of the total industry spend!

While there are thousands of highly skilled, qualified and capable independent consultants and contractors, it can be almost impossible to check experience and recommendations from your existing network. The result? Clients are often left playing a kind of LinkedIn lottery in trying to select an expert based on an untested profile and a gut feeling – and that could spell disaster for any mission-critical work.

The fact that you're reading this article would suggest you're open to a new way. You can?learn more?about finding better value by reading our latest insight paper. Or you can jump right on in and take a look at?how?to take advantage of the choice and access we offer through the Portevo marketplace.

Client?Success: Wasabi

It's now 20 years since Wasabi opened their first branch in Embankment, London. Founded on a passion for fresh, authentic, handmade Japanese sushi and bento, the business remains at the cutting edge of contemporary convenience food. The Wasabi Way is to deliver a fast and affordable experience for everyone, a requirement they kept top of mind when looking for some external help recently.

Wasabi needed to drive a strong innovation agenda in their Information Technology (IT) Operations. Working with the Portevo marketplace, they engaged an experienced Management Consultant to take ownership of a portfolio of responsibilities aimed at ensuring the success of the company's IT operations. Over the course of the engagement, the consultant provided strategic guidance and operational leadership to help Wasabi leverage the latest technologies and achieve its business goals.

Speaking about his experience of working with Portevo, Wasabi’s UK Managing Director, Tom Sugarman said,

"Engaging with Portevo was a painless process. The quality of the consultants offered through their marketplace was excellent and we were able to select the perfect match for our requirements."

Learn more?about why clients are choosing Portevo as their expertise partner.

Inside or Outside IR35 - now you can choose

So another Budget goes by without so much as an acknowledgement of the burden IR35 continues to place on so many businesses. However, we are happy to say that the Portevo marketplace can now help you engage top expertise either inside or outside the scope of IR35, depending on your situation and preference.

Every client engagement on Portevo undergoes a robust determination test, using the market leading?IR35Shield?service. While typically our Statement of Work engagement model results in a project being outside IR35, for those falling inside we offer clients and consultants the?ability to continue with the project while we manage all PAYE/NICS and pension liabilities.

If you'd like to learn more about this option, do get in touch.

More from our 'Insights' collection

Towards the end of last year we launched of our new knowledge base,?Portevo Insights. We continue to regularly publish new content, with the simple aim of sharing practical applications of experience and expertise.

As a repository of guidance and innovative ideas, we hope it’s already providing practical support that helps with everyday decision making and management. While you’re free to explore the site on the link above, we’ve shared one of the latest pieces below.

NEW: What is strategy?

Many that have studied Business will readily attribute more than the meaning of the words alone to the question above. It’s just over a quarter of a century ago that Michael Porter’s seminal paper by this title challenged the conventional wisdom of the Lean thinking that was coming to dominate business in the 90s.

For those not familiar with it, Porter posited that Operational Effectiveness, defined as performing similar activities better than rivals perform them, was not a sustainable way to compete. This of course typified much of the then popular Lean philosophies, such as continuous improvement. Far better, Porter argued, to do what he called ‘Strategy’, which he defined as performing different activities from rivals or performing similar activities in different ways. By positioning on this basis a company can outperform rivals by establishing a difference it can preserve. It must deliver greater value to customers or create comparable value at a lower cost, or do both.

The reality of course is you need both - great strategy and operationally effective execution. If you’re looking to refresh or renew your strategy, why not check out our ‘How to’ guide for ideas and inspiration. And if you need some expert help, take a look at the Portevo marketplace where you’ll find over 300 independent consultants that can support you on Strategy and other business challenges.?

Read the full article by clicking?here?or on the image above.

Meet the Portevo team -?Anna?Somaiya?

Anna?is a Non-Executive Director and Portevo Board Member.

With a career spanning over 30 years, she has extensive technology and people leadership experience, operating globally at C-suite executive and board level across a multitude of industries, including the ‘Big Four’. As well as being a Portevo NED, Anna is the chair of a homeless charity in her local community. She continues to mentor a number of women in business and is an independent advisor to a number of clients across digital transformation, compliance, strategy and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I).

?Anna won the Management Consultancies Associations (MCA) ‘Most Outstanding’ Award, the Women in Banking and Finance Award, We are Tech and Women in Tech Excellence Awards 2020 and 2021, and We are the City and Women in IT Awards.?

Anna says, "The Portevo strategy is bold and brave in its approach to deliver consulting-as-a-service.?I'm delighted to be part of the journey; exciting time ahead."

“Using the Portevo marketplace we were able to source consulting expertise quickly and easily, who were then able to work alongside us to scope and shape one of our strategic concepts."?

Jacqueline Johnson North, CEO,?IAOCR

Where are your current expertise gaps?

If your organisation is facing the challenge of sourcing great expertise, be it for consulting projects or interim engagements, strategy or operations, business or IT, our extensive network of over 300 independent consultants may be just what you need.?

So if you have a resourcing gap, now or planned, why not learn more and see if we can match you with the expertise you're after.