Automated bonus settlement reduces the workload of controlling, trade partners and suppliers

Contract Company Services GmbH & Co. KG is the market-leading purchasing and service cooperation for owner-operated construction material specialists, timber distributors and DIY retailers in the construction segment. Contract Company acts as an intermediary between almost 80 members and more than 800 suppliers in Germany and Austria. In order to achieve the best purchasing rebates for the large number of locations and suppliers and to guarantee a prompt and automatic bonus settlement and distribution, Contract Company has been relying on IBB's BONSAI software since 2018. Despite rapid growth, the purchasing company has saved a lot of time in processing rebates and has minimized processing errors significantly since implementing BONSAI.

The corporate structure of Contract Company has become increasingly complex since its foundation in 2006: New members and suppliers are constantly being added, which has resulted in a fast increase in purchasing volume. Before introducing BONSAI, various manual systems were used for managing rebates. This meant that various Excel sheets had to be filled manually, which made evaluations and settlements especially time-consuming and prone to errors. In 2017, the capacity limit was reached, and a new solution needed to be found. “We scouted for a software that offered everything from a single source: Rebate management, bonus settlement, bonus distribution. It was particularly important to us that the software processed all data automatically and in an audit-proof way. BONSAI by IBB convinced us and has been a constant part of our daily work since 2018,” says Dirk Gibowsky, Managing Director of Contract Company.

PROMPT BONUS DISTRIBUTION, EVEN UNDER RAPID GROWTH

Gudrun Schleyer, responsible for controlling at Contract Company, works with BONSAI on a daily basis and knows first-hand what relief the switch to the system has brought: “BONSAI by IBB creates a transparent overview of all agreements. We can always identify where we need to renegotiate or adjust our purchasing volumes to get the best possible conditions for our members,” says Schleyer. “We are particularly pleased that we can now distribute bonuses promptly and also during the year, which is a great added value for our members. In the past, bonus distribution was only possible at the end of the year as a result of the necessary efforts.” Since the introduction of BONSAI, the corporate structure has continued to grow. Twelve new members have been added, representing about 50 locations. “Despite our rapid growth, thanks to BONSAI by IBB we always are able to keep track of everything and can continue to guarantee our members the best service,” says Schleyer.

REDUCED WORK FOR SUPPLIERS THROUGH THE BONSAI PARTNER PORTAL

Most of Contract Company’s suppliers use the BONSAI Partner Portal, which enables secure and efficient data exchange between trade partners. “Our customers can request turnover reports from any supplier intuitively and with little effort. The input interface is optimised specifically for each supplier and turnover data is automatically assigned to the relevant location,” explains Robert Schellander, Head of Support at IBB Adaptive Solutions. “Keeping track of turnover figures for suppliers meant an enormous amount of work before the switch. The BONSAI Partner Portal accelerates this process and we get a lot of positive feedback for the ease of use,” says Gudrun Schleyer. Among other things, the members also benefit from transparent detailed invoices that display even extensive amounts of data in a clear and structured manner.

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND ONGOING DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOFTWARE

Contract Company viewed several solutions before choosing BONSAI by IBB. “No other software could be tailored so individually to our requirements. IBB immediately understood our complex company structure and the challenges involved. Consequently, the first consultation was already crucial for our decision,” recalls Jannik Schwarz-Ewert, assistant to the management at Contract Company. Moreover, the project team is particularly satisfied with IBB’s ongoing service. “When we have urgent inquiries, we are immediately assigned a contact person. If something changes at our company, BONSAI can be adapted to the new requirements by IBB without any problems and in a cost-effective manner,” concludes Schwarz-Ewert.

About Contract Company:

Contract Company Services GmbH & Co. KG is a strategic purchasing and service cooperation for owner-managed specialist, timber and retail dealers in the construction segment and is part of the hagebau network. It originated from a merger of BHP (Baustoff Handels Partner GmbH) and N.O.V. (Nord-Ost-Verbund) in 2006. With 79 members in Germany and Austria and 360 wholesale locations for building materials, timber distributors and DIY retail locations, it is the largest association within hagebau.

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