How GPOs Streamline Procurement for Corporate Food Services

The procurement process is an intimidating piece of the corporate food services puzzle. You want to present your people with the kinds of foods they enjoy—and that will keep them fueled up all day long—but how do you make that happen? And is it possible without overwhelming your schedule and taking time away from the many other things you need to do each day? 

Yes, it is possible, and working with a group purchasing organization (GPO) is an ideal solution. InReach makes that approach easy to implement, so give us a call today to learn more. A convenient, reliable food services program for your corporation may be closer than you think!

What Is a GPO?

A group purchasing organization is a network that combines the buying power of many organizations. It’s well-known that big buyers tend to get better prices and other advantages in the marketplace. As a small organization, those benefits can feel out of reach—but using a GPO like the InReach Alliance Network can suddenly make them accessible. GPOs are already a multi-billion-dollar industry and appear poised for significant growth in the years ahead. 

It’s not a stretch to say that turning to a GPO could transform your corporate food services program from something that feels like a hassle into a smooth, well-oiled process that delivers value to your people. The dollars you spend on food services should translate directly into improved employee satisfaction, engagement, and performance. That’s not how it plays out in many organizations, unfortunately, but GPOs have the power to make a positive change.

Make Supplier Management a Breeze

If you have been running a corporate food services program for some time, you already know the pain of managing a number of different suppliers. Each supplier is a relationship that you have to tend to, whether it’s negotiating rates, dealing with problems that arise, or simply tracking performance to make sure they are meeting your expectations. It’s an ongoing hassle and likely one of your biggest problems in the food service realm.

These struggles can be left in the past through the power of the InReach Alliance Network. When you purchase through our GPO, you will experience a streamlined process that instantly makes everything easier. We have more than 750 contracted suppliers in our network, so you’ll be able to immediately find whatever it is you want to purchase.

Cut Costs But Not Quality

Often, when you think about cutting costs, you think about sacrificing quality to secure those savings. That’s not always a trade that is worth making. Fortunately, when you switch to buying food and beverage items through a GPO, you don’t have to give an inch on quality in order to keep more money in your bottom line. 

The math here is simple. When buying through our network, you’ll effectively be making bigger orders, which means suppliers will be happy to give you lower prices. Nothing about the types of products you purchase has to change at all. Whether you are providing pantry services to your people, stocking up a micro market, or using any other system to make food and beverage options available, it will all come to you at a lower cost.

Use Data to Make Smart Decisions

Data drives modern decision-making in the corporate world. Going with a gut feeling is no longer enough—you need to have numbers that stand firmly behind everything you do. Good data tends to take corporations higher, and the story is no different when it comes to food services. 

As your orders add up, you can lean on data collected from those past orders to optimize your future choices. What products are you having a hard time keeping in stock? What products don’t seem to be as popular with your people, or go bad before they are consumed? Acting on the insights that your data offers, you can buy with confidence and know that you’ll continue to get more and more value from your purchases. 

You also won’t be alone in this process. Using the expertise of our team to help plan and execute your group buying and getting helpful insights from supplier partners means that you will have far more industry knowledge than you may have on your own. 

Scalable Solutions That Grow With You

It’s hard to accurately predict what the future will hold for your business. Sure, you have projections in place, but those are just projections. There is an element of the unknown that will always put a wrinkle in your plans. When it comes to food services, however, you don’t have to worry. Even as your needs change, you’ll easily be able to scale up with the help of the InReach Alliance Network. 

You may struggle to quickly scale up if you are handling all of your purchasing independently through a variety of suppliers. The overhead that would come along with managing that system can get out of control in a hurry. As you continue to grow and bring on more and more people, adjusting your ordering to stay stocked up properly will be a breeze.

It’s All About Serving Your People

As you think about the details of corporate food services and how to most effectively execute your program, remember to keep the primary goal in mind at all times. The whole point of these services is to make sure your people have what they need to thrive. Employees who are taken care of and given all of the resources to do their best work will always be more valuable to any organization. 

Using group purchasing organizations in food service can help you achieve these results. You’ll be able to pick from a huge variety of products and constantly update your product mix to align with changing tastes and preferences. Employees will notice the effort that has been made to improve food services and may wind up being more loyal to your business as a result. 

Better Results in Less Time—It’s All InReach

If your corporate food service program is taking up too much of your time and attention, it’s time to go in a new direction. Likewise, if the results you are getting now aren’t meeting your expectations, change is necessary. Fortunately, working with InReach and our group buying organization can solve both of those problems at once. Make your life easier, save money, and present your people with improved food and drink options. What’s not to love?

Proudly part of Sodexo, InReach offers global reach, customized attention, and a large, growing buying network that keeps food costs low and quality high. Contact us today to learn more.