Reducing Supplier Costs & Automating Admin for Local Businesses
I help local trade businesses, subcontractors, and growing independent operations reduce supplier costs and cut down on manual back-office admin. Professional commercial oversight with zero upfront risk.
How I work with local businesses
Success-Fee Basis
- Zero Upfront Retainer: We start with a straightforward 15-minute review of your specific operational challenges or commercial costs.
- Transparent Engagements: Cost reduction audits are 100% success-fee based. Automation workflows are fixed-fee, payable only after passing objective functional testing.
- Built for Small Operations: Pragmatic, direct assistance designed to build long-term local partnerships, not high-rate consultancy overheads.
Core Areas
Where Margin and Time Are Recovered
Price Benchmarking & Cost Audits
A forensic check on whether your current trade prices and supplier rates are still competitive amid persistent market inflation.
- Benchmark material, fuel, equipment hire, and subcontractor rates against current trade pricing
- Identify price drift and unapplied discount bands across your historic supplier invoices
- Negotiate improved pricing with existing suppliers or source reliable alternative suppliers
Supplier Sourcing & Discovery
Proactive supplier research to secure secondary sources, combat product shortages, and reduce single-point supplier dependencies.
- Detailed market research to uncover new, competitive manufacturers and regional distributors
- Establish direct trade accounts and supplier relationships tailored to your specifications
- Protect operations against sudden lead-time delays and regional supply disruptions
Back-Office & Workflow Automation
Cut down repetitive administration across emails, spreadsheets, accounting software, and job management systems.
- Automated quote reconciliation to return customer estimates faster
- Lightweight tools to match supplier invoices against purchase orders
- Custom notifications and workflows tailored to your existing software
Commercial Terms & Dispute Resolution
Practical commercial review when undertaking larger client contracts, framework agreements, or managing supplier disputes.
B2B commercial negotiation and dispute administration. Non-solicitor operational consultancy; not formal legal advice.
- Reviewing subcontractor agreements, payment terms, and retentions before signing
- Implementing simple purchasing controls to track expenditure cleanly
- Direct commercial assistance resolving supplier disputes and delivery discrepancies
Iman Sharif
Commercial & Operations Consultant
Background & Approach
Practical commercial experience and operational delivery
I bring over a decade of hands-on experience in commercial procurement, supplier sourcing, contract management, and process engineering across complex operations.
My approach is direct, numbers-led, and solutions-focused. I benchmark your supplier rates against current market pricing, negotiate competitive commercial terms, conduct deep supplier market research to resolve supply disruptions, build automated workflows to resolve admin bottlenecks, and improve operational supply chain resilience.
Qualifications & Accreditations
- ▪ LLB Law (First Class Honours): Specialism in Contract and Commercial Law, University of Hertfordshire.
- ▪ MSc Supply Chain & Procurement (Distinction): Prize Winner for Best Results, University of Strathclyde.
- ▪ MBA International Management: University of Dundee.
- ▪ Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (MCIPS): Full professional member.
- ▪ Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) & PCQI: Practitioner, Chartered Quality Institute; ISO 9001 Internal Auditor.
Commercial Clarity
Frequently Asked Questions
Under our SME Cost Reduction Agreement, I audit your recurring supplier lines against verified trade benchmarks. If I deliver an agreed unit-price reduction or historical refund, the agreed percentage fee applies. If no genuine, usable savings are delivered, you pay £0.00. Zero upfront fees, zero retainer.
No. In practice, having a constructive conversation with your existing suppliers backed by clear benchmark data often leads to improved terms without disrupting trusted relationships. You always retain complete control over whether to explore alternatives or keep things exactly as they are.
Fixed-deliverable automations (such as automated quote reconciliations or invoice check tools) operate under the SME Workflow Automation Agreement. You test the tool during a standard 7-business-day User Acceptance Testing (UAT) window—or an agreed longer period if arranged prior to testing. You only pay the fixed fee once the tool satisfies the objective acceptance criteria.
Minimal. We start with a 15-minute triage call to discuss your specific operational or commercial challenges. From there, you simply share whatever background you have to hand—whether that's a few sample invoices, trade quotes, or a description of an administrative bottleneck. I carry out the review, benchmarking, and solution design independently.
Have a specific commercial or operational challenge?
Arrange a brief 15-minute introductory call to explore practical ways to recover margin and time in your business.
Book an Introductory Call →