Problem Statement

This HFS client, a global sports company, was looking to transform its finance function into a transformed global end-to-end GBS.
To achieve this, the client engaged HFS to identify, evaluate, and drive consensus decision- making.
In-depth financial and contract advice enabled the client to select a primary business partner for delivery of O2C, S2P, R2R services with the assurance of predictable expense obligations and improved service level outcomes.

Solution

HFS Sourcing Advisors applied the finance & accounting (F&A) market intelligence to inform what was possible and to refine the evaluation producing a short list of three suitable partners.

To undertake this, HFS did the following:

• Engaged nine F&A BPO firms to establish interest and leadership attention
• In partnership with the client, created the RFP and evaluation model
• Guided the client through partnership fit, leading to three finalists being evaluated against:- Organization alignment and fit
  – Favorable risk alignment, reflected in the governing MSA
  – Contractually committed financial modelling
  – Cultural fit on knowledge transfer and employee experience
  – ESG alignment
  – Leadership and business alignment
• Pricing and contract negotiation with a chosen F&A partner

Outcome

HFS Sourcing Advisory delivered both advice and guidance through project artifacts and meeting support. The experience of sourcing advisors helped both project sponsors and key stakeholder groups move forward with confidence. We provided both project and management reporting documents and interfaced hand-in-hand with the client at all steps of the evaluation, selection, and negotiation.

With the delivery of our work, the client gained:

• An aligned partner willing to accept business risk during transition and ongoing operation
• Knowledge of post contract provider management, enabling expansion of service with marginal “growth friction”
• A portfolio of service providers, including those not selected, that felt they had been professionally evaluated and retained growth opportunities
• Confidence that they had invested in their own capabilities to assess, prioritize and make great strides towards being the transformation engine for the enterprise