This is not a trick question.
If success matters to you, it is a deadly serious one.
This true story explains why ...
Yesterday a company contacted us seeking help in preparation for the tender process they want to participate in.
What they needed urgently is to create two Safety Data Sheets adjusted to fit Croatian chemical regulations. (Besides they wanted us to make sure these two are and make sure registered and certified in the Croatian Institute for Public Health - CIPH in short)
They told us they already have SDS in their language. When we looked at those SDSs, they were each long 64 pages; altogether 128 pages. They wanted to have a quote from the translating agency and our fee to adjust these SDS. They insisted this is necessary to participate in the tender process.
Well, the offer from translating agency for these two SDSs was €1.436,56. And the deadline was 8 working days.
But we didn't just go ahead with this.
We asked the company to give us a couple of minutes. Dragica, CEO of BENS Consulting Croatia (dragica.valek-grasovec@bens-consulting.eu) has helped many companies when tenders in question. She felt something wasn't right and that's why she stopped the whole thing there and then.
Dragica knew that till now there was no need for Extended SDS to be part of tender documentation in Croatia. Just »regular« SDSs are enough. After reviewing tender documentation Dragica found what she suspected. Here's the excerpt of tender documentation relating to SDS part:
- Translated SDS in Croatian Language.
- To pass the technical evaluation, the SDS for the two products must be registered and certified in the Croatian Institute for Public Health (CIPH in short).
So, Dragica came back to that company saying BENS Consulting can help them in less time and with a fraction of the previous translation costs. The company paid just €120 per SDS and they'll receive them in couple of days.
To return to my initial headline – Dragica saved this company €1.196,56 in 2hours and 23 minutes. These are real measurable savings. Money in your pocket as they say.
Now, why am I telling you this?
Because recession is (according to media) around the corner. And while working harder, faster, and longer might increase your productivity, it doesn't change the fact that you're still doing the wrong things.
It simply cannot replace the fact that we aren’t doing the right things in the best way possible. And there is a big difference between what you think is necessary and what is truly important.
This story from yesterday demonstrates the power and added value of somebody knowing their business inside out.
We can help you get back on path with SDS management that saves our clients tons of time and money.
Just email me and I'll get back to you.