10 Steps to Buying in Bulk at the Best Prices

When procuring materials in bulk for commercial build projects, it is critical to gain the lowest price possible whilst also maintaining quality. But a number of pitfalls can present themselves including issues with delivery times, poor compatibility of materials and incorrect specifications.

Here are our top 10 tips to help you avoid the problems, gain the best price and quality and maximise the success of your procurement project.

1. Trust the professionals - Using well-established suppliers who are experts at what they do removes a lot of uncertainty.
2. Use good communication - Begin the dialogue early with supply chain and relevant parties.
3. Establish early information - Ensure information on stock levels and lead times is established early in the process.
4. Be ahead of the game - Obtain quotes well in advance of when you expect to place the order.
5. Forward order - Pre-ordering as many of the products as possible.
6. Agree delivery times - Agree when the goods will be delivered using narrow time frames with as specific times and dates as possible.
7. Work on the same page - Providing drawings to relevant supply partners can ensure all parties are working from the correct information.
8. Standardise the products - Standardise as many products as you can. This ensures that each product is completed to an acceptable standard every time.
9. Avoid shortages - Order with the aim of having a conservative oversupply. Shortages can cost a disproportionate amount to projects.
10. Use approved suppliers - Use suppliers with the relevant Quality Approvals and Accreditations.

In an increasingly complicated and fast-paced world, it is essential to keep ahead of your project procurement. In our experience, following these steps will help you to procure bulk materials at the best prices and without compromising quality. At FixFirm, we also further improve the process by taking a proactive, partnership approach. This includes:

• Setting up contracts on a nationwide basis so that all sites can have the benefits of discounts for bulk buying.
• Ensuring agreements are across a broad range of products, which allows for efficient and cost-effective bulk buying.
• Saving time and money for our customers, for example by using our nationwide agreements to minimise pricing discrepancies.
• Setting up a list of products where prices have been pre-agreed, enabling our customers to manage and control costs effectively. 

With a progressive approach, FixFirm has over 45 years’ experience of helping customers manage the procurement process. Our FixFirm First service makes ordering easy and guarantees superfast delivery, anytime, anywhere, of more than 10,0000 products we keep in stock or on site. Our experienced technical sales team will be very glad to assist with your next application to show how you can benefit. 

Click here to find out more about our product range and customer service or call us on 0800 594 44 44 to discuss your requirements