Vendor coordination: one point of contact instead of chasing agencies, printers and freelancers

A company that uses an agency, a printer, a photographer and two freelancers has five contractors to chase and one person doing it on top of their job. Vendor coordination moves that chasing to us: you get one point of contact, and the contractors get clear briefs, deadlines and answers.

What does vendor coordination include?

A good contractor with a bad brief and no deadline delivers bad work. Coordination starts with what the contractor receives.

Coordination means taking over day-to-day contact with contractors on the company's behalf. We do not replace them; we make them work within one process:

• briefs: every contractor gets complete guidelines in one format,
• deadlines: a schedule shared by everyone, with monitoring and reminders,
• quality: we check that the work matches the brief and the brand before it reaches you,
• communication: contractors' questions come to us, and only what needs a decision goes to you,
• costs: we gather scopes and costs in one place, so it is clear what everything costs.

What does coordination look like?

1. We get to know the contractors and the arrangements. Who the company works with, on what terms, what works and what does not. We write down scopes and contacts.
2. We introduce a shared process. One brief format, one schedule, one place for files and feedback. Contractors get clear rules of cooperation.
3. We run it day to day. We brief, watch deadlines, receive the work, check quality and pass finished materials to you for approval.
4. We report and optimise. A monthly summary: who did what, how long it took and for how much. With conclusions on where the process can be improved further.

What do you get?

• one point of contact for all contractors,
• a shared process: briefs, schedule, a place for files,
• quality control before materials are passed to you,
• a monthly summary of contractors' work and costs.

When is it worth outsourcing coordination?

• when one person in the company chases several contractors on top of their own job,
• when contractors receive contradictory guidelines from different people,
• when deadlines slip and nobody knows what stage the work is at,
• when the company does not know how much it spends in total on communication with external contractors.

Frequently asked questions