Leveraging effective negotiation to deliver up to 50% more value for a major international airport

The issue

  • Frontline ‘negotiators’ not trained – Teams lacked clarity on effective, strategic negotiations
  • Power balance leaning to suppliers – Although the airport had leverage, suppliers secured favourable contract terms
  • Costs above benchmark – Costs were identifed as 20% to 40% above benchmark for critical success

Solution

  • Benchmarking & Research
    • Gained clarity on the as-is situation. Conducted supplier forum
  • Build Strategy
    • Tenders, direct negotiations, demand management
  • Deliver Negotitations
    • Reduced costs, and aligned supplier contracts with strategic goals
  • Train Stakeholders
    • Equipped them with best practices to ensure long-term value in contracts
  • Operating Model Change
    • Ensured cost savings are locked in the organisation for the long term
  • Build Future Roadmap
    • So the organisation can use the training and model to deliver further savings

The results

  • Training and Development of Client Team
    • Empowered the client team with strategic procurement and negotiation skills, resulting in more balanced contracts and enhanced decision-making capabilities
  • Client – Supplier Power Dynamic Changed
    • Rebalanced power dynamics, shifting leverage back to the client and achieving more favourable contract terms
  • Cost Reductions Delivered
    • Achieved over $7 million (AUD) in savings and improved negotiation outcomes by up to 50%

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    5-year strategic plan to uplift recurring revenue by 80% through organic growth within four years

    The issue

    • Our clients was experiencing significant changes in the largest customer segment
    • Leading to a material decline in client revenues
    • EBITDA fell below business case targets

    Solution

    • Sized the UK medical consumables market for 10 segment, including private acute, NHS, care homes
    • Created a vision for the organisation in collaboration with the client senior leadership team
    • Shortlisted target segments to drive organic growth
    • Developed win strategies and business model options for each segment
    • Identified approaches to extend treatment and care pathways into a patient’s home
    • Developed a 5-year financial plan including revenue projections and investments required

    The results

    • Identified multiple growth pathways to reach 80% revenue growth within four years
    • Developed a balanced framework of win strategies to drive incremental revenue and EBITDA growth
    • Generated a 5-year strategic plan, go-to-market launch and implementation roadmap to capture the identified incremental income

    Find out how we can solve the key challenges facing your organisation


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      Virginia Arguelles

      Senior Consultant

      Contact me

      +44 (0)1653 628596

      An experienced Senior Consultant with expertise in market entry, M&A strategy, and operational transformation across healthcare, infrastructure, and international business. With a strong regulatory compliance and sustainability background, Virginia has led strategic projects that optimise organisational performance, improve efficiency, and support expansion into new markets.

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      UK’s Leading Management Consultants 2025

      5th February 20251 Minutes

      We are delighted to have been recognised in the 8th annual edition of the Financial Times UK’s Leading Management Consultants 2025 Special Report

      Recommended across 12 categories an increase year on year, the annual rating, compiled with data company Statista is based on endorsements by clients and peers. It demonstrates our consistent year-on-year sector and service line growth.

      Consulting companies are awarded Bronze (recommended), Silver (frequently recommended) or Gold (very frequently recommended).

      Sectoral Expertise

      ·      Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals – Bronze 
      ·      Construction & Infrastructure – Silver 
      ·      Energy, Utilities & Environment – Silver 
      ·      Financial Institutions & Services – Bronze 
      ·      Healthcare & Life Sciences – Silver 
      ·      Insurance – Bronze 
      ·      Public & Social Sector – Bronze 
      ·      Travel, Transportation & Logistics – Bronze

      Consulting Services

      ·      Digital Transformation – Bronze 
      ·      Operations & Supply Chain – Silver 
      ·      Strategy – Silver 
      ·      Sustainability – Silver 

      Managing Partner Andrew Morgan said

      The FT Awards are a testament to our company’s continued growth, driven by our team’s exceptional talent and dedication. I’m truly grateful for their relentless commitment, passion, and ability to consistently deliver outstanding results for our clients.

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      Curzon Sponsors the 2024 AMBS Case Interview Competition

      17th October 20242 Minutes

      Curzon Consulting is thrilled to sponsor this year’s Alliance Manchester Business School Consultancy Case Competition.

      Introduced in 2016, the competition enables AMBS MBA students to showcase their skills, innovative thinking, and problem-solving abilities. It’s a platform that challenges them and provides them with real-world experience in tackling complex business scenarios in preparation for interview processes across a variety of industries.

      Curzon is a key recruitment partner for the full-time MBA programme, and everyone involved is excited to further develop this relationship. Last Friday, Curzon representatives Nigel Brannan, and AMBS Alumni Sarbo Saha, and Aziz Yuldashev, joined the group and were introduced to the students, leading them through an interactive case study session.

      We also heard from Class 2025 students Yasar W Khan and Syed Arhaam Ahmed from last year’s winning team, who both shared their top tips on how to succeed in the competition.

      The students now have a few months of preparation before the preliminary rounds begin in January 2025. We can’t wait to see how everyone gets on!

      Nigel said

      We deeply appreciate Chris Garnett and Nick Burrows for your support and are excited by the enthusiasm and energy of the participating MBA students. It’s a pleasure to partner with you on this valuable and enjoyable aspect of their course”.

      Thank you to Nigel Brannan, Sarbo Saha and Aziz Yuldashev for your assistance on the day.

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      Highly Commended in the 2024 MCA Awards

      16th October 20244 Minutes

      10 Years of Continued Success

      Huge congratulations to the Curzon Consulting team – marking 10 years of continued success at last night’s MCA Awards. Amidst strong competition, we proudly secured a Highly Commended award in the Commercial Impact category.

      This outstanding achievement is a testament to the incredible work of the joint Marston Holdings and Curzon Consulting team, who delivered exceptional results within an impressively short timeframe.

      The judges said this was a “project which used an imaginative approach and truly showed the power of a consulting team in delivering commercial benefits.”

      Commercial Impact with Marston Holdings Ltd

      Marston Holdings Ltd (MHL), a private equity-backed enterprise with a turnover exceeding £350 million. Primarily operating within the UK, the company caters to diverse sectors, prioritising services related to legal and regulatory obligations enforcement, including but not limited to parking enforcement, fine collection, and management.

      MHL embarked on a transformative journey to achieve remarkable growth, with a focus on unlocking substantial savings through a strategic procurement programme. In collaboration with Curzon Consulting, MHL aimed to address challenges such as insufficient spend visibility, dominant incumbent suppliers, and limited procurement influence within the organisation.

      Under the leadership of Curzon Consulting and CEO Martin Johnson, the project, named Project Eagle, aimed to drive sales, optimise costs, and enhance productivity. The procurement transformation programme set out to revamp MHL’s procurement organisation while delivering substantial savings.

      Curzon’s approach was multi-faceted, leveraging deep data analytics, innovative thinking, and tried-and-tested change management methodologies. The process involved three main workstreams: Spend Opportunity Assessment, Benefits Delivery, and Procurement Organisation Assessment.

      The Spend Opportunity Assessment phase involved a rapid analysis of MHL’s spend, identifying significant savings. Despite initial challenges, the team delivered the core assessment in less than five business days. Subsequent phases focused on implementing cost-saving initiatives, including achieving quick wins within the first two months.

      The Benefits Delivery phase saw the implementation of various procurement strategies across different expenditure categories, such as strategic sourcing, product harmonisation, and make vs. buy analysis. These initiatives led to significant cost reductions.

      Additionally, the Procurement Organisation Assessment aimed to enhance MHL’s procurement capabilities. Recommendations included restructuring the team, enhancing governance, and improving strategy and systems.

      Throughout the project, Curzon fostered a collaborative relationship with MHL, employing a unified ‘one team’ approach and acting as trusted advisors. A well-defined governance model ensured efficient communication and problem-solving.

      Despite challenges such as supplier resistance and stakeholder reluctance to change, Curzon overcame obstacles through pragmatic approaches, evidence-based reasoning, and stakeholder management expertise. The project delivered measurable results, exceeding savings targets by 28%, with a sizeable in-year cash impact. Qualitative outcomes included improved transparency in spend areas, satisfaction with new products, and enhanced trust in the procurement team.

      In conclusion, the partnership between MHL and Curzon Consulting exemplified resilience, innovation, and successful collaboration, resulting in significant cost savings and organisational improvements.

      Chetan, Stephane and the Curzon team were contracted to deliver an optimisation programme at Marston Holdings. The Curzon team approached the complex task with energy and professionalism, which was key to the ultimate success of the programme.

      The technical knowledge and capability of the Curzon team were clear from the start of the engagement and we had total faith in their capability to deliver the ambitious goals they had been set. Marston would recommend Curzon to anyone who requires the domain knowledge and experience of a capable consulting partner. We look forward to working with them in the future

      Martin Johnson, CEO, Marston Holdings Ltd

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      RECHARGE UK calls for new government to put renewed focus on skills

      25th July 20245 Minutes

      Specifically, the group wants to see radical changes to skills and training courses across the UK.

      This builds upon recommendations set out in the group’s report ‘Harnessing the skills opportunities of a recharged electric vehicle sector’ which explores how the UK can equip its workforce for the exciting opportunities emerging in the EV sector.

      RECHARGE UK is the EV arm of the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology). The report was produced in association with Curzon Consulting.

      Ahead of the General Election, Labour said it would provide Technical Excellence Colleges which would work with businesses, trade unions and local government to provide young people with better job opportunities and the highly trained workforce local communities need in this changing world.

      The government has now confirmed that it will establish a body to be known as Skills England, and reform the Apprenticeship Levy.

      A briefing document states that Skills England will ‘bring together businesses, providers, unions, mayoral combined authorities and government to ensure we have the highly trained workforce that England needs’.

      RECHARGE UK’s report calls for Centres of Excellence for Net Zero Skills which would see local employers sponsor courses at these sites, located in existing colleges and schools in the heart of communities. Providing additional funding, and resources to these education establishments. It would provide a clear and obvious pathway for post 19 education, where college and university graduates could specialise in net zero skills such as chargepoint installation and maintenance.

      The REA’s Transport Policy Manager Matthew Adams said

      We welcome the engagement Labour had with our skills report when they were in opposition. I hope that we can continue to have a strong relationship to deliver the change the industry needs to accelerate the deployment of charging infrastructure across the UK. The launch this week of Skills England prioritising the skills the UK needs going forward is a good start and I hope takes on some of our recommendations and recognises the challenges for each part of the EV sector from manufacturers, to installers and charge point operators (CPOs) to software providers and local authorities and technicians.

      The Climate Change Committee (CCC) estimate that by 2030, between 80,000- 100,000 jobs[1] could be created by electric vehicle and battery manufacturing in the UK. Meanwhile we are seeing a decline in the number of people qualified to operate and install electrical machinery. Since 2018 the number of people with electro technical skills has fallen by 19% from 342,000 in 2018/19 to 276,000 ± 10,000 in 2023[2]. 

      Research by Curzon Consulting for RECHARGE UK’s report offers a unique insight into current and future recruitment concerns by charge point operators (CPOs). Of those CPOs interviewed by Curzon, 75% of CPOs expressed the view that the current skills gap was “significant” to “very significant”. Recruitment is predominantly from outside the EV industry and 25% of CPOs stated that it took them two months to fill vacancies, with 42% experiencing a lag of three months or longer to fill EV electrician roles.

      Almost 40% of those surveyed also said that skills shortages were impacted by Geography. This highlights that a full national strategy like a Centres for Excellence programme could be beneficial in addressing the growing demand for electrical skills across the country.

      Most pressingly all CPOs surveyed said that demand for electricians would rise significantly in future and 48% said that demand would rise beyond what the current workforce could support.

      Natalia Sokolova, Partner, Curzon Consulting, commented:

      With the establishment of Skills England and the reform of the Apprenticeship Levy, we are setting the stage to bring together businesses, providers, unions, and government bodies to build a highly trained workforce. Our research evidences that we must go even further to create Centres of Excellence for Net Zero Skills. The time to act is now

      The report can be viewed here – https://www.r-e-a.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Harnessing_the_skills_Report-D2_Low-Res.pdf

      [1] https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CCC-A-Net-Zero-Workforce-Web.pdf
      [2] https://www.the-esp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TESP-2023-LMI-Refresh-879.pdf

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      Congratulations to Our 2024 MCA Awards finalists

      20th May 20249 Minutes

      Curzon Consulting Earns Recognition as Finalist in Two Management Consulting Awards Categories

      We’re thrilled to announce that Curzon Consulting has been shortlisted as a finalist in two categories for the 2024 Management Consulting Awards! This prestigious recognition reflects our team’s exceptional work and positions Curzon among the industry’s elite.

      Organised by the Management Consultancies Association (MCA), the #MCAAwards celebrate the transformative contributions consulting firms have made throughout the past year.

      Remarkably, 2024 marks Curzon Consulting’s ninth consecutive year as a finalist, solidifying our reputation for consistent excellence.

      Congratulations to all of the other finalists.

      Commercial Excellence with Marston Holdings Ltd

      Read More

      Marston Holdings Ltd (MHL), a private equity-backed enterprise with a turnover exceeding £350 million. Primarily operating within the UK, the company caters to diverse sectors, prioritising services related to legal and regulatory obligations enforcement, including but not limited to parking enforcement, fine collection, and management.

      MHL embarked on a transformative journey to achieve remarkable growth, with a focus on unlocking substantial savings through a strategic procurement programme. In collaboration with Curzon Consulting, MHL aimed to address challenges such as insufficient spend visibility, dominant incumbent suppliers, and limited procurement influence within the organisation.

      Under the leadership of Curzon Consulting and CEO Martin Johnson, the project, named Project Eagle, aimed to drive sales, optimise costs, and enhance productivity. The procurement transformation programme set out to revamp MHL’s procurement organisation while delivering substantial savings.

      Curzon’s approach was multi-faceted, leveraging deep data analytics, innovative thinking, and tried-and-tested change management methodologies. The process involved three main workstreams: Spend Opportunity Assessment, Benefits Delivery, and Procurement Organisation Assessment.

      The Spend Opportunity Assessment phase involved a rapid analysis of MHL’s spend, identifying significant savings. Despite initial challenges, the team delivered the core assessment in less than five business days. Subsequent phases focused on implementing cost-saving initiatives, including achieving quick wins within the first two months.

      The Benefits Delivery phase saw the implementation of various procurement strategies across different expenditure categories, such as strategic sourcing, product harmonisation, and make vs. buy analysis. These initiatives led to significant cost reductions.

      Additionally, the Procurement Organisation Assessment aimed to enhance MHL’s procurement capabilities. Recommendations included restructuring the team, enhancing governance, and improving strategy and systems.

      Throughout the project, Curzon fostered a collaborative relationship with MHL, employing a unified ‘one team’ approach and acting as trusted advisors. A well-defined governance model ensured efficient communication and problem-solving.

      Despite challenges such as supplier resistance and stakeholder reluctance to change, Curzon overcame obstacles through pragmatic approaches, evidence-based reasoning, and stakeholder management expertise. The project delivered measurable results, exceeding savings targets by 28%, with a sizeable in-year cash impact. Qualitative outcomes included improved transparency in spend areas, satisfaction with new products, and enhanced trust in the procurement team.

      In conclusion, the partnership between MHL and Curzon Consulting exemplified resilience, innovation, and successful collaboration, resulting in significant cost savings and organisational improvements.

      Chetan, Stephane and the Curzon team were contracted to deliver an optimisation programme at Marston Holdings. The Curzon team approached the complex task with energy and professionalism, which was key to the ultimate success of the programme.

      The technical knowledge and capability of the Curzon team were clear from the start of the engagement and we had total faith in their capability to deliver the ambitious goals they had been set. Marston would recommend Curzon to anyone who requires the domain knowledge and experience of a capable consulting partner. We look forward to working with them in the future

      Martin Johnson, CEO, Marston Holdings Ltd

       

      Performance Improvement in the Public Sector with National Highways

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      Responding to the UK Government’s productivity challenge, National Highways (NH), in partnership with Curzon Consulting, is delivering a transformational 30% improvement in productivity and can realise a multimillion pounds in savings by 2030.

      Over the past twenty years, the construction sector has struggled to demonstrate meaningful productivity improvements. NH set a challenging target of a 30% productivity improvement and a 5-10% cost reduction over Road Investment Strategy 2 (2020-25) and appointed Curzon as its strategic delivery partner.

      Significant progress has been made over the last year (23/24). There has been an average of 30% productivity improvement across monitored assets, and the percentage of hours lost has been significantly reduced. This achievement demonstrates the robustness of the standardised systems and processes that have been developed and deployed.

      Core enablement of the productivity improvement lies in the timely capture and reporting of performance via an innovative and interactive App, rolled out initially across the Tier 2/sub-contractor supply chain. This has enabled NH to make faster, informed decisions where there are significant variances to plan, enforcing greater accountability on the supply chain, identifying and specifying standards and best practices, and raising supply chain awareness of what good performance looks like. In turn, this has fostered greater collaboration between NH and its supply chain without requiring contractual amendments. Increased scheme predictability is tangible, with Tier 1s rebase-lining their schemes to include productivity improvements while modular design improvements and standardisation contribute additional value.

      Creating and implementing a digital productivity app and dashboard has provided NH with a consistent stream of standardised productivity data and relevant context directly from the point of delivery. This has brought about a positive change in how NH and the supply chain collaborate. For the first time, NH PMs are engaging in conversations based on intelligence gathered from the dashboard. With weekly progress reports, NH can now access productivity data insights to scrutinise and challenge the supply chain, which was impossible before.

      NH is using digital intelligence to collaborate with its supply chain, measure the productivity of key assets, and set improved productivity targets. They now have an efficient system for gathering, reviewing, and acting on productivity data. NH has developed a methodology to calculate productivity value and demonstrate efficiencies to the Office of Rail and Road. NH can now utilise the extensive productivity data for strategic procurement, commercial decision-making, and contracting.

      The 30% target improvement is being achieved or exceeded on most asset classes, giving NH confidence that improved productivity in Road Investment Strategy 3 (2025-30) will translate into multi-million-pound benefits.

      The Curzon team is making significant contributions. National Highways has been striving to set asset-level productivity baselines for over 10 years. The work we are progressing together is transforming how National Highways reviews project performance and is also beginning to inform wider industry Infrastructure Client Group.

      David Bray, Programme Director, National Highways

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      Concerns & opportunities: Harnessing the skills opportunities of a recharged electric vehicle sector

      8th May 20243 Minutes

      The recent RECHARGE UK report on ‘Harnessing the skills opportunities of a recharged electric vehicle sector’, in association with Curzon Consulting, explores how the UK can equip its workforce for the exciting opportunities emerging in the EV sector.

      It’s clear from the research that various concerns are prevalent across multiple stakeholders.

      The number one concern for all participants is attaining and maintaining a capable, skilled workforce. Cited through various frustrations in workforce shortages, EV skills gaps and funding. 

      DNOs, CPOs & Tech-Safe accredited organisations all struggle to recruit electricians with the relevant EV experience. Many indicate the existing workforce does not have the specific knowledge required to maintain the EV sector or the capability to meet the future demands of the industry, with little time to retrain.

      Forecasts predict a shortage of qualified technicians to service the growing number of electric vehicles. Skilled EV personnel are often lured by large contracts and concentrated in urban areas, leaving a limited talent pool for smaller organisations in rural communities.

      Similarly, Local Authorities, especially those in rural areas, work hard to attract qualified staff for EV infrastructure projects. With limited, temporary funding, they lack the budget to hire & retain experienced staff.

      Vehicle Manufacturers are concerned about recruiting staff across the entire EV design & manufacturing process. Reskilling the existing workforce will be an expensive challenge, with many traditional mechanic roles disappearing to be replaced by the shift to electric.

      Software Providers have similar recruitment challenges, with software development courses too focused on marketing applications and not enough on practical engineering applications.

      For those with specialised EV skills, sourcing and attracting qualified professionals is demanding due to low unemployment and high competition within the software development field.

      However, it’s not all doom & gloom… the report made four recommendations to ensure the EV sector can compete globally and meet the stakeholder concerns.

      As expected, the EV sector offers significant, job & career opportunities, for a diverse workforce, across the entire sector. However, a reform in education is required to ensure qualified, and capable individuals meet the needs of the industry.

      Upskilling and retraining to support the continued improvement and promotion of opportunities to the existing workforce and reskilling programmes, to ensure that those in the workforce without relevant skills, outside of the EV sector can access the growing number of opportunities on offer.

      However, for the sector to meet the demands, these recommendations require collaboration between the Government, the EV industry, and the Education sector.

      Details of the full report can be found here.

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      Harnessing the skills opportunities of a recharged electric vehicle sector

      23rd April 20242 Minutes

      We are honoured to be the official supporter of a new report “Harnessing the skills opportunities of a recharged electric vehicle sector”. The report was prepared by RECHARGE UK, the EV arm of the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) in association with Curzon Consulting. The report examines how the UK can equip its workforce for the exciting opportunities emerging in the EV sector.

      Research compiled from industry stakeholders explores four key recommendations all requiring collaboration between the EV sector, local & central government, and educators, to ensure the UK workforce is prepared for, and, has the opportunities to learn the relevant skills needed to shape a sustainable, capable workforce.

       

      Matt Western MP, Shadow Minister for Higher Education and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Electric Vehicles, said:

      If we are going to decarbonise our economy and take advantage of the green opportunities of the future, we will need a workplace capable of delivering it. That’s why this report by the REA is so important and I hope it positively influences the debate.

      There’s so much enthusiasm for the climate agenda among young people we need to harness. I want to see the Government commit to supporting colleges to specialise in the technical skills needed to build electric vehicles, as well as reform the apprenticeship levy to unlock funding for retraining and reskilling employees in the automotive sector.

       

      Andrew Morgan, Managing Partner at Curzon Consulting, said:

      Our contributing research with industry stakeholders on the frontline of the EV revolution shines a light on the exciting new career paths it is creating and the determination they are making to grow and develop the talent pool. It also underlines the urgent and continued need to do more and for industry to be supported by Government to match the efforts and underpin the continued expansion of the EV sector.

      Details of the full report can be found here.

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