Three markets for sector firms

Professional services (PS) is the largest sector in the UK and many other countries. PS firms typically operate in three interrelated markets:

• As clients to PS suppliers: Instructions between sector firms are worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually.
• As clients to non-PS suppliers: The sector is an attractive customer for banks, technology companies and many other industries.
• As suppliers to non-PS public and private sector clients: A multi-trillion-dollar global industry.

Commercial needs and pain points

The dual-zone Marketplace aims to enhance relationships and engagement between clients and suppliers through addressing commercial needs and pain points in the three markets, in particular:

• Clients wanting to improve their panel management and project costing
• Clients wanting to source well-managed expert suppliers with high team morale
• Clients and suppliers wanting a secure way to share confidential documents
• Suppliers wanting to promote their expertise and value-added services to pre-qualified clients

Design parameters

• Clients want suppliers to be endorsed by fellow clients
• Suppliers want comparable quality in supplier lists available to clients
• Clients and suppliers want control over content and personal details shared with others
• Commercial realities prohibit the same individual from acting as both client and supplier
• Suppliers avoid using an online market with percentage-based uncapped charges
• Commercial relationships are enhanced when clients and suppliers have a structured place to meet, exchange ideas and volunteer to help each other

Core services

• Commercial zone: Panel management | Project costing | Sharing confidential documents | Client needs | Supplier services | Alerts | Roundtables | Official panels | Peer comments | Referees | White papers | Sector news | External apps (Management excellence scores; Team morale scores; Relationship mapping; Custom landing pages)
• Collaborative zone: Volunteer | Make a request | Exchange ideas and issues through discussion forum

Eligibility

• Commercial Zone: Clients and suppliers with a membership of the relevant partnering association in the same country - see below. In addition, suppliers must be on an active client panel for the relevant market in the same country
• Commercial Zone: Suitably qualified individuals at clients, suppliers, intermediaries and Government, with no requirement for membership of a relevant association or inclusion on a client panel. 

Fees

• Commercial Zone: Suppliers are charged a fixed £500 transaction fee on each project with a gross value exceeding £10k sourced through the Marketplace, with a reduced fee for lower value projects. There is no charge to clients.
• Collaborative Zone: No charges