“I am pleased to have the opportunity to provide a letter of recommendation for Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services Ltd. We began our association with Lorraine Ashover, their Director, a little over 7 months ago and whilst our association has not been that long her company has always provided us with a high quality and first rate service at competitive rates. In particular Lorraine has enabled the College to make significant savings on our utility contracts, our reprographic function and most recently our franking machine contract. Her attention to detail when listening to our needs, identifying appropriate solutions and then presenting her findings has been exemplary. Her Procurement Audit Reports are comprehensive, free of industry jargon and identify the costs and savings involved with both current providers and proposed alternatives in a clear and unbiased fashion, leaving us free to make our own judgement on which proposal best suits our needs. Minerva’s ‘after-sales’ service has also been excellent. Lorraine runs her firm with integrity and skill and she herself is friendly, approachable and highly professional. She is readily available by both phone and email and her response to any concerns or queries has always been timely. For example, we experienced ongoing problems with the suppliers of one of our gas contracts, however having contacted Lorraine the whole matter was taken out of our hands and, most importantly, she worked with them on finding the best solution for us. Problem solving is an extremely time‑consuming and costly activity, and to be able to confidently pass this over to someone else in the sure knowledge that they are serving their customer’s best interest at no additional cost, has been a great bonus. The industry knowledge demonstrated by Lorraine and her team at Minerva has I am sure been the reason why they have been able to achieve such successful outcomes on our behalf, their business terms are straightforward and transparent, and I would recommend their services to you without reservation.”
Robert Lougee , Bursar, Salesian College Farnborough Limited
“Lorraine, thank you so much for the quick and efficient service you and Zenergi have provided to The Abbey School in regards to our gas and electricity contract renewals. It has been a lot easier than it ever was with CMR. In addition it’s very reassuring to know you will be monitoring our bills on an ongoing basis. We would be very happy to recommend your services to other schools.”
Tim Hartley, Finance Manager, The Abbey School
“Lorraine works in a very efficient and professional manner, and she has secured considerable cost savings for my school. We particularly like the ‘unpushy’ approach. Having known her for several years I have no hesitation in recommending Lorraine and her service to any other school.”
Alastair Graham, Headmaster, Hall Grove School
“It is now a month since the outcome of the negotiations that Minerva undertook on behalf of the School and that the resulting transport contract has been in force. Can I firstly say a very big thank you for the time you personally put in to obtaining the baseline information and the comparison of services and costs and briefing me on the results. The quality and standard of the groundwork and the final report was first class and exceeded all my expectations. As a direct result of your involvement we now have a supplier who meets an agreed and realistic specification, with proper terms and conditions in place, at a very acceptable price. I genuinely sleep much sounder at night knowing that this area of school operations is assured. As I said at the time, if it hadn’t been for Minerva I would still be using an unsatisfactory service provider, simply because I did not have the time available nor the necessary expertise to review and revise the situation I had inherited. Once again – thank you – and please stay in touch. If required I would unreservedly recommend Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services Limited for similar projects.”
Roger Walker, Director of Operations, Notting Hill & Ealing High School
“I cannot speak highly enough of Minerva Procurement and of Lorraine Ashover and her colleagues. I have been most grateful for the advice and help given in renegotiating better deals on everything from utilities to stationery with copiers, printers and postage in between. Lorraine is a delight to do business with and her cheerful and professional manner are always reassuring us that we are in safe hands. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, I can highly recommend Minerva Procurement to you.”
Tanya Hutt, Bursar, Lyndhurst School
“Minerva Procurement have been working with St Neot’s Prep School over the past year, during which time their dynamic and professional approach has been harnessed to deliver impressive cost savings over a wide range of procurement areas. The Minerva team demonstrate an in depth understanding of the challenges facing schools, which enables a targeted approach to problem solving. Their advice is always thoroughly researched and clearly presented, thus facilitating informed decision making. I am eternally grateful for their “can do” good humoured attitude.”
Andy Brown, Bursar, St Neot's Preparatory School
“Unlike the majority of Minerva projects, which are based on identifying monetary savings, the College engaged us on a consultancy basis knowing that they simply wouldn’t have the time available to conduct the project in the in-depth manner necessary. The annual spend across reprographics runs into many thousands of pounds and so a fully robust review which would stand up to bursar and governor scrutiny was essential. The College were delighted with the results and now have full functionality, cost efficient, provision across the site with the comfort of knowing they are using up to date technology. All of the objectives set at the outset of the project were achieved.”
Yvonne Horner, Office Services Supervisor, Bradfield College
“Minerva Procurement Consultancy was commissioned by Rookwood School Trust Ltd to conduct a review and audit of the Schools procurement procedures, suppliers and pricing structure. Our assigned consultant had worked as a Relationship Director, with a high street bank, with an industry focus on the independent school sector and therefore had a wealth and depth of knowledge of our requirements. From the outset it was evident that Minerva’s determined approach would root out any problems and ensure the School was achieving value for money in all key procurement areas. Consultants spent time on site with staff, gathered the relevant information and took it away for detailed analysis. This provided the benchmark from which options could be scrutinised. The completed analysis was produced in a detailed, clear and concise report showing the current state, what options had been considered and recommendations. The process has not only identified immediate savings, amounting to £000’s but has shown areas within the procurement process for improvement. Minerva Procurement Consultancy was thorough, detailed and analytical in their approach whilst not being intrusive. Their research was comprehensive and no stone was left unturned in looking for more economical alternatives. At the same time they considered other factors, such as current relationships with suppliers in making recommendations. They were happy to look at all expenditure lines from utilities to vehicle servicing to laundry. I would have no hesitation in using Minerva again, for any audit, small or large, and would recommend their service to anyone.”
Jonathan Frost, Bursar, Rookwood School Trust Ltd
“Lorraine Ashover conducted a very thorough review of Prince’s Mead’s cleaning requirement before shortlisting 3 potential contractors to be considered with the incumbent. The newly appointed contractor has now been in place for 4 months and providing an excellent service. Throughout Lorraine was very professional and often exceeded expectations in her delivery. I would have no hesitation in recommending her to colleagues.”
Richard White, Bursar, Prince's Mead School