When Allison Thompson, Head of Strategic Finance at Public, sought to cut costs by 20%, she knew their existing vendor management tools weren't up to the challenge.

The Challenge

Allison Thompson and her team at Public were struggling with an inefficient vendor management system. As the head of strategic finance, her goal was clear: achieve a 20% cost reduction. However, their current tools were falling short, leaving them frustrated and without the comprehensive data they needed.

Initially, Public relied on Tropic, a Spend Management tool that seemed promising at first. But as Allison described, “It felt like a leaky bucket.” Tropic couldn’t support all of their vendors, lacked the ability to provide a full picture of their vendor data, and its incentives didn’t fully align with Public’s objectives.

In an effort to bridge the gap, the team temporarily resorted to using Google Forms and Google Sheets. This makeshift solution was far from ideal, lacking the necessary sophistication and integration for effective vendor management. “What the BRM team has built is one million times better,” Allison remarked, reflecting on the difference BRM made.

The Search for a Solution

Public needed more than just a workaround; they needed a comprehensive solution. The team was looking for a platform that could standardize their purchasing process and deliver a complete, accurate view of all vendor data. BRM emerged as the clear choice, offering the unified "system of truth" that Public required.

BRM wasn’t just another spend management tool. As Allison put it, “BRM is like looking through the front windshield, while spend management is like looking through the rearview mirror.” With its forward-looking capabilities and seamless integrations, BRM was easy to deploy and immediately began delivering value. Within no time, BRM became a cornerstone of Public’s operations.

Using BRM

Centralized Vendor Management: Today, BRM is the backbone of Public’s purchasing and vendor management processes. Employees across the organization rely on it as their go-to platform for all purchasing and renewal activities. By integrating directly with systems like NetSuite, Okta, Brex, Google SOO, Gmail, and HiBob, BRM provides a centralized, real-time source of truth for vendor spend and contract status. BRM’s automatic contract discovery and extraction ensure that this source of truth never gets out of date as Public signs new agreements. 

Automatic data gathering & easy insights for Legal and Compliance: The legal and compliance teams have seen a significant transformation with BRM. Previously bogged down by manual work - reading through privacy policies and legal agreements - these teams now save time with automated data extraction. Additionally, because BRM automatically stores all vendor agreements, the legal team can quickly find the information they are looking for.

AI-Driven Vendor Management with brAIm: Because BRM’s AI functionality, brAIm, is deeply integrated into the product, context about vendors is only a chat away, making vendor management incredibly easy and efficient. Whenever Allison wants to check the status of a renewal, she simply asks BRM via Slack and receives an instant update. This level of convenience and real-time access to information has been a game-changer for Public, saving time and reducing the need for manual follow-ups.

Transformational Results

The transition to BRM has yielded significant benefits for Public. Allison was initially skeptical when BRM was described as “automagical,” but she quickly realized it wasn’t a  sales pitch—the tool truly delivers. Stakeholders now save valuable time, accessing updates and contract details without the need for cumbersome manual follow-ups. 

Perhaps most importantly, BRM has been instrumental in helping Public achieve their 20% cost reduction goal. With centralized, easily accessible data, the team makes informed decisions during vendor renewals, leading to better outcomes and more cost-effective agreements.

Looking Ahead

With BRM, Public has not only solved their immediate challenges but also laid a strong foundation for future success. Allison and her team plan to continue leveraging BRM to enhance their buying processes, ensuring they maintain control, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in all vendor dealings.