FAQ

Due to the specific nature of our service, there are often misunderstandings about what we do. Think of us like your go-to service for your procurement and sourcing needs.

It is important to understand that we are not a trading company. We do not resell or distribute goods or services, hold inventory, or represent any business entity on the market. We work for and represent our clients in the market. 

We support you in finding the right supplier, service, or product. From initial market research to supplier selection, we are here to assist you. Learn more

Think of us like your go-to service for procurement and supplier sourcing, like how you might use a real estate agency for finding properties, an accounting firm for managing finances, an employment agency to find the right talent, a travel agency to plan the perfect trip…

Let’s say you wish to buy a radiator. You browse different shops getting information about the size, price, design, brand, warrantees, service support… to find the right source. 

You’re doing sourcing without being aware of it on a frequent basis. Let’s put it in a real life situation. Think of your behavior when buying a pair of shoes and the process you do when walking around browsing different shops getting information about your size, price, design, brand, purpose of those shoes etc. All that time consuming information gathering is sourcing. Which will ultimately filter out what pair you want to buy according to your wishes.

Now imagine that in the business context and get a few more people and different demands involved in your shoe purchase. One person tells you that leather needs to be of a certain type (technical), another person tells you that shoes shouldn’t be more expensive than XY because of different tax regulations (finance). Third person tells you to buy a specific type of anti-slip sole for your shoes because you are going to walk in it on wet surfaces, (health and safety). 

Now this process is not only time consuming it is becoming frustrating is in it!? We do all of that for you.

Sourcing is a crucial task in the buying process. It primarily manages risks because you are picking from the market with whom you want to work with or buy from. Look at it as a preventive action to choose to commit to someone according to your needs and terms. Hence, avoiding potential problems escalating later through chain reaction affecting your day-to-day business operations. 

It directly affects your bottom line, because anything saved in the sourcing stage will directly go to your earnings. There is a catch though, it is a highly time-consuming task that requires a lot of patience and effort. 

 We handle it for you, allowing you to focus your time on tasks that are more important for your business such as your customers, production, employees…

We primarily target small and medium-sized businesses that do not have dedicated procurement departments. It is crucial for these businesses to contact us when they have significant purchases vital to their operations. We are here to help you prevent problems before they arise.

Businesses often struggle with procurement and supplier sourcing due to lack of internal resources, particularly time. We focus on businesses that have outsourced their procurement processes to e.g. accounting service providers, encouraging them to entrust their procurement needs to experts like us at Alt-Source.

Based on our experience, we can assure you that considering the time spent and the risks involved, our services are a much more cost-effective option than handling procurement as a side project while managing your daily tasks.

Given the current geopolitical situation and sustainability pressures, European companies are being pressed to look for alternatives to their current Far East supply chains. Therefore, we aim to partner with and assist companies seeking access to the European supplier base, especially price-competitive Eastern European production hubs such as Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Serbia. Our contacts in the region and language skills are at our clients’ disposal.

We also have partners and connections in Turkey, India and China. 

People often forget that time is the most valuable resource – you can’t get it back. The tasks we handle for you will greatly benefit your company but require a lot of time. Use our services to free up your time for more valuable activities, such as increasing sales, boosting production, or finally taking that long-overdue holiday.

We’ll always protect your interests in the market and keep you informed of market trends and potential disruptions so we can jointly take corrective or preventive actions.

We act as a filter between you, the market, and suppliers. We screen the market and filter out unnecessary information and unreliable suppliers, saving you from numerous phone calls, meetings, and emails. This ensures you get what you need under commercially acceptable terms.

We categorize products and services from our client base. This grouped purchasing and bargaining power leads to better pricing than going to the market alone.

We analyze your spending and supplier base, providing up-to-date information and reports to help you make informed decisions. We offer objective suggestions to assist you.

Our approach is systematic, and we are committed to long-term support. We start by building a solid foundation to create a resilient supply chain for your company, reducing exposure to market risks, fraud, and disruptions. You’ll be well-informed about where your money goes and why.

1. Free of charge Initial Meeting: During this meeting, we address any questions and, importantly, discuss your user requirements and needs in detail.
2. Negotiations on the price for our services according to our price list and we estimate the time frame for completing the task.
3. Upon mutual verbal agreement, we sign a Master Service Agreement and a Non-Disclosure Agreement. 
4. We get to work. We give you feedback and keep you informed all the time to stir the project in direction you want it to go. 

Book initial meeting.

We offer fixed and daily rates pricing options:

For more info on packages, visit the Pricing page.

Project pricing is negotiated separately, depending on the level of support you need and the project’s complexity. Again, we’ll agree on this during our free of charge initial meeting.  Contact us now.

Due to its time -consuming nature sourcing can’t be done in a few hours, in a few phone calls and emails. As well as time, sourcing requires patience and a lot of backward/forward communication with potential suppliers (We call it email ping pong). It is not possible for us to keep time on a fair and transparent way to be able to invoice you accordingly.

We scan different regions to source suppliers for you who can deliver what you need, and those suppliers are often located in different time zones. Literally, during the day, we do not have classic working hours.

No, we don’t. We get rewarded for our time and effort for relieving you from time-consuming tasks and working in your best interest. Our goal is to get you the best deal on the market; find the best product, service and supplier that fits your requirements.

However, we do not control the market and prices, so we can’t guarantee savings every time and all the time. 

Our performance cannot be measured by the “target price” set by buyers. We believe this is an unfair and often unrealistic demand, so we do not enter into such agreements with any of our clients.

However, we can conduct market research for you to explore your pricing, planning, and budgeting options.

We are certified consultants in public procurement in Croatia. However, it’s important to clarify that public procurement is not our primary focus, and we are not legal professionals. Our expertise lies in procurement within the private sector.

Nonetheless, we are well-equipped to assist our clients in preparing for public tenders by leveraging our experience and conducting thorough market research. This ensures that their offers are competitive and well-positioned for success in public tender processes.

Importantly, we can assist companies required to follow Croatian or EU public procurement processes in researching the market, pricing, suppliers etc. to prepare their public tenders.

While we are happy to conduct market research for almost any product or service, we want to make it clear that we don’t claim to know everything. When meeting a new client for the first time, we believe in being open and honest about whether we can provide assistance, or not. This determination depends on the complexity of the project and the expectations from both parties. 

Nevertheless, our procurement expertise and professional backgrounds lie in the following categories:

• Material Handling Equipment and Machinery (including spare parts and consumables)
• Other machinery and equipment (including spare parts and consumables)
• General day-to-day supplies and consumables
• HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) equipment and supplies
• Warehousing & Transportation
• IT & Telecoms
• Professional Services.
• Engineering Services.
• Office & Print
• Marketing services and products
• Meetings & Events Management
• Fleet Management
• Pharmaceutical and Laboratory Supplies 
• Hospitality industry equipment and supplies. 
• R&D services 

• You’ll have more time to focus on what is important to you: selling more, producing more, or having a private life.
• Group purchasing and bargaining power will increase your competitiveness and profits.
• Less bureaucracy for you as you’ll spend less time on mundane tasks.
• Reduced risk exposure by knowing the market and being matched with vetted suppliers that meet your needs. Importantly, you’ll always have options and alternatives.
• Less urgency and stress with a systematic and planned process.
• A no-nonsense approach: we value honesty and transparency, and we’ll tell you as it is. You’ll always get our opinion, but the final decision is always yours.
• The commercial terms you get from us are the best we can find in the market. 
• We’ll never double charge; we don’t take sales commissions from suppliers. We are paid by clients and clients only.
• We work for our clients and always protect their interests.
• We are a small and enthusiastic team, and you can expect a proactive and hands-on approach from us.
• Access to European suppliers, especially price-competitive Eastern European production hubs such as Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Serbia, etc. Our contacts and language support are at your disposal.
• Access to India, Turkey and China by using our contacts and connections in those markets.