Bill Audits for Overhead Costs

Cut Utility Costs and Other Regular Expenses

A review of your third party invoices is not really an audit. Many people call it a “bill audit,” because it’s an easy way to refer to the process of carefully examining every line charge on your invoices for errors, overcharges, refund opportunities and rate options. We are not auditors. We are a team of experienced analysts who work daily with the industries that provide the services you need to keep your company running. We are independent consultants and have no alliances with those providers, so our focus is on your business alone. These services might include energy, waste removal, telecom and other overhead costs.

What are Overhead Costs?

Overhead costs are a fact of life that all businesses grapple with. These expenses, also called indirect costs, do not depend on the level of services or goods your business produces. They are usually the costs for outside services that your business contracts with another entity to provide; you pay that entity for those services over a period of time. Overhead costs include utilities such as electricity and natural gas, waste removal, telephones, rent, uniforms, landscaping, snow removal, security, shipping, cleaning services, maintenance, payroll services and more.

It is important to manage overhead costs, because they add up over time and account for a significant portion of an organization’s budget. Don’t assume you have no control over these costs. We can help. Most of our customers found that they were paying more than they needed to. We know how to find hidden opportunities to reduce costs, usually without changing providers or usage.

Find Refunds, Lower Expenses

Our overhead cost reduction programs offer an in-depth examination of your monthly bills that can point to optimized rates and significant savings. Cost Control Associates will:

• Identify areas of improvement
• Uncover billing errors
• Obtain refunds
• Analyze rate choices​

It’s important to have an experienced consultant like Cost Control Associates in your corner. We are industry experts who work with you to understand your facilities and usage. We work as a liaison between you and your providers to ensure you have the best rates available to match your business needs. Our specialties include:

• Energy: Regulated energy utility companies offer many choices. Our analysts understand the rates and tariffs for every state and can help you determine the optimal choice for your organization. Because of the complexity of utility billing structures, errors can go undetected for years. We use our expertise to find those errors and get the best rate for your organization.
• IT & Telecom: Telecommunications present an ever-growing expense that changes as quickly as the technology supporting it. Telecom providers offer a variety of services, but rate structures are complex and your usage needs change. Multi-page bills with cryptic line items make it hard to determine the accuracy of your charges and often lead to undiscovered errors on your monthly invoices.
• Waste Removal: Waste removal costs continue to grow as regulations become more restrictive and recycling requirements change and grow. Many organizations do not realize the potential to control waste costs in other ways such as improved recycling programs.

PLUS:

Additional Cost Saving Services

Data Analysis and Review

Benefit by ongoing cost savings. While our Cost Recovery and Reduction program offers a one-time (or periodic) review of your utility and other expenses, we also offer ongoing Data Analysis and Review services which provides continuous analysis of your costs and ensures that you are paying optimal rates going forward. While most cost reduction programs provide automated system checks, Cost Control Associates takes a deeper dive to validate billing and data accuracy. In fact, when we perform secondary reviews for clients who receive such audit services elsewhere, we regularly find additional reductions and refunds.

Cost-effective Lighting Services

Rely on efficient lighting and energy. A lighting upgrade may be just what you need to reduce your utility operating costs. With available rebates, we can often cut the pay-back period to less than two years! Not only do lighting retrofits cut energy costs, but they also cut maintenance costs. Our complete turnkey solution includes an initial review to determine your savings potential, facility audits, recommended solutions and complete installation services. We’ll even remove the old fixtures.

Deposit Recovery

Find cash with deposit recovery. If you’ve opened and closed utility and other accounts with your providers, there’s a good chance you’ve left money on the table. We review company deposit policies and work with account representatives to determine what deposits you have paid. We then negotiate to reduce or recover your deposit dollars and verify that the money is credited or returned directly to you.