Hot topic in politics: the expenses of the Flemish government to consultancy

There is commotion within the Flemish parliament about the expenses towards consultancy. Different amounts are displayed in the media, which vary a lot. This is because it is unclear which costs count as consultancy and which ones do not. The media uses different concepts within their messages like consultancy, outsourcing, advising, etc.

Some of the named amounts are about costs for advising, which is seen as (classic) consultancy. In other cases, the amounts imply costs that the government is outsourcing. This is not only about services that deal with policy, but also for example for catering or cleaning companies. While the parliament discusses this, we would like to provide more explanation about the two concepts.

Consultancy 

A term that popped up in the discussion was ‘consultancy stricto sensu’: ‘hiring in extra knowledge or a second opinion’, which we see as classic consultancy. It is therefore advice based on a certain expertise. At iCredit, we approach that concept a little differently. When a company knocks on our door, we make a thorough analysis of the situation. We identify problems and look for effective solutions, which we then implement on the shop floor. So our finance consultants do more than just provide guidelines from the sidelines. They temporarily take over the function and take care of the operational part. The consultants join a finance department for a certain period of time and then also sit in the office there. They will remain on our payroll. For example, your organization can replace a sick employee, reduce peaks in workload, or strengthen the team in anticipation of permanent recruitment. In short, a temporary solution to an acute problem.

Outsourcing 

Outsourcing means that you, as a company, engage another company to take over a service. A simple example of this is cleaning companies that keep the office of another company clean. So this is about service. iCredit also offers such a service under the name CREDIRE. The focus is specifically on credit management: our credit controllers handle the debtor management of other companies from A to Z. It is about long(er) term cooperation. CREDIRE takes full care of the customer’s credit management and does not work with temporary consultants. The employees are affiliated with CREDIRE and are located in the iCredit branches.

What are the benefits of outsourcing? First of all, your debtor management is in good hands. Our experienced team members have the right skills and expertise to streamline and optimize your debtor management.

Outsourcing your credit management gives you the opportunity to concentrate on your core business. By using our outsourcing services, you can save valuable time and resources that you can spend on what really matters: growing your business.

With CREDIRE as your outsourcing partner, you enjoy continuity. We take over many of your finance department’s concerns. After all, you no longer have to deal with problems with staff loss. We ensure that your debtor management always continues undisturbed.