Most CFOs Overpay
10-40% on Indirect Costs
R5 uses a data-driven, contingency-based approach to reduce and control indirect operating costs—clients only pay for measurable savings.
Why CFOs Choose R5 Cost Reduction
Most finance leaders suspect they're overpaying on telecom, utilities, waste, and bank fees, but they lack the time or benchmark data to prove it. R5 closes that gap. We identify vendor overcharges hidden in your invoices, secure fair market rates, and validate savings without disrupting relationships.
No Internal Bandwidth to Find Overcharges
Your team lacks the time to audit invoices for hidden fees and rate creep. We handle the forensic work, so you reclaim margin without adding workload.
Vendors Exploit Organizational Silos
The people approving invoices rarely use the services. Vendors exploit this disconnect to inflate costs. We bridge that gap with category expertise and benchmark data.
Cost Cuts That Don't Require Vendor Disruption
Switching providers risks service interruptions and strained relationships. R5 optimizes what you already have, preserving partnerships while eliminating waste.
One-Time Cuts Rarely Last
We validate your cost reductions each month to ensure they remain in place and continue delivering measurable value.
The R5 Cost Reduction Process
You only pay when savings are delivered. Our streamlined approach requires just 3-4 hours of your time and zero service disruption.
We start by understanding how and where your money moves.
Gather vendor payment history from your accounting system.
- Categorize spend by service type, location, and vendor.
- Identify high-impact categories with the greatest savings potential.
You gain a clear, data-backed view of your costs - often for the first time.
Next, we measure your current rates against market intelligence.
Compare pricing and terms to industry benchmarks.
- Expose hidden markups, redundant fees, and outdated service agreements.
- Build a custom savings plan based on your vendor mix and footprint.
Without benchmark data, you're setting terms blind. Vendors know this. We help level the playing field.
Our experts take the lead in vendor discussions on your behalf.
Manage vendor discussions to secure better rates and terms.
- Leverage benchmarking data to justify every concession.
- Document changes for financial and audit transparency.
You benefit from expert vendor management without wasting internal bandwidth.
We ensure savings turn into measurable results.
Implement updated service agreements and confirm new pricing.
- Validate lower rates appear in your next billing cycle.
- Install controls to prevent future cost creep.
Savings mean nothing if they don't show up on the invoice. We make sure every dollar lands where it should.
We don’t stop once savings begin. We safeguard them.
Audit monthly invoices for accuracy and compliance.
- Catch billing errors or unauthorized increases.
- Recover refunds or credits directly from vendors.
Vendors will try to claw savings back over time. Our ongoing validation ensures what you saved in month one is still yours in month twelve.
Who We Work With
We serve middle-market companies with multi-location operations and complex vendor footprints. If you're managing recurring costs across telecom, utilities, waste, or banking, and suspect you're overpaying, we've helped companies just like yours.
Don't See Your Industry Listed?
That doesn't mean we can't help. Vendor overcharges exist across every sector. Send us an invoice and we'll tell you exactly what we can recover.
Why Finance Leaders Trust R5
We deliver measurable savings without the risk, disruption, or vendor changes that make cost reduction projects fail. You keep every relationship intact. We make sure you're paying fair market rates.
Zero Risk, Guaranteed ROI
You only pay a portion of verified savings. No upfront fees, retainers or costs if we don't find waste.
Fast & Easy Execution
Most projects finish within one quarter and require just 3-4 hours of your time. We handle everything else.
Savings That Show Up and Stay
Results appear on your next invoice with full documentation. We validate monthly to ensure they stick.
No Vendor Changes Required
We optimize your current agreements using benchmark data. You keep every relationship while we eliminate overcharges.
Where We Deliver Cost Savings
Most finance teams lack the time and benchmark data to challenge vendor pricing across these recurring expenses. That's where R5 steps in. Our experts specialize in the categories where overcharges hide and savings are substantial
Hidden monthly charges are uncovered and account fees reduced using benchmark data from comparable institutions.
Your FX spreads are benchmarked against market rates, then realigned to reduce international transaction costs.
Processing statements are audited for inflated interchange rates, then restructured to lower per-transaction expenses.
Per-employee fees are analyzed and reduced across check runs, tax filing, and ancillary service charges.
Inflated assessments are challenged using comparable property data to permanently reduce your annual tax burden.
Policy classifications are audited and premiums reset based on accurate risk profiles and verified claims data.
Transactions are audited for compliance errors and overpayments, and any errors are corrected to recover refunds and ensure proper tax treatments going forward.
Payroll data is audited to identify eligible wage expenses, then credits are captured and filed to recover refundable federal and state incentives.
Rate structures and demand charges are analyzed, then competitive supply pricing secured to lower monthly utility spend.
Supply rates are benchmarked against market pricing while delivery charges exceeding standard tariffs are eliminated.
Surcharges and delivery fees are identified and removed while per-gallon rates are benchmarked to secure volume-based pricing.
Meter reading errors and incorrect rate classifications causing overpayment on usage charges are identified and corrected.
Plan allocations are audited to secure lower per-line rates while removing charges for unused features.
Circuit inventories are analyzed for duplicates, then active service rates realigned to reduce ongoing telecom costs.
Unused licenses and auto-renewals are identified, then optimized multi-year pricing implemented to cut software spend.
Reserved instances and storage usage are audited, then service terms restructured to eliminate overprovisioned resources.
Maintenance agreement pricing is benchmarked, and reduced call rates secured while keeping your current service provider.
Scope versus pricing is analyzed to align rates with true square footage and service frequency.
Per-piece pricing is benchmarked and lower rental costs obtained without compromising garment quality or inventory standards.
Invoice pricing is analyzed against distributor cost files to capture rebates or reduced case pricing from suppliers.
Agency markups are benchmarked to achieve lower bill rates while maintaining candidate quality and placement speed.
Container sizes and pickup schedules are audited, then haul-rate reductions implemented based on verified volume data.
Item pricing is compared to group purchasing benchmarks, then optimized service agreement pricing is established with existing distributors.
Cylinder rental fees and per-unit costs are benchmarked, then lower pricing tiers secured aligned with consumption volume.
Shipment profiles are analyzed to secure discount tiers that accurately reflect your true volume and service mix.
Freight class pricing is benchmarked and accessorial fee caps established based on lane-specific carrier competition.
Lease terms are compared to market rates, then lower equipment rentals obtained along with discounted ink supply pricing.
Don't See Your Spend Category Listed?
R5 audits invoices across the full spectrum of indirect spend. Share a recent invoice or statement and we’ll tell you exactly what we can recover.
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions CFOs ask us most, answered clearly, so you know what to expect before we start.
We only get paid when you save money. Our fee is a percentage of verified savings that appear on your invoices - no upfront costs, retainers, or risk. If we don't find savings, you pay nothing.
About 3-4 hours total. You provide 12 months of vendor payment history, review our findings, and approve changes. We handle all analysis, vendor optimization, and implementation.
We focus on indirect operating costs: telecom, utilities, waste, bank fees, merchant services, SaaS, cloud hosting, shipping, and facilities services. If it's a recurring vendor expense, we can likely optimize it.
No. We optimize your existing agreements and relationships. You keep every vendor, we just make sure you're paying fair market rates without hidden fees or markup.
Most clients see savings within one or two billing cycles after implementation. The full engagement typically completes in under one quarter from start to finish.
Yes. We build protections into updated agreements and validate invoices monthly. If vendors attempt to raise rates or reintroduce fees, we detect it immediately and recover any overcharges.
Then we'll confirm that with benchmark data - at no cost to you. If we don't find savings, you don't pay. Either way, you gain confidence that your costs are optimized.
We use market data and proven strategies to secure concessions, but if a vendor won't adjust and no savings materialize, there's no fee. You're never at risk.
We don’t just identify overcharges - we correct them. Our experts handle vendor discussions, implement improved terms, and continuously monitor invoices to ensure savings stay locked in for the long term.
We request only the payment history needed for analysis, transfer it securely, and restrict internal access. Your data is handled with strict confidentiality controls at every stage.
You're Either Overpaying or You're Working with R5
Let's find out - at zero cost to you. Most CFOs we work with find out they’re overpaying by 10-40% on telecom, utilities, waste, bank fees, and more.
