By Anke Georgi, Head of Procurement, Agent Mgmt. & Centralized Invoicing, Brandstock

In order to ensure quality, efficiency and value for our clients the Brandstock Group has built its own network of associates called the Preferred Associates Network (PAN).

Created in 2012, our PAN includes 250 associates covering over 200 jurisdictions that have been carefully selected, from among thousands of IP firms, for their professional excellence and competitive prices. We work with our PAN firms on all client projects, unless a client prefers us to work with one or more firms of their choosing; we do not insist on using our PAN and, unlike most other providers, always give our clients the choice.

We have a dedicated procurement department whose responsibility it is to manage our PAN firms as well as dealings with others firms that clients ask us to work with. Nothing stands still in business and IP services are no exception. Our procurement team is constantly engaging with our PAN firms over process improvement; use of Brandstock proprietary platforms; changes in local laws and practices; and more.

In our experience, good working relationships are best achieved where there is real human contact and time given to learning about each other’s interests and needs. INTA presents an ideal opportunity to meet our PAN firms face to face and so this year our procurement team was again there in force to make the most of it. While Orlando has many distractions, our procurement team held some 55 meetings with individual firms during an intensive four-day marathon of business and social engagement.

Brandstock uses the INTA Annual meeting to host a gathering of all PAN firms at which we present our business and services as well as our plans for the future. Some of our clients also take the opportunity to speak to our PAN firms about specific global projects and initiatives that they are or will be working on. Our next meeting will be in 2017 in Barcelona for which preparations are already underway.

If you want to receive more information about our PAN network, please contact us!