Freight Audit and Payment Services: Stacking Up Savings

"More multinational companies are looking for a single-source supplier that can process and pay invoices on a worldwide scale, and give a single global data warehouse from which to analyze their distribution chain," says Keith Snavely, senior vice president, sales and promotion, for nVision Global, a McDonough, Ga.-based supplier of global freight audit, payment, and logistics management applications and services.
When firms analyze billing information to drive business decisions, "the transportation savings dwarf the audit savings," says Shannon Vaillancourt, president and founder of RateLinx, a supply chain support, technology, and solutions provider headquartered in Madison, Wis. "We catch carrier billing mistakes, but we also focus on providing integrated transport intelligence businesses can leverage to handle their business."

 "We pay carriers on their due date, but the shipper doesn't need to repay us for 90 days.  This service basically expands the shipper's conditions with carriers without needing to renegotiate contracts, which could potentially lead to increased freight rates."
U.S. Bank, for example, is now redesigning its user interface with a strong focus on the customer experience, according to comments from customers who requested a higher level of personalization and easier usability.
These advancements have considerably pushed up the value freight audit and payment clients get for their cash.  Present-day prices for audit and payment services are 40 percent lower than they were 10 decades ago, 1 provider quotes.
By way of example, Austin, Texas-based logistics IT service supplier Fortigo receives frequent customer requests to conduct closed-loop audit solutions--cross-referencing freight data elements with corresponding information from their own sourcing, visibility, or manifesting systems.  While a freight invoice may seem accurate, cross-referencing can disclose discrepancies--for example, a service the shipper requested may be different than the service the provider actually supplied, calling for a chargeback.

Other suppliers blend freight audit and payment services with financial services.  "The more advanced customers need help managing money flow to maximize their advantage," says Rick Erickson, global director of cargo payment solutions to financial services company U.S. Bank, headquartered in Minneapolis.

ON THE UP AND UP

Many freight payment businesses offer services in addition to auditing and paying invoices.  By way of instance, these invoices supply a whole image of a shipper's supply chain, while the information forms a snapshot of the distribution network's current layout that freight payment and audit providers can query and inspect to understand what is going right, and identify opportunities to enhance efficiency.
Many shippers have set up a goal to assess the true landed cost of their merchandise by SKU, order amount, or other metric.  But calculating accurate landed cost has proven challenging due to all of the factors that impact it, and the problem in gathering its components--including true invoices, customs duties, taxes, and accessorials.

For instance, RateLinx provides a "missing savings KPI" that steps each shipment to find out whether the optimal carrier was used.
Some suppliers complement their freight payment and audit services with a complete TMS to tender and monitor customer shipments.  At Memphis-based supply chain management and technology provider CTSI-Global, roughly 70 percent of customers use at least some modules of their company's TMS, along with its freight audit and payment services.  Some customers use CTSI-Global to enhance in house functionality; others entirely outsource shipment tendering and monitoring.

"The freight audit process uncovers numerous findings can funnel into their decision-making," notes Kontoravdis.
Some freight payment companies, including Carmel, Ind.-based supply chain consulting and IT services company enVista, are enabling shippers to overcome these hurdles by compiling all the data needed to compute a true contracted price.

"Our Professional Services Division helps shippers with challenges such as speed analytics, benchmarking, and bid analysis.  Our clients get the full expertise of a seasoned logistician who can help them use the capacities of TMS and data analytics, and supply specific supply chain consulting.  By outsourcing to CT Logistics, the shipper does not need to hire a full-time employee to perform those tasks."

"Our clients want accurate data, and the capacity to readily act on it," says Erickson.   It'll be intuitive, with fewer clicks demanded, allowing customers to get in, do their work, access their data, and get out, and that's what they want to do."

"Businesses can access one global data warehouse to examine on-time deliveries or shipping price per unit, for instance," explains Brian Scott, senior vice president, international sales, in CTSI-Global.

Freight payment information can reveal a lot to information regarding their enterprise.  In response to customer feedback and requests, many freight payment companies have developed new types of services, improved reporting capabilities, and additional more telling key performance indicators (KPIs).  Projects originally customized for a single client often develop into a product any freight payment client can benefit from.
MORE FOR YOUR MONEY
Freight bill auditing and payment has been around leveraging information--scrutinizing statements to detect billing mistakes that may cost shippers thousands of dollars in erroneous prices and accessorial charges.  No wonder, ferreting out errors remains important.  But a lot of freight audit and payment firms are currently delivering an entirely different set of advantages utilizing the data shippers discuss their freight bills.
All that adds up to significant price, particularly for those loopholes that draw maximum benefit from the expertise and lengthy services their cargo payment providers provide.  Those that pick carefully and keep close, collaborative relationships like profound insights in their supply chains to feed well-informed, strategic decision-making.
Home all of the data in 1 place means shippers can gather the information they need from one source--rather than collecting various components from carriers, freight payment companies, and TMS options--to acquire full supply chain visibility.

Assessing the information can disclose trouble spots that shippers and carriers may tackle to head off potential expenses, such as unnecessary accessorials or erroneous mileage calculations.  A deeper look can drive strategic decisions about issues like carrier speed discussions and facility site choice.
To meet these needs, freight payment and audit companies are investing in technology, procedures, and expertise to provide value to shippers--and distinguish themselves in a crowded marketplace.

Not all shippers have their cargo invoices audited.  Many freight audit and payment customers are large companies, although action among midsize shippers is climbing.  Of those businesses that do participate a cargo payment auditor, only a portion take true advantage of the entire range of services they're paying for.
Effectively using cargo data can reap shippers in ways beyond just catching invoicing errors.  Because supply chains evolve as firms growwith traces of business or customers continually being introduced or stopped, and routing demands shifting--often analyzing freight bill data can provide fresh insights, drive smart decision-making, and increase potential price savings.
To enhance these value-added offerings, and help shippers reap more insight from their data, many freight payment companies are continuously updating their IT platforms and specialist services.

Increasingly, those expectations and needs do not apply only to shippers' domestic cargo invoices.  More shippers are looking for the identical level of visibility and analytics about global freight action, unified in a single platform with constant formats which resolve differences in language, currencies, units of measure, and other variables.
"Shippers are turning to us to get information analytics," notes Allan J. Miner, president of Cleveland-based CT Logistics, which provides post-audit, pre-audit, freight payment, business intelligence, transportation management consulting, and international transport management systems (TMS).
Today's freight audit and payment solutions center on implementing deep analytics, married with supply chain consulting expertise, to glean insights from data--then delivering those findings quickly and to assist shippers drive both strategic and tactical decisions that improve supply chain efficiency and remove costs.

 Most freight payment companies continually invest in preserving and enhancing their IT systems to improve performance, be userfriendly - and device-friendly, and supply extra services.

When selecting a freight payment provider, shippers are now considering IT investments and analytics informed as in the potential provider's ability to accurately and efficiently manage bills and freight bill payment.

Shippers are also expressing interest in real-time reporting, which permits them to see KPIs on the internet and drill down to more unstructured information, instead of waiting for periodic reports, notes George Kontoravdis, president of Fortigo.  Another frequent request is route optimization based on historic shipping information, which shippers can also use to improve the routing guides they issue to providers.

THE #1 MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT COST SEGREGATION

This is an illustration:

Virtually all industrial property owners think that "Cost Segregation" has to be done on newly acquired land.  Yes, it's surely a fact that you may do Price Segregation on new buildings or recently renovated buildings but it's likewise a fact that Cost Segregation Studies are valuable for elderly buildings!

Doesn't every building owner and CPA know that?  

The solution is simple: it isn't their field of expertise.  Even though some construction owners and CPAs have considerable expertise with Cost Segregation, many don't.  There's a dearth of teachers in this subject, which unfortunately results in the frequent misunderstanding that Price Segregation can simply be achieved on freshly acquired or built commercial property.  These variables have caused countless tens of thousands of building owners to overlook this effective tax savings plan.
Mr. Client obtained a commercial real estate for about $3,500,000 five decades back and never finished a Cost Segregation Study.
Price Segregation on Elderly Buildings?  
Not just "can" a taxpayer do so but over 75 percent of GMG jobs are older possessions.  

Despite rumors to the contrary, Mr. Client admits he may finally have an chance to gain from a research.  Mr. Client hires a professional (GMG for instance), who explains 20 percent ($700,000) of elements that must have been allocated to 5-year life rather than 39 decades.  
"A citizen may run a cost segregation analysis on used land and re-compute its own depreciation deductions for previous years".

Tax Incentives 2018

Surprise ProfitabilityThe past several years are adequate if you are lucky but gloomy for many.  This caused many companies to pull on quarterly tax prepayments, or frequently eliminate them completely.   Many companies were made to make after income started to flow again.  It follows that though 2014 was actually more rewarding, it was not "felt" by several Owners.  Not all investments might be composed in the present calendar year.  Even if the bank accounts has not recovered, the P&L sheets possess and also the IRS believes many to be rewarding and from AMT.  Even if the bank balances do not represent exactly the same.  Tax Breaks DisappearedWith many significant tax breaks that firms haven't only come to appreciate, but have begun to rely on, most are finding themselves with sudden increases for their taxation obligations.  Tax Charges GrowingTax rates have risen, for instance; the current Personal Limit rise to 40 percent and Capital Gains rising from 15% -- 25%.   

For many business organizers, you bit the bullet and made a payment yesterday, for many others you registered extensions or just filed without creating a payment and will await the dreaded IRS invoices to get there.
Most company Owners are conscious of ... conducting their enterprise.  As business Owners we make decisions now that are great for our business and good for our bottom line, with little to no respect of how it impacts our tax plan (and it generally would not cross our minds to predict our CPA at the midst of summer to assess something for following April).
In either case, the fantastic news is that simply because tax has come and gone does not mean that your amounts are written in rock.  
This tax year I struck a record amount of business owners which were absolutely shocked to discover how far they owed 2014 taxes.  There are a couple of common questions that I keep hearing.
 Why did not they prepare for this?  
Measure #2 (True Measure #1)

There are four Important areas that led this season to so many companies due:
Measure #1 for many company Owners I have talked to will be:
Yesterday I talked with a single CPA which was utterly unaware that their Client had bought an extra construction (more than $2M in price), and yet another CPA that upon delivery of our Cost Segregation report did not know where we obtained our figures out of just to learn that the Client spent over $300K in renovations annually they neglected to inform the CPA about.

 
Many owners have been left wondering why:
Pound their fist onto the desk while whining about the authoritiesWhen that stops to Offer relief move on into the under Step Two
The fact is your CPA simply knows the info that you supply to them And for the majority of us company Owners we do not do our CPAs any favors.  As organizers we all know this, and when we're honest we will admit that we simply don't have the time required to talk about an overall tax plan with our CPA.

The Permanence of the R&D Tax Credit, a Reality?

Looking beyond the technicalities of political red tape, there's reason to be optimistic since this is currently the second year in a row a stand alone suggestion to generate the R&D credit irreversible has beenn't only been seriously contemplated but successfully hunted upon in a minumum of one of those 2 homes.  Furthermore, the bill is getting assistance from both parties that's a requirement in order for it to succeed.  The following measures of forward momentum direct us to feel that if it isn't this season, the prognosis of this R&D Tax Credit becoming a permanent part of their U.S. tax code is quite favorable.

The R&D Tax Credit has been for the last 33 decades around, because it was made in 1981, having been expanded by Congress 15 occasions.   The bill passed by a 274-145 vote, suggesting that the bill has support from both parties nevertheless it wants to make it through the Senate and lots of hurdles wait the charge there.  
The danger of veto is based upon the belief from the White House the credits estimated 10 year price of $180 million in lost tax revenue ought to be offset elsewhere.  It's really hard to anticipate how President Obama will behave as he's expressed both positive and negative opinions in respect to the bill.  Whether President Obama chooses to veto the bill or not, Congress could override the veto with a two-thirds supermajority vote of the House and Senate nonetheless, a supermajority vote isn't readily obtained.

Earning the R&D Tax Credit permanent will raise the confidence of American companies to invest in the growth of new technologies resulting in the production of quality jobs.  The bill would also create the credit easier for smaller companies to obtain by letting them use it in order to offset tax liability, including the alternative minimum tax.  Many think as Texas Rep. Kevin Brady the author of this invoice does this bill has to be passed and become law so the United States can stay competitive in creation and inside the net financial market.

The “Startup Act” – Catching the Economic Winds

Incentivizing and financing such early stage firms requires unflinching solve given the functioning losses generally experienced while some tech's performance and value proposition are market-tested, corrected and re-tested till verified.  
To work, the 'good thing' about such entrepreneur-encouraging, investor-compelling, job-creating government-tendered incentives need to discover it's way to both entrepreneurs and investors; and economic development agencies in the local and state levels make the ideal evangelists.
The financial picture of the business is a lot brighter from those double advantages and becomes a more appealing financing opportunity for investors that can justify far better conditions with all the SB for using the funding.

This resolve to encourage startups in several ways rests with the authorities that has corrected tax code to make investor-friendly remedy to change differently unsuitable risk-reward investment propositions into persuasive deals.

Investors (in some cases) could be the beneficiaries of declines 'passed' in the SB (in which the company would not have the ability to employ said losses from taxable income).  

Startup Price Expensing Level Enriched
It is not a reach to anticipate a small company would spend less from complexity related to their taxes.  These savings, along with the focus that could otherwise be centered on complicated tax compliance issues, might be utilised to enhance a enterprise's opportunities for success.

Further, the entrepreneur-friendly tax code was made to help decrease the risk-taking inherent in the attempt to deliver innovation to the industry and make good-paying technology-oriented projects.
Further, the qualifying standards for a company to have the ability to give such favorable tax treatment are somewhat less strict today.  This means investors may find more of those chances.  Likewise, more companies can lure investors with this exceptionally favorable capital gains tax treatment.
Even the "Startup Jobs and Innovation Act", correctly evangelized inside the financial growth eco-system, could be reasonably expected to create jobs by integrating advanced technologies to the promised realm of commercial achievement.
The cash accounting process is both less complex and less expensive to keep, while reducing regulatory risk, versus complex tax procedures required previously.  More small companies can utilize this valuable method; currently companies with up to $10M in gross premiums, up from $5M, can decide for.  
  

The "Startup Act" addresses important issues of small technology companies and startups.  The government's focus on strengthening startups is well-directed... "To jumpstart economic recovery throughout the creation and expansion of new companies...", ...and well-founded.  Paraphrasing Congress' findings, "By 1980 to 2005, employers under five years old accounted for almost all tasks created in the United States...bookkeeping for 3M jobs yearly...".  Therefore, "For Americans back to work, entrepreneurs have to be liberated (incentivized) to innovate, develop new businesses, and hire workers."
Those near the entrepreneur and private investor, in other words, anyone directly or indirectly tied into the financial growth eco-system (you know who you are), will be wise to take it on themselves to "educate and inform" because it's safe to presume that the intended beneficiaries of the positive legislation are concentrated on creating cutting edge technologies and producing the following deal, and not so much on deciphering government coverage.

The employee-hiring skill of technology-based entrepreneurial ventures is based mainly upon continuing 1) Economic (such as tax associated) Incentives( and 2) Capital Investment.
Thus, let us get to preaching the merits of this "Startup Act" (notice: "small company" and "startup" are used interchangeably):
The small business expensing limit was restored to $500,000, hence encouraging small companies to keep on investing in economy-of-scale-producing resources which enhance top line and bottom line performance.  This usually means the SB can completely write off investment 'prices' as present expenditures (around $500,000) rather than fractionally allocating deductions from these prices over the course of several years.  
Rather than enduring the inability to make the most of R&D tax credits because of taxable income restraints, the startup is now able to utilize these tax credits to offset their payroll taxes up to $250,000 annually for as long as five decades.
If expensed prices can not be applied against taxable income, then an investor might develop into a pass-through reduction exemptions as addressed under.

The SB receives the profit-boosting effects in the employment of important assets AND that the tax-reducing effects from completely deducting the price of these assets from the current calendar year.

 This is just another $5,000 which may be written off as a cost versus depreciating fractionally within a 15-year allocation deadline.  

Favorable winds are in the rear of the investor and entrepreneur alike.  However if their individual sails are not set to capture people winds then the production of good-paying jobs along with also the realization of market-transforming inventions will be less powerful than it might be otherwise.

The beauty of certain tiny companies to investors is significantly increased when 100 percent of an investor profits on these investments could be deducted from capital gains taxes.  
 

Economic Development Agencies and The Startup Credit

The guide, The "Startup Act", Acquiring the Economic Development Winds, has been composed to grapple together with Economic Development Agencies since it addresses the manner, in practical ways, the Act's incentives could make both work creation and enterprise capital investment not as challenging as it could be minus incentives.
Even though the Act does not directly talk to grant financing, understand that grants are easier to come by whether an organization is well-capitalized and gets the authenticity that comes with using secured funding [i.e., suggested vetting].  Additionally, many grants require matching funds against private/commercial investors.

The Critical metrics which ED Agencies are quantified by:

GMG Savings Advisors could provide the ED Agency to join its customer companies with all the experts/professionals that may make both greater job development and follow-on funding a fact.

Quantity of jobs created by the firms they functionQuantity of bucks in follow-on funds which identifies investment (*or grant financing*) secured by the firms they function
Job production, notably technology-based jobsInvestment funds flowing into smaller technology-based Businesses

It's totally possible that any provided ED Agency is not fully conscious of the Act's incentives and so is consequently not trying to satisfy its metrics together with every one the tools out there.  
Economic Development (ED) Agencies, though people entities, are exceptionally concentrated on producing quantifiable results/metrics since their financing (which is, their own occupations) in county, state, university or city entities rely heavily on their own outcomes.

These goals line up perfectly using the ED Agency's metrics.

The normal firm being served with the Economic Development Agency matches the specific eligibility standard for your startup charge.
The aim is to "educate and inform" these bureaus in order that they can "educate and inform" their customer companies (and possible investors in these businesses).  This will involve linking client companies using the tools, likely in the kind of professionals/experts, which may dig in their specific scenarios to view about realizing the advantages planned from the incentives.

Economic Development Agencies & Things Their Main Goals Are

Building, Purchasing or Renovating a Hotel or Motel

All hotels and motels have large areas requiring daily upkeep and regular upgrading because of utilize.   By way of instance entrances, lobbies and halls have a reputation for having flooring and carpeting usually replaced every 3 to 4 decades.   Most depreciation programs will reveal all of assets being depreciated over 39 years since this is the easiest way, but not the strategy that offers the maximum befit into the owner or operator nor can it be tax compliant.
Cost Segregation is a engineering based taxation evaluation where particular non-structural elements of a building are broken out and allocated into a shorter life course thus depreciating them in a rapid rate.   This procedure reduces a taxpayer's state and federal taxable income.

A cost segregation study is a vital fiduciary element when constructing, buying or renovating a hotel or motel.   Hotel operators and owners who don't work with a skilled specialist to execute a price segregation analysis will fail to benefit from important tax advantages!
Examples of private property for resorts could comprise:  carpeting, many other floors, ornamental lighting, cabinetry, committed electric and plumbing systems, electricity generators, security methods, wifi/internet cabling, parking lots, curbs, sidewalks, and landscaping, fountains and much more.
 Even possessions bought years ago can catch advantage.   Any hotel or motel if purchased, renovated or constructed costing in excess of $500,000 must consider this ceremony.

What Advantages?

New purchase or structure will result in increased cash flow in the first 6 decadesOwned for 5 or more years qualifies for many unrealized depreciation carried forward to the present tax seasonPurchased or assembled in January 1, 1987 -- all of developments and renovations will be eligible based on individual conclusion dates

Price Segregation fixes this issue since it applies MACRS to all those brief lifetime assets thereby hastening the depreciation and lessening the proprietor or operators earnings tax burden.   What's the benefit?
Typically the ROI for hotel and motel owners participating in price segregation is extremely significant.    The typical fee a hotel or motel operator can expect to observe when participating a cost segregation company ought to be between ten and twenty five thousand dollars per construction.   The fee depends on several variables:  size of land, quality of construction, location, accessibility of building records, closing statements and much more.