Accelerating global outsourcing for Cadbury Schweppes’ property services
WHAT: A rapid development and agreement of a global outsourced services contract for the Cadbury Schweppes property portfolio
WHY: To enable the global property team to engage a single service provider under a clearly defined and comprehensive agreement
WHEN:
Supporting a global outsourcing initiative under pressure
Cadbury Schweppes’ Group Property team was preparing to engage a single global service provider to support its extensive international property portfolio. The team faced an urgent deadline: to define, agree and document the scope of this new, more comprehensive contract within just a few weeks.
Although a previous contract existed and many reporting mechanisms had already been defined, this new agreement needed to cover a broader range of services, with clear roles, responsibilities and risk management strategies.
A structured workshop to align and accelerate
Remit Consulting was brought in to lead a full-day workshop with both the Cadbury Schweppes team and the proposed service provider. The goal: reach consensus on five key areas of the contract:
Overall scope of services
Levels of responsibility
Reporting and performance requirements
Risk identification and mitigation
A set of next steps and actions
To fast-track the process, Remit deployed its QuickStart methodology, including pre-prepared templates based on real estate best practice. These templates covered common functional areas, which helped align both teams quickly, reduce ambiguity, and avoid unnecessary structural debates.
““The short timescale really helped concentrate everyone on the essentials of the contract, rather than the ‘nice to haves’.””
Aligning on outcomes and minimising friction
By the end of the session, the teams had jointly agreed the contract’s overall structure and defined individual responsibilities across service areas. They also developed a set of key performance indicators, mapped to existing reporting tools, and noted outstanding items and risks to be addressed.
Remit documented the workshop outcomes and returned just two days later for a review session. This follow-up allowed the teams to:
Finalise remaining issues
Build action plans to address contract risks
Establish a clear timeline to complete the contract
Tangible benefits from a focused, best-practice approach
The use of Remit’s pre-prepared templates played a critical role in accelerating the project. By offering a shared language and structure, the templates helped the teams spend less time discussing formatting and more time resolving key issues.
The intensive, senior-level workshop structure ensured high levels of focus and accountability. It also created momentum: minor differences were resolved on the spot, helping to avoid delays and disputes during the contract preparation phase.
““Delivered on time, on budget and with value added.”
”
For further information, please contact Andrew Waller.