Frequently Asked Questions

  • When was Noble Eightfold, LLC, established?

    Noble Eightfold, LLC. was established in 2009 as a vendor research firm. We broadened our services based upon our significant success and demand from our clients. Today we are a white-glove firm that specializes in assisting clients with their telecom contract negotiations. We offer a comprehensive service that enables our clients to leave every aspect of the negotiation to us. We shield our clients from the significant time requirements that contract negotiation demands.

  • Why is the firm called Noble Eightfold, LLC?

    Noble Eightfold represents a path that symbolizes our commitment to our clients, to understand their goals and needs, to develop a clear strategy to assist, to conduct ethical business, and to only accept engagements that we determine will yield the greatest benefits for our clients.

  • What criteria does Noble Eightfold utilize to accept new clients?

    As a firm, we only accept clients whom we can help in reaching their savings goals, support needs or both. Simply, if we cannot help a client, we will not take their money.  Generally, our typical client is a small to mid-cap firm with annual revenues at $1 billion plus. Depending on the type of engagement, we look at their total spend and rate structures to evaluate the potential for savings.  Typically, we are contacted by CEO’s, CFO’s, CIO’s, and Senior Directors of Infrastructure.

  • Does Noble Eightfold charge for a consultation?

    We do NOT charge for a consultation. However, before we meet in person with a client we will conduct a preliminary evaluation over the phone to ensure that our established prerequisites can be met.

  • As a client what can I expect from Noble Eightfold?

    We handle the entire negotiation from the initial contact with vendors to post contract execution. To maintain the integrity of our negotiation processes, all clients agree not to engage with the vendors until contracts are signed. This approach enables us to conduct a strategic negotiation without distractions. Clients can expect weekly updates, and we remain onboard for 60 days post contract execution to ensure that all that has been agreed is delivered.

  • How much does Noble Eightfold charge?

    Most of our service costs are based upon a percentage of the savings generated. There are engagements that are based on a flat-fee. Regardless, our clients are guaranteed to recover all expenses from the savings we generate.

  • How long does the negotiation process take?

    Each negotiation has different demands. On average the negotiation process can be from 4 weeks to 2 months, depending on complexity.

  • What is the advantage of using Noble Eightfold over our internal vendor management group?

    At Noble Eightfold all technology negotiations are conducted by the owner who has training from the top negotiation programs in the United States; the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School as well as the Program on Negotiation at University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business.  In addition, we have established relationships with vendors and have a proven record in delivering comprehensive savings packages that exceed client expectations. These prior engagements allow us to provide a much deeper intelligence base into the technology market.

    Often, internal vendor management groups are back office teams. We, on the contrary, play a prominent role not only in securing the right pricing/service structure, but also in assuring that the future vendor/client relationship is strategically defined and that each contract benefits from the best terms and conditions. In addition, we carefully manage our number of active clients to ensure that the service and attention to each client remains optimal.

  • Why does Noble Eightfold not list their clients?

    Our clients are firms that look for a first-in-class service. As a white glove firm, we guarantee not share our client list. This we consider to be an extension of the elite service we provide.

  • Does Noble Eightfold handle international technology negotiations?

    Currently, we only deal with U.S. based domestic and multinational companies.