Remuneration and interests
How we are paid.
Much of the market for free advice describes itself as independent while being paid by the provider. There is nothing unlawful about that. It should simply be disclosed before anyone makes a decision. This page does so: when the provider pays us, when you pay us, when no one pays, and what we disclose beforehand.
Carrier-neutral · no exclusivity · every procurement process can also be concluded without us
Why this page exists
Anyone looking for an analysis of their IT or telecommunications costs will find almost exclusively offers that cost nothing. Few explain why they cost nothing. The answer is simple: the service is paid for, but not by the client.
This is an established business model that has operated in telecommunications and IT distribution for decades. It becomes problematic when it is concealed, because the client then assesses a recommendation without knowing the interests behind it. We therefore disclose them.
The three routes by which money reaches us
You pay us for the portal
CommsOS is a product with openly published plans. The pricing page sets out all costs, including permanent free access with one provider. For this part, we act solely as your contractor.
The provider pays us for a procurement award
Where a procurement process is handled through us, Comms Connect receives a procurement or brokerage fee from the provider. This is standard practice in the carrier and distribution business, and it is why the initial analysis and assessment are free.
No one pays
No money changes hands in either direction for the initial analysis or the assessment in the mobile cost analysis. This also applies when the assessment finds that exploring the market is not worthwhile for you. That is the most common outcome, and one that others rarely discuss.
All plans are openly published at commsos.de/en/pricing. The contractual version of this section appears in the General Terms and Conditions in the section on the business model.
What we disclose before you decide
Disclosure is useful only if it precedes the decision. Afterwards, it is a footnote.
We tell you before you decide that we are paid for procurement handled through us, without waiting to be asked.
We disclose which route costs you less, including where that route does not involve us.
You can request a statement of the remuneration received for your specific brokerage transaction.
The comparison you receive for your decision states which providers were approached and which were not.
We do not earn from the same procurement award twice.
If you pay for the portal and also handle procurement through us, this would result in double remuneration for the same transaction. Our General Terms and Conditions expressly exclude this arrangement.
The exclusion in plain language
If Comms Connect receives remuneration from a provider for a procurement award concluded through the portal, we waive the portion corresponding to what you paid for the portal in the twelve months preceding the award, up to the full remuneration received. This rule prevents a conflict between your interests and ours in the same procurement award.
It creates no entitlement to a payment or discount. It removes an incentive that we do not wish to have.
Every procurement process can also be concluded without us
The comparison you receive belongs to you. You can take it directly to the provider, use it to renegotiate your existing contract, or appoint a third party. No clause prevents this, and none binds you to implementation through us.
This is a condition for our recommendations to have any value. A recommendation that you cannot decline offers no choice.
What we do not do
No exclusivity
No contract binds your procurement to us, and no notice period forces a decision. The portal can be cancelled monthly.
No fee based on claimed savings
We do not bill against a figure that we have set ourselves. A success fee based on calculated savings does precisely that, which is why we do not use it.
No figures that cannot be known before procurement
None of our pages states how much you will save. The portal shows your agreed price and any deviation from it on the invoice; Comms Connect obtains the market price through procurement.
No sharing your figures without consent
Offers are requested only once you have consented. Until then, even your current provider is not informed of the enquiry.
Frequently asked questions about remuneration
- Is the advice really free?
- The initial analysis and the assessment in the mobile cost analysis are free, with no subsequent invoice. This is possible because Comms Connect is paid when procurement is handled through us. Free therefore means paid for by another party, rather than unpaid. This page explains that so you know before deciding, rather than afterwards.
- Who pays you if I pay nothing?
- The provider with whom the procurement award is concluded. Carriers, vendors and distributors pay for brokering a contract. This is standard practice in telecommunications and IT distribution, with Comms Connect acting as a commercial agent or broker for the respective providers.
- Does this influence which provider you recommend?
- It could, which is why we disclose it. Assessment is based on your data and documented criteria; commission agreements do not form part of that assessment. You can request a statement of the remuneration received for your specific brokerage transaction at any time. You can also conclude every procurement process without us.
- Do you earn twice if I pay for the portal and handle procurement through you?
- No. This is expressly excluded. If Comms Connect receives remuneration from a provider for a procurement award concluded through the portal, we waive the portion corresponding to what you paid for the portal in the preceding twelve months. The rule is set out in our General Terms and Conditions and is not a discretionary concession.
- Can I use the portal without handling procurement through you?
- Yes. Portal use and procurement services are separate. You can manage contracts, deadlines and invoices in the portal and handle every tender yourself or appoint someone else. There is no exclusivity and no clause binding procurement to us.
- What does the portal cost?
- All plans are openly published on the pricing page, including permanent free access with one provider. Billing is based on providers and legal entities, rather than users, and contracts can be cancelled monthly.
- Why do your pages not state potential savings?
- Because no one knows them before procurement. They depend on quantity, term, hardware share, network and bundling. A page that does not know these factors could only assert a figure, and an asserted figure makes a satisfied existing client dissatisfied without cause. Instead, we assess your own figures, including when the conclusion is that there is no opportunity to pursue.
Further reading
Everything in one place.
CommsOS brings contracts, deadlines, invoices and licences together in one portal. Related topics: