Comparing Supplier Prices
One of the most practical features of CostingBrik is the ability to compare what different suppliers charge for the same ingredient. Even small price differences add up quickly when you are buying the same items week after week.
Price comparison view
CostingBrik provides a dedicated price comparison view that shows all your ingredients alongside every supplier's price for each one.
To access the comparison:
- Go to CostingBrik > Suppliers.
- Click Compare Prices (or navigate to the Price Comparison tab).
You will see a table with:
- Each ingredient listed as a row.
- Each supplier listed as a column.
- The cost per base unit in each cell.
- The cheapest price highlighted for each ingredient.
Example - Bakery ingredients:
| Ingredient | Metro Foods | Bakery Supplies | Farm Direct | Best price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong bread flour (per kg) | £0.80 | £0.85 | £0.72 | Farm Direct |
| Caster sugar (per kg) | £0.88 | £0.92 | £0.95 | Metro Foods |
| Unsalted butter (per kg) | £6.20 | £5.10 | £8.40 | Bakery Supplies |
| Free-range eggs (per each) | £0.28 | £0.25 | £0.30 | Bakery Supplies |
| Double cream (per litre) | £2.60 | £2.75 | £2.90 | Metro Foods |
Filtering the comparison
You can filter the comparison view by:
- Ingredient category - e.g. show only Dairy items.
- Specific suppliers - compare just two or three suppliers side by side.
- Price difference threshold - show only ingredients where the price gap between suppliers exceeds a set percentage (e.g. more than 10% difference).
Switching to a cheaper supplier for an ingredient you buy £20 of per month saves you very little. Focus your comparison on the ingredients you spend the most on - meat, dairy, and flour are usually the biggest line items for most hospitality businesses.
Identifying the cheapest supplier
The comparison view makes it easy to see which supplier is cheapest for each ingredient, but the real value is in the aggregate picture.
Savings summary
At the bottom of the comparison view, Brikly calculates:
- Total weekly spend - based on your current purchasing patterns (from invoice data or manual estimates).
- Potential savings - what you could save per week if you switched every ingredient to the cheapest available supplier.
- Savings per supplier switch - a ranked list of the individual switches that would save you the most money.
Example:
| Switch | From | To | Saving per week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter | Metro Foods (£6.20/kg) | Bakery Supplies (£5.10/kg) | £11.00 |
| Strong bread flour | Bakery Supplies (£0.85/kg) | Farm Direct (£0.72/kg) | £5.20 |
| Chicken breast | Metro Foods (£7.50/kg) | Butcher Direct (£6.80/kg) | £4.90 |
Price is important, but it is not everything. Consider delivery reliability, minimum order requirements, product quality, and your relationship with the supplier. A supplier who is 5% more expensive but delivers on time every day might be worth it compared to a cheaper supplier who regularly lets you down.
Price change alerts
CostingBrik monitors your supplier prices and can alert you when significant changes occur.
Types of alerts
| Alert type | What it means |
|---|---|
| Price increase | A supplier has increased the price of an ingredient above the threshold you set |
| Price decrease | A supplier has dropped a price - you may be able to save money or switch suppliers |
| New cheapest supplier | A different supplier now offers the lowest price for an ingredient you are buying elsewhere |
| Price volatility | An ingredient has had multiple price changes in a short period |
Configuring alerts
- Go to Settings > Alerts (or the notification preferences within CostingBrik).
- Set your alert thresholds:
- Minimum price change % - only alert when a price moves by more than this percentage (e.g. 5%). This avoids noise from tiny fluctuations.
- Alert frequency - choose between real-time, daily digest, or weekly summary.
- Choose your notification method (in-app, email, or both).
Acting on alerts
When you receive a price change alert, you have several options:
- Review and accept - if the increase is small and expected, you may simply acknowledge it.
- Contact the supplier - query the increase, especially if it seems excessive or was not communicated in advance.
- Switch supplier - if another supplier offers a better price, update your preferred supplier for that ingredient.
- Adjust menu prices - if the increase significantly affects recipe costs, you may need to increase selling prices to maintain GP%.
Even if you do not receive alerts, schedule a quarterly review of your top 10 suppliers. Pull up the price comparison, look at price trends over the last 3 months, and identify any opportunities to consolidate orders, negotiate better terms, or switch suppliers. A 30-minute review can easily uncover hundreds of pounds in savings.
Using comparison data in supplier negotiations
The price comparison data in CostingBrik is a powerful negotiation tool. Before your next supplier review meeting:
- Export the comparison for the ingredients you buy from that supplier.
- Identify items where they are not the cheapest.
- Share the data (without naming the competing supplier, if you prefer) and ask if they can match or improve on the price.
Most suppliers would rather match a competitor's price than lose the order entirely. Having concrete data removes the guesswork from these conversations and puts you in a stronger position.