How it works
A structured diagnostic for food purchasing leakage.
Fresh Margin Systems turns purchasing noise into a ranked review surface. Every step is designed to find what moved, where it moved, and what is worth checking next.
This public site explains the method and captures intake. The core diagnostic workflow runs through internal proprietary systems and operator-led review outside this repo.
What we need from you
- Vendor list with primary contacts
- Recent invoices (60-90 days preferred)
- Current price sheets or contract rates
- Purchase history by SKU and category
- Contracts and amendments if available
- Rebate agreements and tracking notes
- Freight terms, delivery schedules, and surcharge details
- SKU/category mapping file
- Manual notes on known pain points or recent changes
What you receive
- Margin Leak Brief
- Vendor Drift Summary
- Category Risk Console
- Price Exception Queue
- Rebate and Freight Review
- Data Quality Notes
- Pilot Decision Memo
- Ranked Review Actions
Timeline
Four weeks from intake to decision memo. Faster when data is accessible and an executive sponsor joins Week 1.
Intake
Operator completes the pilot intake form. We review business type, purchasing volume, vendor complexity, and data availability to confirm fit before scoping.
Input
Intake form, brief discovery call
Output
Fit confirmation and scoped review plan
Data request
We request the exports and documents the operator already has: vendor lists, invoices, price sheets, purchase history, contracts, rebate notes, freight terms, and SKU/category files.
Input
Existing purchasing documents and exports
Output
Structured data inventory and quality snapshot
File review
We review the files for coverage, consistency, and gaps. Messy exports are expected. We note what is usable, what is missing, and what assumptions we need to flag.
Input
Raw exports and documents
Output
Data quality notes and coverage assessment
Normalization
We normalize pack sizes, unit costs, vendor names, and category mappings so comparisons are apples-to-apples. This is where hidden pack-size changes surface.
Input
Raw SKU, invoice, and price-sheet data
Output
Normalized purchasing data set
Vendor drift detection
We compare current invoices against price sheets and contracts to find unit-cost movement, substitution patterns, and terms changes that may not have been flagged internally.
Input
Normalized data + contract references
Output
Vendor drift signals and substitution list
Category risk mapping
We map margin pressure across protein, produce, dairy, dry goods, frozen, disposables, beverage, and cleaning supplies to show where concentration and movement overlap.
Input
Normalized data by category
Output
Category Risk Console with severity labels
Exception queue creation
We build a ranked queue of price exceptions, invoice variances, freight anomalies, and rebate gaps. Each item gets a severity label and a recommended review action.
Input
Drift signals and category risks
Output
Ranked Price Exception Queue
Human operator review
A human reviewer pressure-tests the findings, validates assumptions, and confirms context. No output is published without this step.
Input
Preliminary findings and operator context
Output
Reviewed and validated leak brief
Decision memo
We deliver the Margin Leak Brief, Vendor Drift Summary, Category Risk Console, Price Exception Queue, Rebate/Freight Review, Data Quality Notes, and Pilot Decision Memo.
Input
Reviewed findings
Output
Written diagnostic deliverables
Follow-up action plan
We provide a ranked action plan with effort estimates, business relevance, and next steps. For continuing pilots, we schedule recurring review cadence and track actions over time.
Input
Operator capacity and priorities
Output
30 / 60 / 90-day action plan
Data quality caveat: A diagnostic is only as good as the data provided. Findings require human review and are not guaranteed savings. Sample reports and demos use fictional data. No live customer data is shown on this site.
Start
Begin with a pilot intake.
A 30-minute fit review confirms whether the diagnostic makes sense for your operation. If yes, the next step is a scoped 30-day review.