John Richard Associates, Inc. (JRA) is a management consulting firm specializing in telecommunication services, networks and information technology for domestic and international clients. The Company furnishes a wide range of services to businesses, governments, telecommunications firms, investment firms, and other organizations. JRA's extensive client list is comprised of large and medium sized communications companies, federal and state governments, regional transportation authorities and leading Fortune 500 firms.
The Company retains professionals in business and management, auditing, marketing and sales, high technology infrastructure planning, design and implementation disciplines. It specializes in supporting the efforts of management by providing solutions to the problems hindering optimum performance and by identifying ways to maximize the effectiveness of information technology infrastructures. JRA is widely regarded as the premier consulting firm in the public communications industry. Our unparalleled expertise in this area has helped a wide range of clients optimize their businesses both as service providers and as location owners. JRA furnishes assistance to investment banking and venture capital firms and to others involved in investment, merger or acquisition activity in the public telecommunications sector.
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Service Procurement Projects/RFP Development
JRA assists large multi-national corporations, premise owners, government agencies and regional transportation authorities in developing requirements for use in RFP, RFQ and/or RFI development. JRA then works with the client through the competitive solicitation, contract negotiation and implementation processes. JRA consultants have assisted several clients to procure hardware and networking solutions valued at over $100 million per year.
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JRA offers extensive experience in the proposal process - from the bid/no bid decision through contract negotiation and award. JRA consultants have participated in and managed proposals that have resulted in awards totaling nearly $1 billion. These awards came from government agencies and commercial businesses in the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Australia, Puerto Rico, Canada, as well as other countries. JRA has assisted clients to solicit and win multi-billion dollar contracts for telecommunications services.
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Public Communications Revenue Enhancement Programs
JRA consultants have assisted three clients in recent years to increase their commissions from payphone operations in excess of $100 million annually. JRA is the consulting firm for the largest payphone premises owner and has assisted this client with improving its revenues from its domestic and international telecommunications business. JRA's work in this area has included RFP development for provision of public and residential wireline and wireless services.
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Evaluation of technological, competitive, legal and regulatory factors affecting the market is a principal product of John Richard Associates, Inc. These analyses have been performed by JRA consultants for major communications companies. Analyses have included consequence forecasting of decisions rendered by the Federal Communications Commission and Judge Harold Greene of the U.S. District Court.
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JRA assists large telecommunications users in determining the cost effectiveness of existing systems and networks. Redundant services and vendor billing errors are identified and corrected. This effort has resulted in significant cost avoidance/savings and rebates for a number of corporations worldwide. JRA also assists large telecommunications premises owners in auditing the revenues that are due from telecommunications companies with whom they have entered into concession contracts. JRA audits have recovered millions of dollars for clients.
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Implementation and Relocation Support
JRA consultants have played key roles in supporting the implementation and relocation of large telecommunications systems and services for a number of major telecommunications clients. The installation of telecommunication infrastructure or the relocation of existing systems must be coordinated properly to assure a continuity during the transition to the new location, service or hardware platform. In the case of new site construction, JRA consultants have worked with architects and property developers to engineer diverse and survivable network links to assure network reliability. JRA consultants can also help in the site selection process and in evaluating the pros and cons of each option based on the individual requirements of our client.
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JRA has assisted clients in determining the risks and opportunities involved in the consideration of major acquisitions. JRA performs strategic, marketing and financial analyses which provide the necessary due diligence to support the corporate acquisition decision.
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JRA consultants have provided advice and counsel to companies entering the cellular telephone business. Research, analysis and opportunity/risk factors were assessed including the technical, marketing, regulatory and financial considerations. JRA has also assisted clients in development of wireless telecommunications programs involving cellular, paging products and services.
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JRA consultants have assisted international manufacturing companies in planning their entry into the U.S. telecommunications market. JRA has also assisted its clients in securing venture capital from international sources. JRA has assisted U.S. companies in acquiring international business. It has also assisted U.S. organizations overseas in developing international telecommunications back to the United States.
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CATV, CLECs, and CAPs Entry into Telecommunications
JRA assists cable TV companies (CATV), certified local exchange carriers (CLECs) and competitive access providers (CAPs) with entry into the telecommunications market. Strategy, functionality, product development, regulatory and market research assistance are provided. JRA also assists these companies in developing supplier relationships including RFI, RFQ and RFP processes and negotiation of contracts.
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JRA has assisted Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC's) and other large research organizations in evaluating the Alternate Operator Services industry and the interplay of factors between private pay telephones, operator services, card technologies and cellular telephone networks.
JRA has assisted operator services companies in developing their strategic business plans, assessing markets and technology, and examining sales and margins. JRA has performed market research for a large interexchange carrier on the operator services business in the U.S. Our consultants have also assisted cable companies with entry into the operator services business. JRA consultants have evaluated operator services of the major LEC's and IXC's for large transportation clients.
JRA has assisted a major CATV company in developing operator services supplier alternatives and in negotiating a contract with a major LEC to provide these services to the client's customers.
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JRA prepares strategic business plans to furnish direction and focus to companies of all sizes. Strategic business plans describe the mission, goals and strategies of a company in an integrated framework. They provide an internal road map for the company to follow and a detailed description of the business for management discussion or for use with investors to obtain financing, if necessary.
A typical strategic business plan developed by JRA, in partnership with management, would include the following detailed sections: Preface, Introduction, The Company, Mission Statement, Principal Goals, The Opportunity, Organizational Strategy, Technological Background, The Market, The Marketing Plan, Market Research, Competition, Key Strategic Issues, Operations, Financials and Summary.
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JRA develops market (and product) plans for companies wishing to enter new markets or to expand their presence in existing ones. Typically included in these plans are the following sections: Industry Background, The Market, The Products, Product Positioning, Competitive Analysis and Pricing, Channels of Distribution, Sales Strategy, Regulatory Overview (if appropriate), and Summary. Market Plans detail the size of the market and the approach to moving products from the manufacturing stage through the sales stage.
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JRA assists clients in examination of new product and service opportunities through market, competitive and financial analysis. The JRA process produces a business vision with underlying assumptions and pro forma projections. It considers environmental and historical perspective in projecting business assumptions into the future.
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JRA has conducted extensive market research studies in the telecommunications industry for major clients. These studies have focused on available products, target markets, competition, pricing and regulatory trends.
The company has conducted national market studies for clients who were the basis for business decisions to strategically locate marketing personnel and to penetrate U.S. markets. JRA has provided clients both geographic and vertical market research. Market research and analysis work performed by JRA has been furnished to both large and small telecommunications companies.
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The company has developed computerized financial planning tools to provide clients a view of the financial implications of key pricing and business decisions.
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Cash flow projections are provided to assist companies in determining the market for their products. These models provide companies with insight into the capital and the cash flow expectancies from their products.
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JRA has prepared detailed feasibility studies and business cases to enable manufacturers of telecommunications products to sell to telephone companies. These studies analyze the cost/benefit factors from the telco perspective and help reduce the decision time intervals.
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JRA assists clients in managing their telecommunications operations. Management services include data acquisition, analysis, development of business and market strategies, organization development and optimization of service and cost.
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Toll Fraud Solutions and Prevention
JRA has assisted a major transportation authority in the United States by analyzing data which confirmed a major, multimillion dollar international fraudulent telecommunications scheme emanating from payphones located on the client's premises. Although all previous attempts to solve this fraud problem failed, JRA swiftly designed and implemented a solution to prevent the various dialing protocols employed by the criminals. JRA's solution frustrated these criminals and this resulted in their vacating the client's premises. The effectiveness of JRA's efforts was highlighted in major press and television stories for some years.
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Calling Cards, Credit Cards and Billing Matters
JRA has furnished analyses and insight to clients involving the continually developing issues in plastic cards and billing systems. Caller Issuer Identifier (CIID), proprietary cards and other U.S. District Court approved card protocols have been analyzed for impact on frequent users and large premise owners. Billed Party Preference issues before the U.S. Court and the Federal Communications Commission are regularly evaluated for JRA's clients. Validation, authorization and fraud control methods have also been studied for relative efficiency.
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JRA has assisted telephone companies and end users in the assessment of technical considerations involved in deployment of various telecommunications networks and service platforms. Our consultants are able to provide detailed guidance on technology that ranges from inside wiring through network interface hardware, be it voice or data, and the deployment of outside plant fiber distribution systems. Our past experience gives us the ability to assist in developing deployment processes, identify potential pitfalls and implement on-going maintenance strategies.
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JRA provides guidance to communications companies who are attempting to improve profit margins. From equipment configurations to rate table analysis and mileage banding, JRA consultants can assist companies in maximizing profit from their businesses.
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JRA develops simplified rate tables for filing with tariffs in states that require formal filings to operate pay telephones in public locations. JRA consultants work with the client company's attorneys to structure rates and tariffs to fulfill compliance requirements and to balance competitive pricing considerations with profit margin maximization.
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JRA has provided expert testimony for several major law firms in the United States. Our consultants prepared the testimony and appeared at hearings in support of the law firm's client. Testimony of the JRA witness helped focus the issues and was lauded by those on opposite sides of the issues as having been performed most professionally and competently.
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JRA offers seminars to clients to enrich their understanding of the telecommunications business. JRA has furnished seminar speakers to over 40 national and international conferences. These sessions provide a perspective on the past, present and future developments in the telephone industry, a review of market size, stratification and segmentation, economics, regulations and the profit improvement strategies available to telephone companies. JRA offers two video seminars entitled "Payphone Business Overview and Enhanced Services" and "Strategic Business Planning".
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A variety of management services are offered by JRA which extend from market management and operational support systems to financial analysis, personnel systems, and security and audit functions. The firm also provides assistance to corporations examining the entry to or exit from telecommunications markets. Feasibility studies and business cases are provided to clients to assist them in evaluating strategic options. Similar services are furnished to governmental agencies and large telecommunications users, which provide important assistance in evaluating strategic and product alternatives.
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