How DECKED got total visibility into software spend and saved 30%

TL;DR

DECKED cut software overspend by 20-30% and eliminated shadow IT chaos using SpendHound's centralized procurement intelligence. Before SpendHound, they were using Google Sheets, nearly missing key renewals and buying redundant tools. Now they have total visibility, automated tracking, and negotiation support—without hiring a procurement team.

‍Meet DECKED: Premium gear, startup-speed growth

DECKED manufactures premium truck bed and van storage systems—entirely in the U.S.—for contractors, fleet operators, and outdoor enthusiasts who need their gear organized and accessible. Think Yeti, but for your truck.

The Ketchum, Idaho-based company has grown fast. That growth brought new products, new markets, and plans to expand beyond trucks into modular garage storage. But it also brought something less welcome: software sprawl.

Oliver Guy, DECKED's IT Administrator, oversees technology and software subscriptions across the company. He's been with DECKED for over a decade, watching it scale from “startup speed,” Oliver said. “As DECKED grew, we needed to centralize our procurement. There was a lot of redundancy.”

The problem: Shadow IT, spreadsheets, and 30% overspend

Before SpendHound, DECKED managed software spend the way most companies do: Google Sheets. Each department had its own spreadsheet listing their tools, which made it nearly impossible to use for budget planning.

A bigger issue was shadow IT. People were buying software on their own without checking if DECKED already had a tool for that—or if it was even secure. "They'd bring me in too late in the process," Oliver said. By the time he got involved, contracts were signed, vendors were onboarded, and there was little room to negotiate.

As a result of redundancies and last minute renewals, DECKED was overspending by 20-30% on software. When the finance team introduced a formal budgeting process, Oliver suddenly found himself responsible for tracking and managing every software dollar spent across the enterprise—a role that, all too often, falls on IT administrators.

"I wasn't familiar with this type of tool beforehand," Oliver admitted. He wasn't hired to be a procurement expert. But that's quickly what the job had become.

The solution: Total spend visibility plus expert backup

DECKED’s VP of Sales came across SpendHound on LinkedIn and brought it to Oliver’s attention. At first, Oliver was skeptical. “How is this free?” But after digging into SpendHound’s business model—a give-to-get approach where anonymized, aggregated data powers benchmark data for all customers—Oliver understood the exchange.

Getting SpendHound up and running took less than a week. The platform connected to DECKED’s ERP, pulling in contract data, invoices, and spend automatically. Within a month, DECKED was off and running with SpendHound, including a Slack channel for fast support.

What Oliver and DECKED gained:

• A single source of truth: With everything in one platform, Oliver no longer had to chase down spreadsheets or wonder what tools each department had.
• Automated renewal tracking: SpendHound flagged upcoming renewals so finance and department heads weren't caught off guard.
• Benchmark data: Oliver could finally see if DECKED was getting a fair price—or if they were overpaying.
• Negotiation support: SpendHound's procurement experts provided email templates and strategic advice to help Oliver negotiate better terms.
• Budget alignment: SpendHound's app owner feature let Oliver assign budget owners to specific tools, putting accountability back where it belonged.

"It's a single pane of glass to monitor software spend, contract management, and budgeting," Oliver said. "It gives us the data and visibility we need."

The results: 30% savings, zero missed renewals, professional procurement

• 20-30% reduction in software overspend across all departments
• Avoided a 10% price uplift on a major Google renewal—and negotiated a 3% reduction instead
• 12 hours saved monthly on software tracking, contract management, and renewals
• Eliminated shadow IT issues by centralizing procurement visibility
• Built a foundation for scale as DECKED grows into new products and markets

Almost immediately, DECKED cut software overspend by 20-30% with SpendHound’s procurement intelligence. Oliver estimated that he’s saving a few hours every week—up to 12 hours per month—on software tracking alone. “It’s a big time saver,” he said.

DECKED was also coming out of a multi-year contract with Google. Going direct would have meant a 10% price uplift. Instead, SpendHound procurement experts recommended a reseller and provided ghostwriting for the negotiation. As a result, DECKED avoided the 10% hike and negotiated a 3% reduction instead.

Beyond dollars, SpendHound saved the team a lot of frustration. Finance loves the platform, IT feels more confident, and as DECKED continues to grow, SpendHound provides the foundation to scale efficiently. "It's the baseline platform," Oliver said. "As we grow, the foundation is in place for new departments and new users."

Stop overpaying for software—see how much you could save

If you're an IT leader managing software spend across a growing company—and you don't have a dedicated procurement team—SpendHound gives you the visibility, control, and negotiation leverage you need. 

‍Get your free benchmark data and see what 900+ companies already know: better procurement starts with better data.