Ornikar offers online driving school and car insurance services. It helps users prepare for the driving theory test, book lessons with certified instructors, and get affordable auto insurance, especially for young drivers. Since launching in 2013, it has grown rapidly and now serves millions across France.
Types of tools used
Collaboration, Marketing Automation, Customer Engagement, Product Analytics
Before Najar
Each team managed their own SaaS tools separately
No clear way to track or optimise SaaS spending
Vendor negotiations handled individually, without benchmarks
Leadership burdened by Procurement logistics
Each tool purchase required a full cycle of research, demos, and vendor chasing
After Najar
One centralised process with expert support for all teams
€400K saved through expert negotiations and smarter renewals
Market-backed pricing strategy led by a dedicated expert IT buyer
Teams freed up to focus on growth, M&A, and strategic priorities
Fast-track decisions guided by vendor relationships and expert insight
Rapid growth brought complexity and fragmented visibility
Ornikar’s pace of growth, particularly after launching its insurance vertical, came with a significant increase in SaaS usage. Each department leader managed their own stack: comparing tools, handling demos, tracking renewal dates, and negotiating contracts, often with limited context or data. While this supported team autonomy, it made Procurement increasingly difficult to manage at scale.
“It was pretty time-consuming, scattered, and not very efficient.”
The purchasing process wasn’t broken, it was simply stretched. Without centralised governance, everything from pricing to usage visibility became more reactive than strategic. Finance had little involvement in the early stages of vendor discussions, making it harder to influence terms or build negotiation leverage. And without internal benchmarks or external reference points, validating pricing or identifying savings opportunities was a challenge.
“The main problem I faced in my role as CFO was the lack of reference points. The usual reflex was to ask fellow CFOs what they were paying.”
What also became clear was the lack of a centralised system for contract tracking. Renewal dates, user counts, and license terms were managed through spreadsheets, which worked, but left too much room for risk.
Step into the cockpit of financial excellence
A dedicated buyer + one platform = total control
With increasing SaaS complexity, Ornikar launched a call for tenders to find the right Procurement partner. The goal was clear: gain expert support, centralise governance, and drive value from every contract. Najar checked all the boxes.
Instead of hiring internally, Ornikar embedded a Najar buyer into their operations. This expert IT buyer took charge of managing renewals, leading negotiations, challenging pricing, and benchmarking every contract against market standards. With deep knowledge of SaaS vendors, pricing tiers, and negotiation best practices, Najar removed the need for internal teams to navigate these conversations solo.
“The buyers know the market well, they know the sellers well, because they meet them several times a year. And finally, they know the pricing by heart, depending on the volume, the negotiation level. They're in a position to offer us the best deal right away, even when we don't really know the sellers.”
Beyond negotiation, Najar took ownership of contract workflows. The team sent timely alerts before renewals, flagged contracts requiring cancellation letters, and prepared pre-audits to help Ornikar approach each negotiation with a clear strategy.
“Working with Najar saves us an enormous amount of time, because they're the ones who take care of the whole renewal process...They also give us a pre-audit of our rates and the competition, so that we can renew our contracts with very good conditions.”
Ornikar also gained access to Najar’s platform, which centralised contract data, surfaced unused or unknown tools (Shadow IT), and improved visibility across the stack. It gave the company the control they needed, without slowing down operations.
But what really set the partnership apart was the human touch. Beyond the tools and processes, what made Najar more valuable was the continuity and expertise of the team. Ornikar wasn’t just getting a service, they had a reliable, knowledgeable partner on speed dial. The quality of support and trust built with Najar’s team allowed both Finance and Tech to lean on them fully, without needing to double-check or follow up constantly.
“We chose Najar on the basis of the quality of the support and the feeling we had with the people we dealt with. We've never been disappointed by our choice.”
€400K in savings, hours reclaimed and freedom to focus on what matters
Since partnering with Najar in October 2023, Ornikar has achieved more than €400,000 in SaaS savings through smarter negotiations and contract optimisations. But the value goes far beyond cost reduction.
Najar now handles the entire renewal lifecycle, from early alerts and vendor discussions to contract prep and pre-audits, freeing up time across Finance, Tech, and Legal teams. In the Finance department alone, the team is saving up to 15 hours per month, time that’s been reinvested into high-impact priorities like fundraising, M&A, compliance, and new business development.
For Ornikar’s leadership, the transformation is even more strategic. As Joris Crozier, the CTO, puts it:
“Najar makes me a better CTO because they find the right compromise between cost and efficiency.”
With CFO, Pierre Gambarini adding:
“Najar saves me time, making me more efficient in my job as a CFO.”
Now, Ornikar continues to operate with confidence, armed with the right insights, the right partner, at the right time, empowering their teams to focus on innovation and future growth.
