Industry Trends

From Forest to Facility: Georgia-Pacific’s Integrated Packaging and Dispensing Solutions with a Proven TCO Advantage

Who This Checklist Is For (And When to Use It)

If you're a facility manager, building maintenance lead, or anyone responsible for ordering supplies for commercial washrooms, you've probably compared quotes for paper towel dispensers, soap systems, or toilet paper holders. The initial price tag is easy to see. But the real cost—the one that hits your annual budget—is a whole different story.

I'm a procurement manager for a 250-person office management company. I've managed our facility supplies and janitorial budget (about $85,000 annually) for six years, negotiated with dozens of vendors, and tracked every single order. The biggest lesson? The cheapest dispenser on the quote is almost never the cheapest one to own.

This checklist is for when you're evaluating new dispensers or refill systems. Don't just look at the unit price. Follow these steps to calculate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). It's basically a way to avoid those nasty budget surprises six months down the line.

Here's what we'll cover in 5 steps:

1. Map Out All the Pieces (It's Never Just the Dispenser)
2. Price the Refills – But Do the Math Right
3. Clock the Maintenance Time
4. Account for Waste & Theft (The Silent Budget Killers)
5. Build Your TCO Spreadsheet & Compare

Step 1: Map Out All the Pieces (It's Never Just the Dispenser)

This is where most comparisons fail right from the start. You're not buying a standalone product; you're buying into a system. A quote for a "Georgia-Pacific paper towel dispenser" might just be for the metal box. The real cost includes everything that makes it work.

Your System Component Checklist:

• The Dispenser Unit: The obvious one. Is it manual or automatic? Does it need a key? (Pro tip: if it needs a Georgia-Pacific paper towel dispenser key, factor in who has it, where it's stored, and the cost of replacements).
• The Refills: The specific cartridges, rolls, or bags. Are they proprietary? Can you only use Georgia-Pacific brand refills, or are generics compatible?
• Mounting Hardware & Installation: Is it included? If not, what's the labor cost for your maintenance staff or an outside contractor to install 20 units?
• Compatibility: Will the new soap dispenser fit in the existing cut-out in the granite countertop? If not, add modification costs.

"Never expected the 'all-inclusive' quote to miss so much. Turns out the mounting brackets were a separate line item, and the proprietary refill cartridges were 40% more than standard bags. That 'complete system' wasn't so complete."

Step 2: Price the Refills – But Do the Math Right

This is the big one. The dispenser is a one-time (or rare) purchase. The refills are the recurring hit to your budget. Don't just look at the price per case.

Here's how to compare apples to apples, using paper towels as an example:

1. Find the Price Per Sheet: Take the cost of a case. Divide by the number of rolls in the case. Divide again by the number of sheets per roll.
   Example: A case of Georgia-Pacific towels costs $50. It has 8 rolls. Each roll has 800 sheets. Price per sheet = $50 / 8 / 800 = $0.0078 per sheet.
2. Adjust for Sheet Size & Ply: A "sheet" isn't standard. A smaller, single-ply sheet might be cheaper per sheet, but people use 3 or 4 to dry their hands. You need to estimate cost per dry hand. A larger, more absorbent 2-ply sheet might have a higher per-sheet cost but a lower per-use cost.
3. Check Dispenser Efficiency: Some high-efficiency dispensers are designed to issue one sheet at a time, reducing waste. If a system has a higher refill cost but cuts usage by 30%, it might be cheaper overall.

Bottom line: A cheaper case of refills can actually be more expensive if the sheets are smaller, less absorbent, or the dispenser is wasteful.

Step 3: Clock the Maintenance Time

Time is money. Your maintenance staff's time is a real operational cost. A dispenser that's difficult to refill or constantly jams has a huge hidden TCO.

For each dispenser model you're considering, ask or test:

• How long does it take to refill? Is it a simple drop-in cartridge, or does it require threading, aligning, and multiple steps?
• How often does it need service? Does it jam frequently? Are parts like batteries (for automatics) or motors prone to failure?
• What's the cleaning process? Are there hard-to-clean crevices that increase janitorial time?

Let's say a fancy, complicated dispenser takes 5 minutes to refill versus 1 minute for a simple one. If it's refilled 100 times a year, that's an extra 400 minutes (over 6.5 hours) of labor. At a $25/hour labor burden, that's over $160 in hidden annual cost per unit.

Step 4: Account for Waste & Theft (The Silent Budget Killers)

This is the step most people ignore. You can't eliminate it, but you can estimate and minimize it.

• Over-Consumption/Waste: Dispensers that give out too much product per use (a giant blob of soap, multiple towels at once) directly increase your refill costs.
• Theft/Pilferage: Are the refills easily taken for use in home kitchens or other offices? Locking dispensers or systems with proprietary refills can reduce this.
• Vandalism/Durability Cost: A flimsy plastic soap dispenser might crack if knocked off the wall, requiring a full unit replacement. A more durable, metal-clad unit like many commercial-grade options has a higher upfront cost but a lower long-term replacement cost.

It's hard to put a precise number on this, but you can build in a contingency. If historical data shows you lose about 10% of product to waste/theft, add 10% to your annual refill cost estimate.

Step 5: Build Your TCO Spreadsheet & Compare

Now, put it all together. I don't make a decision without this simple spreadsheet.

Column A: Cost Component
Columns B, C, D: Vendor/System A, B, C

Cost Component (Annual per Unit)	System A ("Budget" Dispenser)	System B ("Premium" Dispenser)
Dispenser Unit (amortized over 5 yrs)	$10	$30
Refill Cost (Estimated usage)	$120	$90
Maintenance Labor Time	$40	$15
Waste/Theft Contingency (10%)	$12	$9
Total Annual Cost	$182	$144

See what happened? The "budget" System A has a much higher Total Cost of Ownership. The premium unit pays for itself in reduced refill and labor costs in less than a year.

Common Mistakes & Final Advice

Mistake #1: Only getting one quote. You need at least three to see the market range and identify outliers. This was accurate as of Q1 2025. Supply chains change, so verify current prices and availability.

Mistake #2: Not asking for samples to test. Have your head custodian try to refill it. Time them. Their feedback is gold.

Mistake #3: Ignoring the janitorial staff's preference. They're the ones using it daily. A dispenser they hate will be maintained poorly, leading to more problems and costs.

Honestly, switching to a TCO mindset saved my department about 15% on our annual washroom supply budget. It wasn't about finding the cheapest thing; it was about finding the most cost-effective system. The surprise wasn't just the savings—it was how much fewer complaints we got about empty or broken dispensers. That's a win for everyone.

So, before you click "order" on that low-price dispenser, run it through this checklist. Your budget (and your maintenance crew) will thank you.