Partnerships UK Overhauls Finance and
Project Accounting Systems with Touchstone
Group
12 June 2008: Partnerships UK (PUK) has signed
a six-figure deal with software and services company, Touchstone
Group, to implement the Infor FMS SunSystems finance package and
time@work project accounting software.
Traditionally, PUK – a Public Private
Partnership company – conducted dozens of million-pound projects
that spanned a number of years. When the organisation shifted its
impetus towards working on hundreds of shorter projects, its
existing accounting system was not equipped to cope with the
change.
This prompted PUK to purchase Infor FMS
SunSystems finance software. The organisation turned to Touchstone
– the largest services company offering Infor software in the UK –
for consultancy and support in order to benefit from its vast
experience and expertise for the project’s implementation.
Infor FMS SunSystems eXFM delivered by
Touchstone will afford PUK many business advantages, including: an
improved accounting control environment; enhanced reporting
capabilities; improved invoicing and credit control; sharper
forecasting and budgeting; better control and allocation of
resources (financial and non-financial).
After assessing PUK’s accounting needs,
Touchstone advised the organisation that implementing time@work
project accounting software would complement the Infor FMS
SunSystems package and improve the company’s overall operational
efficiency.
PUK heeded the advice and now enjoys a raft of
project accounting benefits, including: time recording in real time
and remotely from anywhere in the world; easy-to-run reports on
budgets, resource allocation, contracts and project updates; and
simple processing of timesheets and expenses.
Alex Cribb, Finance Manager, PUK, comments:
“The support we’ve received from Touchstone has been second to
none. The company’s consultants are always very responsive and are
on hand to lend their help whenever it’s needed.”
“We anticipate many operational improvements
following the implementation. For example, we expect to save the
equivalent of half a full-time employee just on inputting expenses
alone. We also expect an improvement in the organisation’s cash
flow, as the new accounting system will dramatically increase the
speed at which we can get invoices out of the door and how promptly
we can begin chasing debts. In terms of ROI, we anticipate the new
systems will pay for themselves within a couple of years.”
Adrian McNay, Group Board Executive,
Touchstone, comments: “The real value of outsourcing large IT
projects to expert consultants is the years of experience they have
under their belts. Our consultants can invariably see and fix a
problem before it impacts an organisation, saving it time and money
in the long run.”
“As with PUK, we also make a point of
understanding exactly how the organisation works in a wider
context, not just from an IT perspective. This allows us to
consider the organisation’s broader ambitions before proposing the
most cost-effective solution to help it meet those goals."