Case Study – Grange Construction & Roofing Ltd. (GCR)

Grange Construction & Roofing Ltd. (GCR) Embraces SmartOffice AP Automated Accounts Payable Processing

Established in 1998, Grange Construction and Roofing Ltd are specialists in roofing, cladding and rainscreen solutions. GCR offer commercial, industrial and residential roof maintenance and cladding products throughout Ireland.

The business was founded by Gregory Crinion who continues to manage the company from offices in Limerick and Navan. While still a family-run operation, the company has grown in size and scale. The team have accumulated extensive experience in all aspects of high performance weather proofing systems.

A culture of excellence is encouraged through best practise in terms of health and safety with strict adherence to stringent safety standards. GCR are leaders in an industry that is continually evolving. Research and training is prioritised to keep staff at the fore of new product and process developments.

The Challenge

Grange Construction and Roofing needed an end-to-end system to  easily and accurately capture invoice detail, manage the approval stage and process the payments through a single platform.

Discrepancies on Product Invoices

The Accounts Department was tasked with raising purchase orders on behalf of the contract managers. However they were often unsure of what was required for the order. In addition, specific product codes were needed for different projects where there was no bill of materials or price list to reference.

Higher Prices Charged

The challenge lay when the Accounts team received the invoice, the price charged was frequently higher than what had been agreed with the contract manager. Quantities and codes could vary and incorrect prices or the absence of pricing led to data entry and approvals delays.

As the contracts manager was not involved at invoice stage, they were unaware of any price discrepancies. This breakdown in the process of relating prices to projects led to numerous extra steps across several departments to ensure accuracy.

Single Platform

In addition, the day to day process was cumbersome and manual with a heavy reliance on paper based documentation. Reconciling invoices against GRNs, Purchase Orders and statements was a time-consuming and tedious task.

Grange Construction and Roofing needed an end-to-end system to  easily and accurately capture invoice detail, manage the approval stage and process the payments through a single platform.

The Solution

SmartOffice Accounts Payable Product – Automated Supplier Invoice Process

The Benefits of SmartOffice AP

With SmartOffice AP, Grange Construction found a solution that captured key information and facilitated its flow easily between all users. Automation has removed the gap between the supplier, contract manager and the accounts team.

SmartOffice AP enables the contract managers to create the individual Purchase Orders and be actively involved in the approval process. PO creation is simple, logical and goes straight to the supplier. With live visibility from PO to invoice, contract managers have greater control over the project.

Cross Reference and Match

SmartOffice AP automatically verifies that the quantity billed, product codes and invoice prices are consistent from purchase order to invoice. The invoice can be automatically returned to the requisitioner for official sign off or can be processed without intervention. The ability to cross-reference and match each invoice at line-item level is a game changer. The task of checking cost differences, identifying shortages and verifying product codes is much simpler.

Invoice History and Vendor Information

All invoice history and vendor information is housed within the system, with confirmation, approval and review times cut dramatically. The system links all approvals and messages associated with each transaction and SmartOffice AP gives comprehensive intelligence and  reporting on invoice details and related correspondence. A searchable audit trail reduces the risk of losing important paperwork and helps maintain regulatory compliance for quarterly or annual filings.

Data Capture

Better data capture and automation enable GCR to have real-time data and full visibility on processing and analytics at every stage. The company benefits from clearer overviews of spending and cost trends and timely supplier payments have achieved early payment discounts.

The Outcome

The impact of data capture and more efficient workflow brought about through SmartOffice AP has improved processing time by 80% and decreased cost by €15,000.

Time Saved

Traditional invoice approval methods and workflow led to a backlog in accounts processing and manual data entry. Implementing SmartOffice AP has reduced processing time by 80% within 5 months. The aim now is to get to real-time invoice reporting.

The Results

  • 90 % time savings compared to manual systems
  • Reduces supplier invoice processing costs by an estimated 85 %
  • Automatically ‘flags’ invoiced pricing that is different to past invoiced prices
  • Reduces the number of manually processed invoices from 500 to an average of 10 per month
  • Removes the requirement for paper invoices and the associated print, postage and handling costs
  • Full integration with Sage Accounts automatically migrates invoice data for efficient financial processing
  • Always-on, secure visibility of all invoices from every supplier
  • Seamless process increases AP accuracy and payment process tracking
  • Automatic statement reconciliation
  • Accounts Payable Team can focus on higher value, more productive work
The beauty of dealing with a company like SmartOffice (Cantec Group) is that  systems can be tailored and scaled to focus on our size of industry. I have previously worked on a variety of MRP systems in other sectors of industry, however such types of software are not feasible for a small family- run business due to the cost, complexity and lack of tailoring options available.  Smart Office is a simpler, more cost-effective approach for our industry type. The construction industry regulations are constantly improving and we believe that in the future it will be a requirement to provide lot number traceability for all critical materials/products used. We are confident SmartOffice can help with their growing offering of bespoke software range to easily meet this requirement.”   
– Comments from EQHS Manager GCR, the Managing Director, Annmarie Crinion