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Client background
Our client, a leading equipment rental provider in the UK, forms part of the FTSE 100-listed Ashtead Group. With thousands of customers and a catalogue covering everything from tools and plant to specialist equipment, they support major infrastructure and commercial projects nationwide.
The challenge
Processing large, complex hire tenders from multiple clients—each with their own formats and requirements—was eating up valuable time. The finance team in particular was spending hours manually manipulating data instead of focusing on high-value tasks.
The solution
A bespoke digital transformation project that automated key workflows and introduced smarter data analytics and matching capabilities to reduce manual input, improve accuracy, and speed up enquiry handling.
As part of the second-largest equipment rental company in the world, our client deals with thousands of customers across thousands of different projects.
But a huge product catalogue combined with each customer’s unique approach to hire tenders required huge amounts of time and effort. Not only was this stunting efficiency, but it also meant the finance team spent more time on admin than value-add tasks.
A smarter, more automated approach was needed, without asking customers to change how they submitted their data.
The new process delivered immediate improvements for the team, with less time spent on repetitive admin and more consistency across tender responses.
Standardising incoming data meant users no longer had to manually reformat spreadsheets or decipher varied product names. Matching was faster, more accurate, and less reliant on individual knowledge, creating a more scalable and repeatable process.
With an exceptions process and searchable match history built in, the tool continues to improve over time—reducing rework and supporting a more efficient workflow for future tenders.
Client background
Our client, a well-established company in the plant hire industry, employs 320 staff and works with around 2,000 subcontractors. Operating from multiple depots across the UK and Ireland, supporting nationwide projects with over 2,000 operators.
The challenge
The company faced significant inefficiencies in their processes, leading to excessive time spent on routine tasks.
The solution
Pulse – Power Platform adoption framework
Having sustained continued, rapid growth, our client needed to upgrade their internal processes to ensure they could scale effectively. Numerous manual processes and legacy systems were starting to show signs of needing updates and business insights were proving difficult to obtain.
Processes were taking the team too long and human error was becoming a problem, so these inefficiencies needed to be addressed.
Using our 8-week Pulse framework methodology, we guided the client’s team through three key stages: Adoption Planning, Enablement, and Action.
The client has a team of around 2,000 subcontractors who each fill out a weekly timesheet, take a picture of it, and email it into the accounts team. The accounts team then has to read each timesheet and check for accuracy before inputting the data into a separate system. This takes a team of six people 120 hours per week, and costs the business £75,000 per year.
Three people from within the accounts team spent 240 hours per month extracting certain data points from invoices submitted into their team. This process cost the business £37,500 per year. Both processes were time consuming, and prone to data-entry error
When reviewing each project, we were able to establish savings for each process. It was calculated that 86.67% efficiency savings could be realised from each project by introducing Power Automate’s AI Builder and Cognitive Services technology.
By setting data markers on each invoice and timesheet, the AI tech was able to extract this data at the point it was received into a central mailbox. A trigger was then set into motion and the data was collated in a central database held on SharePoint before automatically uploading into a separate system. Within the process, validation rules were built into the flows to make sure any inaccurate or incomplete entries were rejected and shared back to the team for re-submission.
A further development has been scoped to include a mobile Power App for direct timesheet data entry by the subcontractors to further ensure accuracy in data entry, which is a secondary phase of the project.
Through automating a large part of the timesheet reader process and removing the main requirement for manual checking, the client has made a revenue saving of £65,000 per year.
Extracting data from invoices at the point they are received, and sending this data automatically to their existing finance system, has saved the business £32,500 per year.
The combined saving of £97,000 is being allocated within the business to other technology which will further help the client with their ongoing digital evolution.
Business impact: In addition to the savings made, the team of makers are now actively creating Power BI dashboards, Power Apps and using Power Automate for process flow improvement
As well as supporting the client’s development team with the projects categorised for in-house development, we will be working on some strategic deployments over the coming months. Namely, a Power App to reduce the paper forms currently used at the start of the timesheet submission process, a Power BI report which displays live job status information, and a holiday tracker for the resourcing team
Discover more on Pulse – Power Platform Adoption
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is the UK government agency committed to pushing the boundaries of research in science and engineering.
By providing vital support to university-based research and ensuring access to cutting-edge scientific facilities, the STFC plays a crucial role in driving innovation.
Collaboration is at the heart of their approach, fostering strong partnerships between academia and industry to ensure that research delivers tangible economic, societal, and international benefits to the UK.
STFC were experiencing inconsistencies across different sites resulting in inefficiencies and challenges in project tracking. To address this, they partnered with Bespoke to streamline their project management processes by migrating them onto the Power Platform.
The solution was designed to standardise and enhance their ability to manage projects effectively across all stages, from the initial pipeline to final completion.
Bespoke developed a comprehensive solution featuring four interconnected Power Apps, reporting dashboards, and Power Automate flows.
Power Apps Development: Pipeline Tracking, Project Request, Project Management, and Cost Tracking enable seamless data transfer and automation.
Support: In addition to developing the solution, Bespoke provided expert advice and hands-on support to ensure the system was used effectively.
Follow-up workshops: Bespoke conducted follow-up workshops to secure the Power Platform environment with appropriate guardrails, ensuring the solution met all of STFC’s needs efficiently and securely.
“We have partnered with Bespoke to not only develop a new system but also to establish a comprehensive process for our internal Project Management Team. At Bespoke’s recommendation, we created three interconnected applications which resulted in a seamless and efficient workflow for our staff and internal customers.”
![UKRI_STF_Council_White[94]](https://www.bespoke.xyz/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/UKRI_STF_Council_White94.png)
Adrian Mroczkowski – Head of Systems and Data Management
Migration and Streamlining: The implementation of the new solution has allowed STFC to successfully migrate all live projects onto the system, significantly streamlining their project management processes. They are now leveraging the Project Request app to manage new project requirements and populating the pipeline tracker to better predict and plan for future resource needs.
Integration and Enhancement: This successful integration has led STFC to engage Bespoke further to enhance the solution by exploring additional features for resource tracking and planning. The goal is to ensure continuous improvement and operational efficiency, enabling STFC to maintain a consistent and transparent approach to project management across all areas.
Find out how a the Power Platform can help make your business more efficient and your processes faster
