Client Profile.
The client is a US-based contractor and manufacturer for a range of products such as doors, windows, frames etc. With 60+ years of market experience, they are the experts in design, manufacturing and supply of specialty custom doors.
Business Need.
As part of business operations, the client worked with several vendors to meet a range of requirements for a diverse clientele. All project managers coordinated independently with their respective vendors and managed their accounts in siloed systems. Lack of a unified approach led to major communication gaps between production and supplies, invoice discrepancies, project delays and loss of credibility.
The client partnered with Hitech to help them streamline the vendor management workflow by:
- Setting up a structured communication channel for efficient coordination between vendors and internal stakeholders
- Verify and manage documentation related to vendor contracts, deliveries, supplies, inventory, etc.
- Manage invoice collection, routing, processing and payments to avoid delays
Challenges.
A review of as-is conditions highlighted the following project challenges for the Hitech team:
- No training documents or process manuals for training team members
- Familiarizing team and training them on industry jargon and custom accounting processes
Solution.
Structured invoice management and document processing workflow which enabled
- Establishing single source of truth with almost immediate updates in ERP – Sage 100Â
- Informed decision making by giving latest information on vendors, raw materials, payments etc.
This empowered the client with accurate invoicing and timely payment releases. It also allowed them to focus on core activities of engineering design and innovation.
Approach.
A team of skilled and multi-tasking resources was assembled to regularly update the system by coordinating with relevant stakeholders. Project milestones, workflow and processes were clearly defined to efficiently dedicate resources and ensure timely delivery.
- Team traced and recorded all purchase order documentation [PO] received from the client using Sage 6-6-1
- Smartsheet was used for Order Acknowledgement to ensure accuracy between PO and the ERP system – Sage 100 Contractor – used by the client
- All PO query reports were run at the start of each business day to identify new POs that were issued
- The project team also coordinated with the respective vendors to receive samples based on needs and tracked them using Smartsheet until it was delivered to the client location
- All documents from PO to final close out including order acknowledgement and sample acknowledgement were regularly updated by the team in relevant software portals
- In the next step, a close out package was created to include documents like general warranty, workmanship warranty, owner’s manual & training videos based on requirements and send it to manager/Client via email/MS Teams
- All relevant details like Sage PO number, order acknowledgment PDF link, vendor confirmation number and price (if required) were added in Sage 100 and relevant hardware details for doors were added in Comsense
- Product details for latest drawings, field report, and operations were updated in PlanGrid to ensure accuracy in design communication, bids and construction drawings
- All billing related details were updated in AIA monthly billing for lien release, contracts and new controllers or customers in Sage 3-5, Sage 3-7 and Sage 3-2 respectively to avoid delays in invoice generation or payment release. This enabled knowing monthly progress release for new and ongoing contracts
