Statsbygg is one of Norway's biggest property managers, with responsibility for 2.8 million square metres of floor space. Statsbygg is also the government's key adviser on construction and property issues and acts as construction client, property manager and property developer. Sound and efficient system support is needed to provide public sector enterprises with premises that are cost-effective and functional.
'We now have a more robust and efficient solution, with better traceability and documentation. The system is future-oriented and based on established standard products. Work processes that cut across accounting, procurement and project management are now much better integrated than before'
Sigurd Lunde, project manager in Statsbygg.
Statsbygg's accounting and project management systems were both overdue for upgrading or replacement. After a comprehensive tender competition, Statsbygg signed a contract with EVRY to provide a new financial management system, a smarter and more up-to-date solution based on standard components.
The solution
The accounting system was upgraded and adapted to the standard chart of accounts for state-owned enterprises and accounting standards. This was the key project requirement. At the same time as the new accounting system was implemented, a new procurement system was rolled out, one that included contract monitoring and ordering of goods and services. New modules for project management and data exchange between systems were also implemented.
Oracle's e-Business Suite was selected as the accounting system, and was integrated with external project management and time registration systems. An integration engine from Oracle SOA Suite was used to get all the components to interact optimally.
The result
The new enterprise solution has given Statsbygg a modern and user-friendly standard system with better documentation and traceability functions, leaving employees to spend more time working on Statsbygg's core activities and less on administration. Better overview and control has been achieved through features such as automated processes for tracking between signed agreements and payment, and improved integration between the systems has significantly enhanced the quality of master data.
'We now have a more robust and efficient solution, with better traceability and documentation. The solution is future-oriented and based on established standard products. In the new solution, work processes that cut across accounting, procurement and project management are now much better integrated than before,' says Sigurd Lunde, project manager in Statsbygg.
Close cooperation
The right expertise and form of cooperation was crucial to achieving this. In this project, Statsbygg and EVRY worked closely together in a common project office in Victoria Terrasse, where sometimes up to 50 project members could gather.
'The decision to set up a joint team that pulled in the same direction was an important one. The success of this project is largely down to the fact that the parties agreed on what was needed to successfully complete the project and that we've closely followed the whole process. That has been a key success factor,' says Sigurd.