Unit4 Business World (Agresso)

Specialist Recruitment

& Contractor Services

Global Resourcing Solutions

Financial Systems | ERP | Analytics | Transformation

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Unit4 Business World (Agresso) Specialist Recruitment & Contractor Services

Since being established in 1997 we have focused exclusively on the provision of Permanent Staff and Interim Consultants, headhunting and resourcing solutions to enable our clients to implement & support Financial Systems, install and leverage Business Analytics applications and deliver Finance Transformation initiatives. SystemsAccountants has been a core component of the Agresso/Unit4 ecosystem for over 15 years.

Our Unit4 Business World (Agresso) practice maintains a capability to deploy contractors and

source, screen and recruit permanent Financial / IT professionals who bring functional & technical

skills sets across the breadth of Unit4 Business World (Agresso) modules and functionality including:

CORE FINANCIALS FIXED ASSETS

WORKFLOW BROWSER P2P

LOGISTICS PLANNER

EXCELERATOR PROJECT COSTING & BILLING

HR & PAYROLL BIF

ARC EXPERIENCE PACKS

Skills sets and disciplines we have expertise in supplying include:

PROJECT MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS GATHERING

SOLUTION ARCHITECTURE FUNCTIONAL CONFIGURATION

TECHNICAL INSTALLS & BUILD CHART OF ACCOUNTS DESIGN

DATA MIGRATION TRAINING

TESTING SUPPORT & SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION

REPORT DEVELOPMENT INTEGRATION

OPTIMISATION UPGRADES (v5.6 / MILESTONE 4/5)

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What differentiates us from mainstream ERP Recruiters & 3rd Party Consultancies

Duration of focus

SystemsAccountants’ history of assisting Unit4 Business World (Agresso) users dates back to

the initial surge of implementations in the UK government sector at the turn of the millennia.

Since then we have completed over 700 individual recruitment campaigns.

Our capability to provide thoroughly vetted contractors & candidates

Our account managers receive training in accounting processes, the ERP implementation

lifecycle, as well as coaching on the Unit4 product suite & architecture. Furthermore all of

our account managers & researchers are required to have a practical understanding of the

roles (mandates, accountabilities, soft skills, interaction points, outputs) that our contractors/

candidates are being recruited to undertake. They are then trained how to vet these skills

through in-person interviewing. This enables us to add significant value above and beyond the

submission of a candidate’s CV.

Access to pre-qualified & known network of Unit4 Business World (Agresso) Specialists

We adhere to a strict process of conducting in-person interviews and re-interviews with

candidates and contractors who have Unit4 Business World (Agresso) based expertise. Over

the past 15 years we have met and interviewed hundreds of such professionals, and placed a

significant proportion of them many times over. Pivotal to the success of our business model is

our personal knowledge of the candidates and contractors that we provide to clients. Not just

their functional or technical skills, but also whether their personality, communication style and

approach will be a fit with our clients’ values and culture.

Client mix

We are fortunate to be able to count a wide range of public & private sector organisations as

loyal clients. We are able to support global customers via our international search model (our

own consultants are globally mobile), and via our network of offices in Europe and the US.

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Recent clients include:

Equiniti is a business process services provider supporting approximately

1,600 major UK businesses and public sector institutions, including around half

of the FTSE 100 constituents. A longstanding Agresso user Equiniti required to expand the footprint

of their initial implementation due to organic and acquisition driven growth. As a key enabler to a

finance transformation (encompassing finance function/systems integration of recent acquisitions,

and associated business process standardisation) Equiniti retained SystemsAccountants to

provide an Interim ERP Project Manager and a discrete project team to manage the Agresso

deployment. In addition to the Agresso PM we supplied 3 functional consultants who aligned the

acquired companies finance processes to Equiniti’s Agresso functionality and delivered the rollout

of the Agresso system. Furthermore our team delivered a PCB (project costing) deployment, MI

application implementation, interfaces to other enterprise systems, and an upgrade of Agresso

from v5.6.3 to Milestone 4 is now underway.

John Laing plc is a specialist investor in, and manager of, infrastructure

assets in the UK and internationally, principally for the public sector. The

business model had been repositioned in the early 2000s when the group

moved out of the direct building & construction business to focus on infrastructure investment.

Inadequacies in the legacy business systems environment had started to cause issues, as the new

business model gained traction. Antiquated interfaces between the Sun GL and other functional

systems such as Procurement, Projects & Fixed Assets had resulted in an unnecessarily high head

count and the business had become reliant on manual spread sheets for MI reporting, project &

asset accounting specific to their key PPP/PFI projects. SAP BPC had been purchased for financial

consolidation however TCO was high. The business selected the Agresso ERP solution to integrate

the disparate Finance, Procurement and Project systems in to a single instance. Thereafter, due

to better data control and the clarity afforded by Agresso, SAP BPC was phased out, replaced by

an Agresso add-on (Logix4). SA provided a team of Business Analysts to conduct a review of the

business processes and requirements, creating a detailed requirements document for Unit4 (the

vendor partner). We then provided additional Agresso product specialists to deliver the build of the

application and support the go-live process. Post go-live the Applications Systems Team is now 2

FTE (4 pre-project) and delivering meaningful MI.

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Alvarez and Marsal (A&M) is a global professional services firm, which was

founded in New York in 1983 and is notable for its work in turnaround management

and performance improvement. As a consequence of continued global growth

(organically and by acquisition) A&M sought to leverage back office efficiencies

through an upgrade to their Unit4 Agresso v5.6 application. A&M’s London office approached

SystemsAccountants in 2011 to discuss the upgrade and their objectives for re-engineering

processes and the implementation of additional modules, which had been purchased, (most

prominently Purchasing and Planner) but not yet implemented, which was being planned for the

following year. The client wished to secure independent specialist resource to complement its

existing technical team and Unit4 Consultants. Antiquated interfaces between Agresso and A&M’s

extensive network of related business and IT systems required optimising ahead of the planned

Agresso upgrade, and with the internal team focused on delivering the day to day support and

development, SystemsAccountants were contracted to put in place a project team to flank the

Unit4 Consultants and assist A&M through the complex project. SystemsAccountants assembled

a team of independent Agresso contractors with a strong blend of technical and functional skill

sets to join the business team in NYC and deliver the project over the course of the following 6-9

months. Our team of consultants was latterly retained to deliver additional systems and process

improvements, as well as providing knowledge transfer and up skilling of the A&M business team.

CGIAR is a global partnership engaged in research for a food secure future. Founded

as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the organisation

underwent a major transformation to become CGIAR in 2008. CGIAR research is

dedicated to reducing rural poverty, increasing food security, improving human health

and nutrition, and ensuring sustainable management of natural resources. To derive benefit from

economies of scale and operational efficiencies CGIAR initiated an ERP enabled transformation

across their 15 member Research Centres, called OCS (One Corporate System). Unit4 Agresso

was selected as the core ERP application and whilst some Centers already operated Agresso,

a decision was made to migrate all Centres to a common Agresso Milestone 4 platform.

SystemsAccountants have been retained as project resource partner for over 18 months and during

this time we have provided 9 Agresso contractors to deliver project review, project management,

design, build, test and implementation services. Our contractors have been deployed globally in to

Centres in locations as diverse as Penang, Beirut, Cali, Benin, Rome and Nairobi.

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The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty is a

conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The trust was

founded in 1895 and given statutory powers, starting with the National Trust Act

1907. The National Trust initiated a business transformation in 2014, with the goal of

implementing new digital applications (web and apps), tills, supporter loyalty systems,

MI/data warehouse architecture and integrated back office finance and procurement systems.

The client selected Unit4 Agresso Business World as their core ERP solution for the back office

component of the business transformation programme. SystemsAccountants were engaged by

the National Trust’s Programme Director to provide resourcing support specifically for the Agresso

implementation and we initially supplied an experienced Agresso Subject Matter Expert to provide

independent counsel and QA on the requirements gathering workshops. This consultant was

subsequently retained as the client side Solution Architect. The client decided to adopt a Unit4

“Assisted Build” implementation strategy, meaning that Unit4 were engaged to provide specific

design and build expertise, but that the National Trust were free to engage their own delivery

resource with the aim of embedding Agresso and change experience within their business teams

and thus ensuring a legacy of continuous improvement post implementation. To support this

implementation model, the National Trust retained SystemsAccountants to mobilise a discrete

team of independent Agresso Consultants. Over the 14 month programme we have supplied 8

Consultants, namely: a Solution Architect, Project Management Resource, a Lead Consultant,

a Technical Interface Consultant, a Technical Build & Reporting Consultant, two Financial Build

Consultants, and a Reports Definition and Build Consultant.

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council is the local authority of Redcar and

Cleveland. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county

and district council combined. The Council was an existing Agresso user, however

wished to engage an experienced Agresso Consultant to optimise their use

of the Payroll module. Sensitive to their support contract with Unit4, specifically with a view to

maintaining their warranties and assurances for their future upgrade path, the Council retained

SystemsAccountants to select and provide a Payroll Consultant who would be able to help them to

balance these requirements. We were able to source a consultant from within our tried and trusted

network, and reference the quality of their work, product and subject matter expertise, as well as

their vendor management experience via mutual clients. The client has retained our contractor for

over 12 months.

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McCarthy & Stone is the UK’s largest developer of privately owned

property in the UK for people in retirement, with annual sales of over

£300m and around 900 employees. McCarthy & Stone’s legacy business

system (a construction industry specific tool) was beginning to creak and the business processes it

underpinned were inefficient, requiring considerable manual intervention, so a decision was made

to replace it with Unit4 Agresso. Key to this decision was the full ERP functionality offered by

Agresso, with all of the following modules being implemented: Core Financials, PCB, Planner,

Logistics, Workflow, Procurement and Subcontracting module, Expenses, and Bank Rec.

McCarthy & Stone’s Project Manager engaged SystemsAccountants, as we were a known provider

of independent Agresso implementation resources, to supply a team of 5 Agresso contractors to

execute, design, build, test and deployment. The consultants we provided covered a range of

functional, technical and process specific domains and were instrumental in enabling the McCarthy

& Stone project team to hit their Go-Live date on time. Our consultants were subsequently retained

to deliver a range of further enhancements in a post-go live development phase, including MI &

Reporting, and to assist in a phased handover to the business.

Oxford City Council provides local government for the city of Oxford in England.

Oxford City Council contains all of the Oxford East parliamentary constituency and also

part of the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency. An existing customer of Unit4 and

an established Agresso user, the City Council engaged SystemsAccountants in 2015

to supply a cross-functional Agresso Consultant to undertake a series of functional and

technical development initiatives across their ERP platform. Our consultant is also executing a full

systems review and health-check, with a view to making recommendations prior to a full upgrade.

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Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is the local authority of Southend-

on-Sea in Essex, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of

a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. In a drive to

improve financial controls and obtain operational efficiencies the Borough Council had chosen to

replace their legacy business systems with an integrated ERP solution and had selected Agresso

v5.5, opting for a range of modules and functionality, including Core Financials, as well as HR &

Payroll. The Council had retained Unit4 to provide implementation consultancy; however in the run

up to Go-Live it became apparent that some additional project consulting and Agresso functional

expertise would be required to meet the project deadlines. Unit4 were unable to free up consultants

from other client projects, and as a consequence the Council engaged SystemsAccountants to

supply 2 experienced Agresso HR & Payroll Consultants, a Reporting Consultant, a Financials

Consultant and an experienced Test Manager to lead UAT and support the client through Cutover

and Go-Live. Post implementation, SystemsAccountants supplied 2 on site Support Consultants

to provide stabilisation and optimisation services.

Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. It is a unitary authority,

having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined.

The Council had selected Agresso to replace their legacy finance systems in 2012

and a new build implementation had been initiated in conjunction with a Unit4

partner. SystemsAccountants was asked by the Head of Finance to supply a team of 8 Agresso

Consultants to assist the partner in delivering user training and on-site support during the User

Acceptance Testing and Go-Live phases of the project. We rapidly mobilised a team of contractors,

who we were able to offer at a cost effective rate, and deployed them to site between March and

December 2013. Soon after go-live our team was seamlessly stood down and day-to-day support

was transitioned back to the client and their partner’s helpdesk.

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Client Testimonials

During Save the Children’s transformation programme, of which delivery of our Agresso

implementation and the subsequent post go-live support & development are critical

components, we have found SystemsAccountants responsive & understanding of our

charity budgetary constraints and pro-active & persistent in sourcing candidates that meet

our requirements. They have been highly effective business partners in helping us find well

matched contract and full time staff.

Richard Blundell - Finance Systems Programme Director - Save the Children

SystemsAccountants have helped Alvarez & Marcel meet its strategic initiatives in the

Agresso ERP area by providing quality consultants in a timely and professional manner. All the

consultants we used met our specific requirements for various pipeline projects. It helped us

to speed up our project delivery to meet demanding business needs and business changes.

I would recommend SystemsAccountants to any company looking for Agresso resources.

Michelle Wang – Manager of Application Services – Alvarez & Marsal

SystemsAccountants assisted us in finding experienced and knowledgeable consultants

for an Agresso ERP implementation we are working on. They were thoughtful and curious

in their approach to understanding our needs and diligent and expedient in finding us

the right resource. We are thrilled with the results and look forward to working with

SystemsAccountants again in the future!

Jim Betz – Program Director - The Nature Conservancy

The SystemsAccountants team’s professionalism and enthusiasm about their job made them

a pleasure to work with. I was always happy to work with the SA team during the recruitment

and hiring process for Unit4. SA would always go out of their way to work through any issues

and provided timely follow up. Their ability to follow through was second to none. Amazing!

Paul Thomas – Unit4 North America

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Disclaimer:

The UNIT4, Business World and Agresso registered trade marks (the “Licensed Trade Marks”) used in this document are reproduced and published by SystemsAccountants Limited (the “Licensee”) under licence (the “Licence”) from UNIT4 Business Software Holding B.V. (the “Licensor”). Notwithstanding the Licensee’s rights thereto under the Licence, all rights, title and interest in the Licensed Trade Marks are and remain the property of the Licensor. All other trademarks listed herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of the Licensed Trade Marks in this document does not in any way constitute an endorsement or approval by the Licensor of the products and/or services offered by the Licensee and shall not be construed to imply any partnership between the Licensee and the Licensor or the respective trade mark owner.

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