Eque2 is pleased to announce Hawkspear Contracts Limited (Hawkspear) have selected Construct for Sage 50.
Hawkspear is a specialist subcontractor for main contractors, established in 2002 and based in Liverpool. Widely known throughout the industry, Hawkspear work with Kier, McLaren Construction, BAM Nuttall, Graham Construction, Lend Lease, and many other renowned main contractors. Hawkspear specialise in delivering projects in the following industries; Healthcare, Education, Commercial and UK Highways.
Prior to selecting Eque2, Hawkspear struggled to efficiently maintain the manual processes that were in place. Phil Woolland, Managing Director at Hawkspear mentioned “Our issue was that we grew too big and our turnover became too large for us to continue to use manual spreadsheets, we were getting so busy we couldn't cope with the avalanche of data we were getting.”
He continued, “Using spreadsheets meant we were inputting our data two or three times in different forms in order to get the reports we needed. As we grew we knew we would be best served if we had an integrated system”.
Hawkspear recognised that they required a dedicated construction accounting software platform to efficiently manage the increased number of projects the business was working on. Using spreadsheets became very time consuming and the business lacked the visibility it needed to make accurate business decisions in real-time, without having to work around the clock to pull in figures from various different spreadsheets.
During the selection process, Phil registered for a live Eque2 webinar to explore the features of Construct for Sage 50. By attending the webinar, Phil was able to see the software first-hand from the comfort of his office. After viewing the webinar Phil decided to contact Eque2 for a follow up with a trained consultant. Phil commented, “I started searching online and watched a webinar before inviting Eque2 to show us what they could do with a live demo. I made the decision to purchase Eque2 two weeks later when a consultant came out. The webinar was a good introduction although way above what we actually needed. The face to face meeting was great”.
Phil went on to mention the key reasons behind his decision to select Eque2 “The reporting features of Eque2 played a vital role in my decision. For example, if I wanted to know how much I spend on drainage for example, in the old system it was very long winded and took a while, and I couldn't analyse small items, I could be profitable on one element of a project but not on another.
Phil continued, “In the Eque2 Construct for Sage solution I can identify specific costs in materials and labour by allocating a code which can then generate me any report, providing more information on how we are performing.”
“I also used to have problems with VAT and the dates that were inputted. Previously it did not allow me to adjust the dates we were invoiced. Our invoices were as high as £200k with invoices of VAT at £40k, this caused a real problem.”
When Phil was asked, what do you think the key benefits to Hawkspear will be? He responded “I think the Construct for Sage system will benefit us by providing us with better cost control. We can use the detailed reporting to identify what we do well & what we are not doing so well at, and then learn for next time to make the appropriate adjustments to our tenders.”
Phil continued, “Ultimately I am hoping that we get more efficient at what we do. Price wasn’t the main reason for the system – even if it was a £1000 cheaper or dearer than the competition, it’s what we I feel we need, so that’s what I wanted.”
Construction businesses like Hawkspear which actively seek to better their internal processes understand that during stages of business growth, it is imperative to invest in software for the long-term success of the business.
Eque2 would like to formally welcome Hawkspear on board, whilst looking forward to working together in the future. For more information on Eque2’s construction accounting software solution, please click here or contact a member of our team.
