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'Camwell Consulting'
is a Member Firm of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

Camwells can help you achieve far more than with internal resources alone. We provide experience and momentum to deliver rapid results.

Usually on a flexible part-time basis, we've carried out many successful projects. Some clients have benefited over several years.

We often act as the bridge between the business and technical personnel, whether the latter are external or internal. And roll up our sleeves when appropriate.

A common theme is overcoming issues with Excel when, as an excellent personal productivity tool, it is over-stretched in multi-user or multi-dimensional situations.

Here are some projects where our dedicated expertise, insight and independence has made all the difference. Most are "Making Financial Systems Work". All are to improve business performance:

 Management reports, financial modelling and free cash!
        Monthly management pack and financial forecasting model constructed.
        Cash flow improved, with some £400,000 now received in government cash.
        "Camwells ... has provided immense value to our strategic planning process"

 Order processing system implemented
        Implementation taken over and project-managed to go live on time.
        Further enhancements over 5 years as business changed, merged and grew.
        Report produced to substantially reduce costs to double company profits.

 Enhance or replace?
        Little management reporting and poor processes.
        User Requirements Specification for "multi-everything" system produced.
        New track determined. FD delighted with speed of progress.

 Monthend nightmare solved
        Spreadsheets used for order processing. Staff threatening to resign.
        Requirements specified for custom development.
        New system used by combined company after merger.

 Unwieldy budgeting and reporting systems replaced
        Spreadsheet systems held together by "sticking plaster".
        Requirements specified and packaged market reviewed.
        Plan made for a mix of packaged and systems developed in-house.

 Business models reviewed and plans improved
        360 degree review methodology applied to new and existing businesses.
        Unique "traffic light" report showing strengths, weaknesses and showstoppers.         Business plans improved for internal and fund-raising purposes.

Our relationship with clients can be summarised in the words of a CEO we have worked with since 2000 in various businesses:
"Camwells has a rare combination of a strong strategic insight and the ability to set up the systems that make a business tick. I have also used Camwells to help with financial modeling on a number of occasions. Very trustworthy and committed to the client's interests."

How can we help you?
Just give Chis Challis of Camwells a call on 01628 632914.

















































Enhance or replace?

An AIM-quoted international group's accounting and order processing systems had failed to produce the basic management information and other functionality expected. Support from the reseller was poor.

The Group expected to expand rapidly from being an R&D company to revenues of over £25m. The systems needed "multi-everything" - multi-company, multi-currency, multi-location, multi-country, multi-lingual - and cope with current and potential future needs at an acceptable price.

The FD wanted to review whether to build on the existing system with a new reseller, or change systems. Camwells reviewed management information and business process needs, with input from the CEO and all departments, and compiled a User Requirements Specification (URS), We then went out to tender to a mixture of alternative resellers and new systems.

The group FD was delighted the project had proceeded so quickly.





















































Monthend nightmare solved

A £30m quoted IT company was having to use spreadsheets to administer the project aspects of their business, alongside packaged ledgers. Month-end had become a nightmare, with key staff threatening to resign. Attempts to document requirements had faltered, and would not happen without outside help.

Camwells documented user requirements in sufficient detail to assess packaged offerings and custom development, before reviewing the market to identify two suitable packages. Custom development, integrated to the existing ledgers, was nonetheless chosen as more cost-effective.

When the company was taken over, unusually the systems were adopted for the combined group of some £100m, preserving the jobs of the acquired finance team.





















































Unwieldy budgeting and reporting systems replaced

A £250m quoted IT group was having increasing problems with its spreadsheet-based budgeting, forecasting and reporting systems. Ledger systems hadn’t been upgraded for some years. The finance and IT management were unclear whether suitable packaged software solutions existed, or whether a custom development was more appropriate. No-one in-house had the time to pull together requirements from a user’s perspective.

Camwells met all the senior management and key staff involved in the budgeting and reporting process. A URS was produced in sufficient detail to assess packaged budgeting and ledger software, and to assess costs of customisation. A list of potential packaged solutions was provided.

Armed with these clear definitions, the software was assessed and an appropriate mix of packaged and custom-built software chosen.





















































Order processing system implemented

A £10m company had purchased an order processing system, which was a mixture of packaged ledgers and custom enhancements. Implementation had stalled through lack of internal resources. Camwells was asked to complete the implementation within a tight deadline. This was achieved.

The project involved designing business processes and management information across the business, ensuring the systems were tested and amended, and users trained.

We went on to help them use the system to grow the business to £100m, organically and through merger, periodically reviewing the way the system was being used. One report we wrote saved them some £600,000 per annum, which could not have been done without the traceability within the system. This saving doubled profits in the first year.























































Management reports, financial modelling and free cash!

Camwells first became involved with a start-up AIM-quoted company to help prepare an R&D tax credit claim. Three annual claims later they have received some £400,000. Much of this would not have been identified as claimable, justifiably, without our involvement.

We were also asked to construct the monthly management reports, plus a 5-year model. In the client's own words:
"Camwells have contributed strong financial modelling skills coupled with sound and practical commercial advice that has provided immense value to our strategic planning process".

This sentiment is echoed in the words of a CEO we have worked with since 2000 in various businesses:
"Camwells has a rare combination of a strong strategic insight and the ability to set up the systems that make a business tick. I have also used Camwells to help with financial modeling on a number of occasions. Very trustworthy and committed to the client's interests."


How can we help you?
Just give Chis Challis of Camwells a call on 01628 632914.

Telephone
01628 632914
or
eMail
results
@
camwells.co.uk