How a Leading Facilities Services Provider Achieved Greater Financial Visibility & Streamlined Planning Through Advanced Financial Modeling

About The Client

Industry: Facilities Services

Scope: The client is a leading provider in the facilities services industry, specializing in janitorial and maintenance solutions for commercial properties. They serve a diverse portfolio of clients, including office buildings, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and industrial sites across multiple regions.

Client Challenges

• The client faced significant operational inefficiencies due to manual financial data management processes, which were time-consuming and increased the risk of data entry errors 
• The existing financial systems were not integrated effectively, increasing the risk of inaccuracies and making it difficult for the finance team to provide timely financial insights 
• The client struggled with limited visibility across their financial and operational data, as data from various internal systems were not unified 
• This impacted the finance team's ability to focus on higher value-added activities such as strategic planning and analysis 

Key Project Elements & Deliverables

Systems & Tools Used: Adaptive Insights for budgeting and forecasting, Excel for detailed financial modeling and analysis, and internal financial systems 

Timeline: 3-month project while collaborating closely with client's finance and IT teams 

Data Integration: Key financial data - revenue, expenses, cash flow, and balance sheet items were integrated into the Excel models, providing real-time visibility into financial performance 

Key Deliverables: 

• A long-term financial plan with P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet projections 
• An earn-out calculation model to evaluate potential acquisition scenarios 
• A DCF model to assess company valuation and aid in potential future targets 
• Automation for budgeting and variance analysis 
• Customized dashboards in Adaptive Insights to enable easy visualization and tracking of key metrics 

Project Objectives & Business Needs

Key Project Objectives: 

1. Data Integration and Automation: Automate the integration of financial data from internal systems into various financial models to reduce manual intervention, enhance data accuracy, and improve the timeliness of financial reporting 
2. Process Efficiency: Streamline forecasting, budgeting, and reporting processes by implementing automated workflows, reducing the time required for financial planning activities 
3. Improved Financial Visibility: Develop comprehensive financial models, including long-term P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet forecasts, to support strategic decision-making 
4. Adaptive Reports and Dashboards: Create customized dashboards to facilitate easy access to key metrics and support real-time decision-making 
   
   

Business Needs: 

• Financial Reporting and Modeling: Improve the efficiency of financial planning and analysis processes
• Budgeting and Planning: Enhance the accuracy of financial forecasting and budgeting 
• Adaptive Insights Reporting: Enhance reporting and dashboarding capabilities 
  
  

Solution Outline: The project implemented process automation for forecasting, budgeting, variance analysis, long-term planning, and monthly reporting: 

1. Financial Workflow Automation: This greatly reduced the need for manual intervention, minimized the risk of data errors, and improved the overall efficiency of financial operations 
2. Comprehensive Financial Models: Development of comprehensive models for long-term financial planning including P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet forecasts 
3. DCF Model: Built a DCF model to assess future cash flow potential and company valuation 
4. Adaptive Insights Implementation: Improved budget reporting and executive dashboards 

Solutions & Outcomes

Solution Outline
The project strategy was multi-faceted that included prioritizing integration timing, creating a robust integration roadmap, developing a close calendar checklist and uniform account reconciliations, centralizing key accounting functions, investing in new positions, and correcting the ERP set-up.

Project Outcome Summary
The project delivered significant improvements in AP efficiency, cost savings, and cash flow management through system implementation and process optimization. By implementing Stampli, automating workflows, optimizing payment terms, and transitioning vendors to ACH, the client achieved faster invoice processing, reduced costs, and improved working capital position. These enhancements provided better visibility into AP metrics and freed up staff time for higher-value activities, ultimately supporting the company's cash management objectives.