The Challenge

On the day that the CFO at Skanska USA Building issued a mandate that payables processing become “paperless”, thousands of paper invoices were channeled through the company's corporate office in Parsippany, New Jersey.  Bill Spahr, tasked with implementing the challenging directive observed “the amount of paper was unwieldy and impossible to handle by way of storage and filing.”  The existing vendor invoice processing solution was paper-based, labor intensive, prone to human error, and most importantly was not delivering the efficiency the company required to grow.

Already working with Skanska on IT Maintenance and CGC/ERP support, ACS Connect was prepared when the need arose for a major document management overhaul.  Skanska chose to completely eliminate the existing imaging product and replace it with ACS Connect's RapiDoX™ product, a more robust and user friendly application that today is used for many business processes throught the company.

The Solution

Initially implemented only in New Jersey, RapiDoX has now been rolled out company wide.   “It was initially tough to let the pieces of paper go, but now it has become the standard for Accounts Payable and is very quickly becoming the standard for administrative documents,”  says Spahr. 

Since its inception, RapiDoX has solved many of Skanska’s accounts payable problems by providing a fully customizable workflow, enhancing business processes, and providing seamless integration with JD Edwards (JDE) ERP solution. 

Previously, if an unsigned or uncoded invoice was sent to the AP person from an offsite location; it would have to be overnighted back and forth for coding and approval. Spahr estimates a substantial savings on overnight provider charges, archiving, and document storage.  As a result, he says, “No more rummaging through filing cabinets or boxes in storage”.

At the construction site or a division office, Skanska uses RapiDoX to process vendor invoices. The most common method of operation begins with an office administrator who receives the invoice and affixes a date and coding stamp.  The invoice is then routed to a Project or Department Manager who manually codes and approves the invoice.  The Project Accountant or Office Administrator then scans and indexes invoices and associates them electronically by job #, vendor #, and document type. 

The Project Accountant enters the coding data and completes the final approval in RapiDoX. This approval process inserts the voucher directly into JDE AP for check processing.  

Documents are viewed by accessing the AP transaction in JDE and viewing the image through a connection between JDE and RapiDoX™.  Using email notification, corporate Accounts Payable based in Parsippany, NJ reviews signed and approved invoices in RapiDoX without handling any paper.

The Result:  A Dramatic Reduction in Paper

As the goal of being ‘paperless’ makes steady progress, filing cabinets and physical storage facilities are being eliminated. Three new offices are being constructed in Parsippany in space formerly dedicated to paper storage.  Acceptance of the system is also now complete, Spahr says.  “RapiDoX is now the ‘law of the land’ at Skanska Building USA; you have to use it – it’s what has to be used.” 

Business Profile: Skanska Building USA

Skanska Building USA specializes in building construction with headquarters in Parsippany, NJ and divisions operating in NY, Boston,  Philadelphia, Detroit, Seattle, Atlanta, and Houston. The company's stated mission is "To develop, build, and maintain the physical environment for living, traveling, and working." With approximately 3,800 local employees, Skanska’s vision is to be a world leader – the customer’s first choice – in construction – related services and project development.

Invoice processing is now the same in the field or at the main office; scanned, cost coded and approved the same everywhere.

Bill Spahr, Director of Systems Training & Special Projects
Skanska Building USA

For more than 20 years, ACS Connect has provided Construction Software and Consulting Services, helping specialty contractors, general contractors and construction managers to become more efficient and profitable.