Pomerleau improves the efficiency of its payment processes with Oracle Textura
March 7, 2022 | 5 minute readPomerleau is one of Canada’s construction industry leaders.
As they say, their vision is to redefine construction, together with their customers, from conception to execution, at all times and without compromise. This vision, backed by a strategic plan for accelerated growth, has enabled them to grow their revenue by more than 50% in about three years, a growth rate that shows no sign of slowing down.
This impressive result could only be achieved with the commitment of each employee. To grow at such a rate, without having to scale up the number of hires, Pomerleau invested in technology to support their teams across all areas of the business.
The construction industry has certainly been working for a long time to improve efficiency in the field. Some innovative companies, such as Pomerleau, go further and look at all their activities, including administrative and workforce development, to ensure optimal value and efficiency for themselves and their trade partners.
Anticipating a sharp increase in the number of subcontracts and related payments, Mario Rodrigue, senior administrative director for special projects and large projects, and his team began to look for a technology solution that would streamline and automate their manual payment processes. After a search and evaluation period, Pomerleau chose Oracle Textura Payment Management.
As Rodrigue explained, "Oracle Textura came during a period where Pomerleau was putting in place a very important strategic growth plan, and we wanted to also focus on becoming one of the best payers in the industry."
Streamline and automate payment processes
Oracle Textura Payment Management is a construction payment management application that streamlines and automates finance processes for billing, payment, and compliance management, including lien waivers management. The software integrates with accounting systems, provides reporting and analysis, and offers unparalleled customer service.
Rodrigue performed a comprehensive ROI analysis. “We knew that with 1 billion additional expected revenue, we would have approximatively 800 million more in subcontract value to manage,” explains Rodrigue. “Our analysis showed us that with all our projects on Oracle Textura we could grow from 2 to 3 billion with the team in place, without adding additional resources.”
Before and after Oracle Textura
Over the course of his 30-plus years at Pomerleau, Rodrigue has lived through all sorts of changes in the payment processes. At the beginning of his career with the organization, the process was manual. Subcontractors submitted their paper-based statements.
"For the 10 years I’ve been using Oracle Textura, the system is continuously improving. Now we can have a live chat and immediate support instead of sending an email. Oracle’s innovation is really appreciated.”
—Andreanna Jakymec, Manager of Textura Processes, Pomerleau
Then project managers and subcontractors would go back and forth to adjust or correct errors, and then subcontractors submitted their invoices. This process was first paper-based, and then later done via fax, followed by email.
Invoices were then routed to the project managers for approval and the payment was issued by check. Then, as Rodrigue explained, he hit the road with four large suitcases to distribute checks and exchange documents and lien waivers from the Saint-Georges, Montréal, and Quebec offices.
“Innovation is a core value for Pomerleau. We wanted to look for technological innovation to improve our process and our relationships with our subcontractors,” says Rodrigue.
Because Oracle Textura makes the process significantly more efficient, people are more productive and that helps Pomerleau manage the payment process without proportionally hiring more accountants. With Oracle Textura, the whole process is streamlined. Subcontractors create their and sign their invoices electronically.
The system collects lien waivers and routes payment requests to the general contractor for review and approbation, ensure the tracking of compliance requirements like insurance certificates, security reports, compliance letters for CNESST (Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail) and CCQ (Commission de la construction du Québec), and exchanges lien waivers for electronic payment.
Since the implementation, Pomerleau has reduced payment delays by approximately 15 days for each period. What’s more, as Andreanna Jakymec, manager of Textura processes, says: “In Quebec, with our declarations and lien waiver system, the manual follow-up process was taking a long time. With Oracle Textura, the subcontractor uploads statutory declarations, compliance documents, and lien waivers, and it allows for faster disbursement.”
Customer service in French and English
To support all users, whether project managers and accountants from Pomerleau, or the subcontractors working on projects, Oracle provides every customer a dedicated support team for the implementation and for ongoing training and support for as long as the customer uses the solution. For our French-speaking customers, particularly in Quebec, Oracle provides resources to support Pomerleau and their subcontractors in French and English (the service is also available in Spanish).
“When I’m doing support with our subcontractors, they are really happy to have a direct line in French,” says Jakymec, “For the 10 years I’ve been using Oracle Textura, the system is continuously improving. Now we can have a live chat, and immediate support instead of sending an email. Oracle’s innovation is really appreciated.”
Operationalize change management
Pomerleau’s implementation of Oracle Textura is part of their foundation for operational excellence (FOX) program, which supports the deployment and implementation of innovations to both field and administrative teams. The Oracle Textura implementation project, led by Rodrigue, was recognized as a top initiative in 2018/2019.
Oracle Construction and Engineering, the global leader in construction management software and project portfolio management solutions, helps you connect your teams, processes, and data; empower better decision-making; and synchronize activities across the project and asset lifecycle. Drive efficiency and control in project delivery with proven solutions for project controls, construction scheduling, portfolio management, BIM/CDE, construction payment management, and more.
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Lucie Trepanier
Product Marketing Director
Lucie is an experienced technology marketing professional with a current focus on payment and cost-related products in Oracle's construction and engineering global business unit. At Oracle, her work in product marketing is centered on customer engagement and creating the right content to support our customers.
She has over 20 years experience in engineering, product management, marketing, project management, and sales. She holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MBA, from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and can be found most nights at the dance studio, prepping for her next ballroom competition.