Cardno Saves an Estimated 500 Hours Every Month by Automating Client Billing

During its three-year implementation of PivotPrime, global engineering and consulting firm Cardno automated the preparation of billable expense documentation—reducing manual effort, improving cash flow, and eliminating missed billable expenses. 

Company

Cardno is a global engineering and consulting firm that managed large, project-based engagements requiring accurate client billing. During its three-year implementation of PivotPrime, Cardno automated the preparation of billable expense documentation using SAP Concur Expense data, enabling faster billing while improving accuracy and financial control. 

Customer Spotlight

Cardno's implementation of PivotPrime was featured by SAP Concur at Fusion 2016, where Tracie Williams shared the business case for automating billable expense documentation and the operational improvements the company achieved. 

The Challenge

As project volume increased, preparing client billing documentation became increasingly difficult to manage.

The finance team relied on manual processes that required multiple people to review expense reports, organize receipts, validate project allocations, and assemble supporting documentation before customer invoices could be issued.

The manual workflow created several business challenges:

• Significant administrative effort 
• Greater opportunity for missed billable expenses 
• Slower billing cycles 
• Delayed customer reimbursement 
• Reduced visibility into outstanding project costs 

Because client billing packages had to be assembled manually, expense approvals occurring near month-end often missed the current billing cycle, delaying reimbursement and impacting cash flow. Manual preparation also increased the risk that legitimate billable expenses could be overlooked. 

The Solution

Cardno implemented PivotPrime, Pivot Payables' automated billable expense reporting solution for SAP Concur.

PivotPrime automatically:

• Imports SAP Concur Expense data and receipt images 
• Organizes expenses by client and project 
• Supports split project allocations 
• Generates complete client-ready PDF billing packages 
• Produces supporting documentation in seconds 
• Ensures clients receive documentation specific to their projects 

Rather than manually assembling reports and receipts, users simply select the billing period and project parameters to generate complete billing packages on demand. 

Business Impact

Before implementing PivotPrime, Cardno estimated that preparing billable expense documentation required approximately 500 hours every month.

Business Impact at a Glance

• 500 hours per month saved through automation 
• Zero manual preparation of billing packages 
• Zero missed billable expenses 
• Client-ready billing packages generated in seconds 
• Faster client billing 
• Improved cash flow 

By automating the preparation of billable expense documentation, Cardno dramatically reduced the time required to prepare customer invoices while improving billing accuracy. Expenses approved just days before month-end could now be included in the current billing cycle, helping accelerate reimbursement and improve cash flow.

Perhaps most importantly, the finance team no longer had to rely on manual reviews to ensure every eligible billable expense was captured. Automation provided confidence that client invoices were complete, accurate, and supported by the appropriate documentation. 

Looking Ahead

Over its three-year use of PivotPrime, Cardno demonstrated how automating billable expense documentation could transform a labor-intensive process into a streamlined, reliable workflow. By leveraging SAP Concur Expense data and receipt images, the company reduced manual effort, accelerated billing cycles, and gave finance greater confidence that every eligible billable expense was included before invoices were issued.