Case Study: EC Harris LLP

EC Harris LLP - a top international consultancy in construction, real estate and infrastructure. Its driving proposition is to partner clients in providing project support from inception to maturity – from finance and planning to post-construction management and day-to-day operation.

Founded 90 years ago and now with 40 offices worldwide, employing 3000 people and an annual group turnover of over £200 million, EC Harris recently ran an exhaustive consultation exercise in the search for a new reprographics partner. The key requirements that emerged:

  1. A UK and international branch location fit – with 15% annual growth and an ever-increasing ratio of business coming from around the world, Service Point had “That international presence and a willingness to grow with us.”
  2. A need for management information – previously reprographic requirements had been handled on a local basis by whoever was best placed to do so. Almost immediately the MI provided by Service Point enabled EC Harris to have a much clearer understanding of the processes – what was being ordered, in what volumes etc. It also enabled EC Harris to see that Service Point’s performance measured against SLAs was being met.
  3. An exceptional stance on corporate and social responsibility - EC Harris has a very wide range of private and public sector clients. Clients these days aren’t just looking for the right product or service at the right price. A supplier’s CSR is an increasingly important criterion. EC Harris always demonstrates this, not only through their governance and guiding principles, but also in that of their preferred suppliers.
  4. A web-based solution was essential for both EC Harris and their clients - EC Harris is technology led and has developed bespoke software to streamline, simplify and accelerate the way they interact with their clients. It was therefore vital that all this wasn’t negated by a supplier with one foot in the past. Repronet, Service Point’s own dedicated wide-band reprographics network allows fast ordering and dissemination of files across multiple locations to then be run off close to where they’re needed. Not only does this greatly speed up processes and overcome the vagaries of distributing hard copy, but it also eliminates the need for long-distance transportation and its attendant carbon footprint and road congestion.

“Service Point bent over backwards – especially important as we also needed buy-in from our people first. They were very patient, the training was excellent and the relationship’s grown.” Kala Mandviwala Procurement Manager EC Harris LLP