RedSky IT

Main contractor Big Red Construction has expanded its use of RedSky’s award-winning construction project management software to drive huge efficiencies during a prolonged period of rapid growth.

bigred industries logo

Big Red rolled out Project Connect, RedSky’s project information management solution, at the beginning of 2021. The implementation started with a single site, so that key learnings could be gleaned and the process adapted before moving on to the next location. All Big Red sites now rely on Project Connect every day.

Digitised forms
Business Systems Manager Steve Dearing said: “Our business has around 120 forms covering a wide range of actions and activities. We’re gradually moving them all onto RedSky – we’ve set up around 20 digital forms so far, covering everything from site diaries, inductions and work permits, to fire inspections, hoist inspections and RAMS.

“Setting up new forms on the system is straightforward and I can now create and populate them pretty quickly. Time spent thinking upfront about what I want to report on is never wasted. I also consider what the site teams might need to attach to the form, like photos and drawings. Once I’m clear about what I want to create, I tend to start off with the standard format and then tweak it so that it includes all the reporting information I need.”

Efficiencies
There’s now an online report dashboard on the RedSky system for every Big Red site. These user-friendly dashboards are a handy tool that give the Chief Executive, the HSE Manager and Steve a quick overview of performance and compliance, as well as an early indication of any emerging trends or concerns. It’s certainly a lot quicker than trawling through paper reports and spreadsheets.

Project Connect has been very well received on site too. “The site managers are presented with a digital checklist of actions needing to be performed that day, like completing a daily entry in the site diary or organising the monthly toolbox talk,” said Steve.

“They really like how the system works because it has made their life so much easier. The digitised forms are integrated with the system, so the site managers don’t have to mess around downloading and editing Word documents, then filing the paperwork. It’s all digital, saved automatically and stored securely, which gives them peace of mind.

“We recently gave each of our site managers a Samsung pad to use for their daily inspections. They log onto RedSky, complete forms ‘on the go’, take and upload photos instantly, and update the site diary throughout the working day.”

The business also provides each of the site managers with a laptop for use in the office – there are no problems with synchronising the two devices because the RedSky system provides a single source of truth for both.

Big Red’s new, digitised approach is enabling site managers to operate far more efficiently than ever before. Steve said: “We estimate that over a year, 3,000 pages per site are no longer being printed and stored in folders. This has given us significant savings and efficiency gains.”

Document control
As is the case for many rapidly expanding organisations, document control used to be a massive and onerous undertaking at Big Red. But Project Connect has changed all of that.

HSE Manager Matt Jarvis said: “For a 12-month project we could have amassed as many as 50 ring binders, each rammed with paperwork. At times, looking for a specific form was like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Things were often getting lost or misfiled – and as we grew, the problem only worsened.

“We now have proper document control over all our projects. At our most recent quality audit, having Project Connect in place meant that we didn’t have to rummage through the filing cabinets for specific items of paperwork because everything the auditor wanted was available to view on screen. Within just a couple of clicks, he could see any document along with all the time, date and approval details. The audit was faster than usual and went without a hitch.”

Useful advice
When asked what advice he would give to anyone who might be considering RedSky Project Connect, Steve said: “Every business is different, but whatever your field of construction, it’s worth asking the RedSky team for a Project Connect demo. We’re mainly using it for site, project and drawing management, but a demo will open your eyes to the system’s full capabilities. The front end of it really stands up.”

About Big Red
Big Red is a main contractor with offices in Huddersfield and Manchester. It has 45 direct employees on construction projects, with over 450 people working on sites across the UK. The company works across three primary sectors: Major Construction Projects; Food, Pharmaceutical, Health & Petrochemical projects; and Retail.

To find out more about RedSky’s construction-specific software solutions, fill out our Contact Form, email us at hello@redskyit.com or tele

Build In Digital’s competition to identify the construction industry’s top-performing tech partners attracted hundreds of entries from around the world. RedSky is delighted to be ranked in the top 30.


We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all our customers who voted for RedSky in Build In Digital’s quest to find the world’s top-performing construction technology firms. Thanks to your input, we came 26th.

Here’s some of the feedback our customers provided to Build In Digital:

“RedSky is a perfect package for construction” – Pamela Miles, Accounts Manager, Charlier Construction Ltd
“Excellent service module” – Keith Stewart, Managing Director, Irwin M&E
“Simple yet powerful and well-integrated business system meeting the requirements for managing construction industry needs” – Lakshmi Narasimhan, Group Audit and Information Systems, RMB Group
“The ERP system provided by RedSky is helpful in managing our business” – Gangadharan Koduveli, Business Support Director, ICON
“Excellent software that just works!” – David Strickland, Divisional Director, Walls Construction Ltd.
Many thanks again to all our customers who voted for us. Being ranked in the top 30 construction technology companies in the world is a great achievement.

The judges were impressed with our construction and management accounting software and scored it highly against all three core criteria: innovation, adoption and customer satisfaction.

Our automated Procure to Pay process is popular with customers and was singled out for praise by the panel. It’s an integrated solution that fully automates the cycle, including creating electronic purchase orders (POs) and managing all associated documentation through to payment.

Summing up this aspect of RedSky, the judges said: “The connection of the proof of delivery solution to the payment process ensures a great and seamless payment process.”


Our central document register technology is at the heart of the process. It can intelligently split, captures and extracts data from invoices and credit notes for a range of document types, including images. It also supports goods received notes (GRNs) effectively. The supply chain can email proof of delivery to a dedicated email address or, if preferred, use a modern browser or device to capture a photo.

The delivery notes arrive directly into the register, ready for review and processing. Our document register maintains all correspondence with the supply chain, lined to the processed documents. Having a single point of access improves the visibility of costs reduces error and accelerates transaction handling. Authorised users can also do advanced searches and run tailored reports at the touch of a button, with all data pulled from the system.

The judges described it as “a successful document management system that helps clients to collaborate and manage data.”

To find out more about our award-winning construction management technology, give us a call at 44 (0)20 3002 8700 or email us at hello@redskyit.com.

The sky’s the limit for award-winning flat-roof expert TaperedPlus. Since going live with RedSky’s construction project management and collaboration platform in January 2021, the company’s efficiency and accuracy have improved dramatically.

Donna Wilson, General Manager at TaperedPlus, is amazed at the new efficiencies sparked by RedSky Project Connect during the last 14 months, right across the 21-strong company. “It’s a fantastic system that has massively improved operational processes and fully supports our growth ambitions.”

Financial savings
The financial savings are remarkable. Switching from email-driven processes to RedSky’s collaborative platform is saving the company around £168,000 (5,600 hours) a year in time spent reading and managing unnecessary emails.

Automated reporting is having a big impact, too. It’s saving around £9,000 (300 hours) in relation to our monthly management meetings alone. Managers don’t have to spend hours preparing statistics and insights ahead of the monthly management meetings, because they can now access live data on their laptops during the meeting, empowering them to do more.

New efficiencies
RedSky Project Connect is resulting in many more efficiencies that are harder to measure but very evident in the ability of all teams to do more.

For example, everyone now has up-to-date information available at their fingertips. Managers use the RedSky system’s analytical capabilities to answer queries quickly and accurately during meetings, based on live data. And teams now rely on user-friendly dashboards for real-time visibility of KPIs and the sales pipeline.

Automated workflows and processes make sure that projects progress according to plan. They flag up potential problems at an early stage. They speed up previously time-consuming and onerous tasks, like calculating monthly commission payments. And they make collaboration a whole lot easier between teams and departments, effortlessly keeping everyone in the loop.

Limitless possibilities
And Donna isn’t stopping there. She has her sights set on introducing RedSky Invoice Automation, to boost the efficiency of the accounts payable process. “The system already does far more than we initially wanted it to do. It’s awesome,” she said. “The possibilities with RedSky are endless – the only limit is our imagination!”



To learn more about how Donna is using RedSky Project Connect to transform the business, read our case study; and a useful Insight piece: How to choose a Document Management System.

If you’re in construction and want to improve efficiency and collaboration across your company, request a demo or drop us an email at hello@redskyit.com. We’d love to hear from you.

Visit Stand DC45 at ExCeL London on 18 or 19 May to find out how RedSky’s award-winning construction project management and collaboration software can boost efficiency across your business.

Digital Construction Week (DCW) is the only event in the UK that’s dedicated to digital construction, design, engineering, manufacturing, operation and design. It provides a convenient way to check out the latest construction technology on the market and a welcome opportunity to network with other construction and IT professionals.

The RedSky team would love to connect with you at DCW – here’s how you can do that:

Visit Stand DC45 – find out about RedSky Project Connect, our collaboration software for the construction industry. It gives you a seamless approach to document management, eradicating double-handling data and time-consuming processes to deliver improved margins, productivity and efficiency

Attend the RedSky presentation (Tech stage, 18th of May at 2.30) – we’ll take you through our Document Management & Project Collaboration solution and some of its unique features and impressive benefits
RedSky Account Manager Dave McAteer said: “We’d love to chat to you at the event, to find out about your company, what you do, the systems you’re using and what you need from a software solution.


“We’ll also take the opportunity to explore with you how our construction software can help you improve collaboration and drive up operational efficiency in your organisation. If we both feel that our software matches what you need, we’ll be very happy to fix up a no-strings-attached demonstration visit.”

Register now for your FREE DCW 22 pass. We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about RedSky give us a call on 020 3002 8700 or send us an email.

If your Finance colleagues are still slogging away, manually processing high volumes of invoices, you’re missing a trick. RedSky Product Manager Brendan Magill explains how digitising invoice processing will improve accuracy, speed things up, save you money and free your team to work on more productive tasks.

In today’s construction and contracting industry, operating margins can be wafer thin. Monthly invoice volumes are often very high and suppliers require prompt payment. Digitising invoice processing can help you to achieve good governance, control cash and even reduce your audit time.

Traditional Invoice Processing Methods are Inefficient
Many construction companies are still using traditional invoice processing methods.

It’s a time-honoured sequence. Invoices come in from a supplier, whether by post or email. The email attachments are printed out, and matched against the relevant paperwork – purchase order and goods received note (GRN) – recorded, approved and then paid. As the final step, the paper documents are stored securely for VAT purposes, usually in a box and for seven years.

On the face of it, this looks like a pretty smooth, logical sequence. But don’t be deceived. It’s far from perfect. Here are some of the many reasons why traditional invoice processing methods are so inefficient:

Lack of validation – manual keying carries the risk of human error. Without a robust checking mechanism, inaccurate or duplicated information could be entered on the system and a supplier may end up being paid the wrong amount… or even being paid twice for the same invoice
Poor visibility – for example, an invoice may be showing on the system as ‘in approval’, yet it may have been mislaid. Or one of the approvers may be on leave. Either problem will bring the approval process to a grinding halt, with no easy way to identify the source of the blockage. These issues make it difficult to achieve good governance and cashflow control
No single source of truth – information is held in multiple locations, having sometimes been photocopied multiple times and passed between departments, then stored in places like desks, folders, filing cabinets and storage boxes
Poor traceability – if there’s a query on a historic invoice, the physical document will need to be tracked down… and the proverbial ‘needle in a haystack’ situation may take days to resolve
Problematic reconciliations – these difficulties can occur if the Finance team is not able to work with real-time information.
In my experience, business growth is often the catalyst for digitising invoice processing. A company can usually cope comfortably with processing a small number of invoices manually every month. But if the business really starts to take off and the volume of invoices increases, they will struggle.

This is especially true if invoices are coming in from all directions – by post, from sites and by email. Collating and organising them all in one place, ready for processing, is the stuff of nightmares…

What are the Key Stages for Digitising Invoice Processing?
All of the problems listed above can be overcome by introducing a digitised invoice processing solution.

It’s well worth thinking about adding automation (via data capture technology – OCR) to your invoicing processing. You’ll save hours of keying time because the data automatically extracted from the electronic invoice document is entered into the system for you (see point 3 below). If your budget won’t stretch that far, choose a solution that has automation as an optional extra, so that you can add it on at a later stage, when the time is right.

Here are the usual stages in a digitised invoicing process:

All invoices arrive from suppliers to a predefined email address (such as invoices@yourcompany.com)
The invoices are automatically moved into the accounts payable system. If you’d like to ‘vet’ them, for whatever reason, you can – if your solution supports automation
The data capture (OCR) technology ‘reads’ and extracts the required data from the document (pdf, Word or other image-type file). It then uses the data to prepopulate an on-screen form.
The automation engine should determine if the document is an invoice or a credit note. It should then match to the relevant supplier account, using either the VAT registration number or (if this is not present) the business name and/or address. Typical data that should be passed to the form including the extracted project, purchase order number, invoice date, invoice number, total amount, VAT and goods amount. The system should ideally then work out the invoice due date, based on the payment terms set against the selected supplier, as well as any agreed discounts (which will automatically be applied).

If you don’t have data capture (OCR) technology, your team can populate the on-screen form by keying in the details manually. Choose a system that positions an image of the invoice on screen, alongside the electroni

Are your teams still filling in paper forms by hand and filing them away in folders and cupboards? If yes, RedSky Mobile Forms technology can lighten their load, boost data quality and improve workflows.


There’s no doubt that carefully conceived business forms can help you to save time, prevent or reduce mistakes, optimise ways of working and boost productivity. But it’s fair to say that the days of paper forms are numbered…

Digitised forms offer a multitude of benefits, over and above their paper equivalent. With RedSky Mobile Forms technology, you can:

- Customise your forms – to meet the unique needs of your business

- Increase the accuracy of your data – by incorporating mandatory fields and dropdown boxes that minimise keying errors

- Get data into your system more quickly – forms can be completed and signed on a mobile, tablet or laptop, ready for automatic upload when an internet connection becomes available

- Lighten the load for field teams – there are no folders of paperwork to lug around
Reduce your admin time – there’s no rekeying required

- Retrieve files efficiently – all files are stored securely in a central system and can be located in just a few clicks

- Improved workflows – digitised forms can speed up approvals of things like invoices, timesheets and expenses

- Produce accurate reports at the touch of a button – based on real-time data in the system

- Declutter your office – it’s good for the soul and you’ll save on storage costs too.

Irwin M&E’s engineers now use RedSky Forms technology when servicing customers’ boilers. According to Kevin Willis, Irwin’s IT Analyst, it’s a far more efficient way of working: “Digitisation has streamlined the process and is saving the engineers and their Admin colleagues a lot of time, effort and hassle every day. Without any previous RedSky experience, the engineers adapted to the new way of working extremely quickly. They certainly wouldn’t want to go back to a paper-based system. And neither would I.”

Is it time you took the next step on your digital transformation journey? Go on, ditch the paperwork and embrace mobile forms.

To find out more about RedSky Mobile Forms technology, read the Irwin M&E case study and visit our website. You might also like to read our Insight articles. We’d love you to get in touch – use our Contact Form, email us at hello@redskyit.com or call us for a friendly chat on 020 3002 8700.

Construction specialist Barry Dell was on the RedSky stand at November’s Digital Construction Week (DCW) event. Here he provides a round-up of his two days at ExCeL London.

It felt great to be able to be ‘out and about’ at a construction event again, after working from home for so long. It provided a welcome opportunity to meet potential customers and chat with other digital construction professionals.

Productive conversations
DCW was quieter than usual this year, presumably in the wake of the pandemic and because of the complications currently associated with international travel. But strangely enough, the reduced footfall seemed to work in most people’s favour.

There were fewer queues at the stands, for starters. And I was able to have longer conversations with individual visitors. I also felt that people hadn’t come to the event intending to ‘browse’. Instead, they’d done their research and prepared a list of the companies they wanted to talk to and the questions they wanted to ask.


Again, this was advantageous all round and meant that the conversations at the stand were more productive. Over the next few months, I’ll be meeting up again with many of the people I spoke to, so we can continue our discussion.

Learning opportunities
I also delivered a talk about RedSky Project Connect, our collaborative document management solution. Attendees were keen to find out how it can help project leaders save time, drive down risk, improve their environmental footprint (including by dramatically reducing their reliance on paper documents) and gain huge efficiencies.

The event provided many additional learning opportunities for visitors and exhibitors alike. Three sessions really resonated with me – probably because they tied in so well with our RedSky offering. The first was about the importance of construction to human civilisation – nobody could argue with that, of course.

The second focused on the efficiency, productivity and environmental improvements that can result from investing in information management. It was good to hear the presenter reinforcing many of the points I had made in my session about RedSky’s document management solution.

The third session centred on the importance of collecting ‘golden thread‘ building performance information, which is likely to become law in 2023. To meet health and safety standards, construction organisations will need to be able to produce key documents promptly. They will also have to prove that effective and proportionate measures are in place to manage risk and keep residents safe.

Failure to meet the required standards may mean that a building cannot be occupied. Hearing that again brought home to me how transformational it can be for construction companies to implement a reliable document management solution. It’s a sure-fire way to make sure that all relevant documents are safely stored and can be accessed easily, quickly and securely at any time and from anywhere.

Looking ahead to DCW 2022
All in all, DCW 2021 was a highly informative event that sparked many interesting conversations and certainly provided me with plenty of food for thought. I recommend it to all construction professionals who want to find out more about the latest systems on the market.

RedSky will be attending DCW 2022, which will take place next May. In case you missed us at this year’s event or have further questions about RedSky Document Management and Project Collaboration software, simply email hello@redskyit.com, call us on +44 (0) 203 002 8600 or request a demo on our website.

RedSky’s award-winning ERP system will enable new customer Shire Flooring to save time, improve visibility and boost efficiency.


Jordan McRobie is Commercial Director at Midlands-based Shire Flooring Ltd. He has had RedSky in his sights for some time. “I’ve experienced RedSky in a couple of companies previously,” he said. “I know RedSky’s capabilities – the system has everything I want.

“We set up Shire Flooring in March 2016 and have been using a pretty basic system up to now. The processes are long-winded and rely on spreadsheets. But we’ve been through a period of significant growth, especially during Covid. And it’s increasingly clear that our basic system is nowhere near what RedSky can deliver.

“RedSky will give us not just the accounting but also the costs for all the jobs. I do know the power of the system. It’s the complete package.”

Accessible anywhere, any time
Knowing the system so well, Jordan can’t wait to benefit from the many efficiencies that the RedSky system will deliver.

He said: “When I click onto labour or an invoice, it will automatically go onto the RedSky system. And when I click on a job, I’ll see all the costs on the screen. It’s going to save the office staff a lot of time and effort, as well as improve accuracy.

“We’re all really looking forward to moving over to RedSky. It’s a very good, robust system. I really like the idea that all the information will be at my fingertips. So wherever I am in the world, I’ll be able to log onto RedSky and see how the business is doing.”


About Shire Flooring
Shire Flooring Ltd is an experienced flooring contractor that serves the construction industry across the UK. It is a commercial flooring specialist offering a complete range of flooring services including installation of vinyl, carpet, ceramics, laminate, rubber, entrance matting, commercial and industrial hardwood flooring. A complete guarantee is given on all fitting work carried out to British Standards by fully qualified flooring specialists.

To find out more about RedSky’s construction-specific software solutions, fill out our Contact Form, email us at hello@redskyit.com or telephone 44 (0)20 3002 8700.

RedSky construction software specialist Barry Dell provides his top tips for choosing a document management solution that’s the perfect fit for your organisation. Make the right decision and you’ll boost collaboration with colleagues and partners, while also saving money, time and effort.


These are challenging times for construction and contracting companies. Many are turning to digitisation as a way to work smarter, collaborate more effectively and improve overall business performance.

It’s time to ditch the traditional approach
If you’re still using a traditional system, you may well identify with some of the issues listed below:


Documents held in many different places and systems (silos)
Reliance on paper and archive storage facilities (analogue)
No clear overview of progress on projects
Too many costly, time-consuming and error-prone manual processes
Double-handling and duplication
Difficulties with version control, resulting in mistakes and delays
Direct access to key project documents restricted to office personnel.
Why digitise?
Implementing a paperless document management solution can transform a business. Here are some of the benefits:

Store and control all information centrally and securely in a digital format, including companywide documents (like forms, policies and procedures) and project documents (like emails, forms, drawings and photos)
Always work on the current version
Put an end to double-handling
Work more efficiently, accurately, transparently and collaboratively
Locate key project documents with speed and ease
Create a water-tight audit trail
Save on physical storage.
Take time to identify your system requirements
Choosing a document management system may seem like finding a needle in a haystack, but the considerations below may help you identify your top contenders.

Go for a construction-specific solution – don’t shoehorn your processes into a generic system
Move to the cloud – your teams and partners will be able to access documents at any time and from any location, from any modern device
Look closely at collaboration security – can you control access, with different permission levels defining what each user can see, amend and create?
Ask for a comprehensive demo – list what you want to observe and ask. Try the system out for yourself, to gauge how user-friendly it is. And take as long as you need
See the whole picture – understand the system’s capabilities, including locating and retrieving documents; universal viewing, annotation and comparison; approvals; security, back-ups and audit trails; bulk uploads; and archiving
Check out the ‘single source of truth’ promise – and ask about automatic alerts when a document is viewed, changed or emailed
Investigate forms capabilities – how easy will it be to digitise your existing forms, create new ones and make them responsive and simple to use? Will they work on any device?
Explore report generation – how quick and easy will it be to produce real-time reports and interpret them? Will dashboards be available, to highlight potential problems at a glance?

Summing up…
With the right document management solution in place, you’ll have opportunities to boost your efficiency, reduce costs, and access important new business insights.

Don’t rush into the decision. Be clear about your objectives… and keep looking until you find the system that will deliver them.

Learn more about how RedSky’s construction software can help with project costing by requesting a demo or getting in touch through our contact form or by telephone at +44 020 3002 8600.

Visit RedSky’s stand at ExCeL London on 24th or 25th November to see how our construction document management and project collaboration software can support your business.

At Digital Construction Week (DCW), you’ll be able to locate the very latest technology to help you transform your building projects. And let’s face it, in these tough times, construction and contracting firms need all the help they can get. Because delays in shipping, material price hikes, a lack of materials and skills, not enough lorry drivers and a lot of demand for building are helping to create the “perfect storm” for the industry.

To succeed in such a difficult market, you really do have to be completing projects on time, within budget and to your clients’ satisfaction. Because if you don’t, you’ll be stung financially: if schedules slip, you’ll start to rack up penalties; if you overspend, you’ll struggle to claw back your full costs; and if your client is unhappy with the quality of your work, you may end up in court.


RedSky’s Project Connect software can help you manage projects in a highly effective and collaborative way. Our user-friendly construction management platform is cloud-based and fully integrated. It enables you to manage documents seamlessly and to collaborate easily with your clients, subcontractors and suppliers, as well as your own teams. It provides clarity and eliminates inefficient processes and double-handling, allowing you to boost your margins, operational efficiency and productivity.

Using a mobile, tablet, PC or laptop authorised staff and stakeholders can access and annotate the latest version of documents, forms, drawings and images relative to their role from a secure, central location – any time and from anywhere. All changes made are recorded and stored securely as part of a robust audit trail. And all relevant parties will be ‘in the know’ about live and upcoming jobs.

Coupled with forms that deliver real-time analytical data, our platform can give you a robust understanding of how your projects are performing today and how you can make incremental improvements going forward.

Barry DellRedSky’s Barry Dell will be at the RedSky stand C45 on both days of the Digital Construction Week event, which is designed to help you understand the innovation and technology opportunities that are now available to the construction industry.

“Do come over to our stand for an informal, no-strings-attached conversation. I’ll be looking to find out about your organisation, the projects you’re working on, the issues you’re dealing with, the systems you currently use and what your business needs to succeed,” said Barry.

“My aim is to help you get your company collaborating efficiently and effectively, both internally and with your external stakeholders. I want to help you make sure your projects deliver excellence, time and time again. And if we both feel we’re both on the same page, we can arrange a follow-up demonstration after the DCW event.”


To find out more about RedSky, the solutions we offer and the events we’re taking part in, get in touch by telephone on 020 3002 8700 or contact form.