Mary Spanner is the Director of CanFit Pty Ltd, a construction company that supplies and fits office spaces (Fit outs) in the Canberra area. CanFit is required to submit tenders (bids for work) to secure Fit out work so that, at any time, the 100 company employees always have stable and guaranteed work for at least three years into the future. The tenders may be advertised publicly on AusTender, or privately through word of mouth, local newspapers, or other ways. The tenders provide the details of requirements for the job for example, 350 sq Meter office space for a greeting area, 5 offices, shared space for 7 people, 2 meetings rooms with audio visual capability, a kitchen area, toilets. The requirements should also provide the timeframe for example, the fit-out should be complete within 60 days of a signed contract. In-house resources of the CanFit includes a bid coordinator, 7 carpenters, 4 electricians, 3 plumbers, 2 drainers, 6 project managers, 3 purchasing and finance officers, a small HR area. Not all personnel work in the office at the same time, and the company extends work-from-home arrangements. The company aims to submit at least one, and sometimes up to five tenders per week. Their aim is to win all the tenders, but because of the competitive nature, not all tenders are successful. The company rewards in-house staff with spotter bonuses ($$$) where their efforts directly lead to winning a job. The company wants to improve its response/win ratio, and the management of resources, tools and supplies that enable the fit outs to be installed asap.

Mary Spanner also wants to use the DSS for budget preparation, expense monitoring, and financial planning of the material required for fit outs. The company values its relationships with its suppliers and guarantees a payment in 30-day policy. The company has access to three off-site storage warehouses and pays for storage containers it occupies on a weekly basis. The company regularly uses 16 different suppliers of goods and services who bill the company monthly. The company also has 10 employees with credit cards to purchase ad-hoc goods as required up to a certain limit. Five of the employees has a maximum spending limit of $500, three employees $1000, one employee $10000, and the Director has an unlimited amount.

Questions

1 Describe the data and its sources required to determine the budget and to record expenses for a tender bid, and to develop a financial planning for multiple bids submitted in a 3-month period.

2 Describe Business Intelligence (BI) online analytical processes (OLAP) and discuss whether these can be utilized by the construction company.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Data and Sources for Budgeting and expenses Recording To determine the budget and record expenses for a tender bid as well as to develop financial planning for multiple bids submitted in a 3month peri... View the full answer