Optimising Procurement & Operations: How R. Davis & Co Improved Efficiency and Strengthened Accountability with BuildSmart

Company Name: R. Davis & Co t/a Bitumen World Mining

Location: Harare, Zimbabwe

RIB Solutions: Candy & BuildSmart

Industry Sectors: Contract Mining, Water Supply, Sewage Disposal, Civil Infrastructure & Earthworks, Drill & Blast, Plant & Machinery

Solution Implemented: RIB BuildSmart

R. Davis & Co reports that “BuildSmart has improved visibility across the procurement process, reduced documentation gaps, and strengthened financial control.”

The Customer

R. Davis & Co is a well-established construction and mining company operating in Zimbabwe. With a strong reputation in civil engineering and mining projects, they provide end-to-end solutions in an environment where logistical and financial constraints present unique operational challenges.

To streamline procurement and financial management across their operations, R. Davis implemented BuildSmart in 2022, transitioning from a manual, fragmented system to a centralised digital solution. The company also utilises RIB Candy for estimating, planning, and project control, ensuring their project budgets, timelines, and cost tracking are better aligned across the board.

The Challenge

One of the most significant challenges R. Davis & Co faced was a lack of procurement control and visibility, exacerbated by the unique financial landscape in Zimbabwe.

Unlike many other regions where materials are procured on standard credit terms, the majority of Zimbabwean suppliers typically require payment before delivery. This creates a ‘pay-to-procure’ environment that differs from the conventional ‘procure-to-pay’ workflow.

This structure created critical challenges:

• Cash Flow and Payment Tracking Issues: Payments were made upfront, but tracking whether goods were received, allocated to the correct projects, and reconciled in accounts was difficult.
• Lost Documentation and VAT Compliance: Once payments were made, supporting documentation from sites was not always submitted in a timely manner, which created reconciliation challenges. Documentation processes were inconsistent, leading to reconciliation challenges and reduced efficiency.
• Manual Processes and Siloed Data: The procurement process was largely manual, leading to inefficiencies, delays, and a lack of transparency between sites and the head office.
• Lack of Accountability: No clear system was in place to track who was responsible for ensuring documentation and approvals were completed correctly, leading to missing paperwork and unclaimed expenses.

The Solution

To address these procurement inefficiencies, R. Davis & Co leveraged BuildSmart’s procurement module, implementing a structured workflow and real-time reporting system that how procurement was managed.

Key improvements included:

• Procurement Workflow Integration: The company aligned its procurement process with the ‘pay-to-procure’ model, ensuring purchases were pre-approved and tracked from request to payment.
• Real-Time Procurement Dashboard & Monitoring Room: Using data from BuildSmart, R. Davis established a live procurement dashboard powered by Power BI, providing full visibility into transactions.

To maximise the impact of this real-time insight, a dedicated procurement monitoring room was established to display live data, streamlining approvals and reducing bottlenecks.

• Automated Documentation & VAT Compliance: The new system ensured that invoices were attached at the point of delivery, reducing undocumented expenses and simplifying VAT claims.
• Accountability & Fraud Prevention: By assigning a responsible person to every requisition, R. Davis increased accountability, while automated tracking reduced the risk of errors and irregularities.
• Enhanced Plant Monitoring: Custom dashboards were introduced to support tracking of plant and equipment usage, enhancing visibility for management.

In parallel, the use of RIB Candy’s first-principles estimating and project planning tools ensures that procurement aligns closely with project budgets and resource schedules – further reducing waste, duplication, and miscommunication between teams.

The Result

The implementation of BuildSmart has transformed R. Davis’ procurement process, addressing inefficiencies and significantly improving financial control with:

• Significantly Improved Procurement Visibility: Every purchase request, payment, and approval is tracked in real time, reducing errors and miscommunication.
  • Reduction of VAT Losses: Proper documentation ensures all VAT claims are submitted correctly, recovering previously lost funds.
  • Faster, More Informed Decision-Making: Real-time dashboards allow leadership to optimise spending and procurement timing.
  • Operational Efficiency Gains: The plant monitoring system has improved shift tracking, equipment utilisation and cost management.
• Fraud & Risk Reduction: Payments are now more consistently linked to verified deliveries, reducing financial risks.
• Good Practice Recognition: Elements of the R. Davis structured procurement model have drawn interest from peers in the industry.

The deployment of both BuildSmart and Candy has created a seamless data flow between cost estimation, procurement, and financial control, allowing R. Davis to plan with greater accuracy and execute with real-time visibility—an essential advantage in a pay-to-procure environment.