Lycopodium Case StudyLycopodium started the implementation of CostOS Enterprise in February 2012 with Nomitech’s Australian Partner Estimating Plus Pty. Below is an interview of Mr Brenton Laubsch, Estimating Manager of Lycopodium Minerals Pty Ltd.

What do Lycopodium do?Lycopodium is an Australian headquartered engineering and project management consultancy which provides a

complete range of services for the evaluation, development, implementation and optimisation of projects across a

broad range of industries. These include mineral processing, infrastructure, rail, process industries and renewable

energy. The contracting model for Lycopodium is essentially EPCM (Engineering, Procurement, Construction Man-

agement).

Why did Lycopodium feel it was important to invest in a specialised Estimating Solution, in place of Spreadsheets?Due to the steady growth over the last 20 years, Lycopodium now has offices in various locations in Australia,

Canada, Philippines and Africa. It was deemed advantageous to centralise our estimating knowledgebase and to

standardise the compilation and process of estimating.What challenges were you facing using your previous estimating methods?Whilst the previous estimating method was

sophisticated by Spreadsheet standards,

assembling a centralised knowledgebase

had been difficult along with the negative

perception of spreadsheet based estimating

by some clients. Improvements in efficiency

in an environment where experienced EPCM

estimators are in short supply was also a major factor.

What are the major advantages that CostOS Estimating brings to your Company?A centralised knowledge base, parametric (smart) assemblies, greater estimate control that still allows flexibility

when compared to spreadsheets and improvements in efficiency.

What other packages did you consider? A total of 8 other packages from all around the world were extensively evaluated and trialled to best fit our

business.

Why did you choose CostOS Estimating over competitive products in the market?CostOS provided the best combination of features for our business in where we construct projects in all disciplines,

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in many different countries, using multiple native currencies in an estimating system that is both customisable

and flexible yet still retains an excel type feel. This was important to enable a smooth transition from previous

estimating methods. The power of allowing relatively simple in-house programming of parametric (smart)

assemblies was also recognised early.

What suggestions could you make to companies who are looking to implement an estimating solution of this nature?The choice of estimating system is very important in regards to accuracy, efficiency, flexibility and ability to

customise the system to conform to the way your company estimates rather than the other way round. It is also

important to allow input to the decision of estimating software by members of your estimating team who will

be using the system daily.

Do you feel secure that your future needs will be met by Nomitech software?Yes. The progressive nature of the Nomitech team allow constant development of requested feature additions

and enhancement in relatively short time frames.

Did the customisation of the software offered by Nomitech, prior to purchase, influence your decision to go with them?Yes. This meant that the transition to CostOS

meant that we could continue to estimate using

our proven methods and structures that have

contributed to the success of Lycopodium to date.

Modern and progressive thinking from Nomitech?Nomitech have repeatedly demonstrated their high level of commitment to constant improvement and product

development in amazingly short timeframes. Nomitech are like a breath of fresh air when compared to other

software developers that can take years to incorporate modest improvements for incremental gains.

Ease of use for those familiar with Spreadsheets?Of all systems evaluated, CostOS has the most spreadsheet like feel with navigation and filtering features not

too dissimilar to spreadsheets.

Did the integration to Primavera P6, and the relationship that Nomitech have with Oracle, influence your decision?Lycopodium use both Primavera P6 and Oracle and while the integration was considered an advantage, the

decision to use CostOS was based on the power of the estimating system alone.

Do you see the innovative features such as BIM Takeoff and Price Forecasting as indications that Nomitech will keep up with Technological advances?BIM takeoff has the potential to be an important feature for Lycopodium as more projects are now drawn in

3D rather than not. Price forecasting in CostOS is yet to be explored.

How would you describe the assistance that you have received from Nomitech before and after your purchase of CostOS?The assistance provided by Nomitech has greatly exceeded our expectations with most queries answered

overnight due to time zone differences. The ability for members of Nomitech to link in to our system from

remote in real time to check issues and to provide tuition has been a great advantage.