St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research (SVI) is a leading non-for-profit organisation committed to advancing Australia’s biomedical research. With a mission to produce world-class science and a vision of making medical discoveries that transform lives, SVI covers a broad spectrum of research, from scientific discoveries to clinical trials. This case study highlights SVI’s collaboration with Fenwick on implementing Dynamics 365 Business Central to improve operational efficiency and reporting.
From research to real-world impact
SVI conducts research on various diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular conditions, focusing on discoveries that benefit society. Their work spans from early-stage research to clinical trials, ensuring findings are translated into real-world healthcare. Situated on the St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne campus, SVI is uniquely positioned to collaborate with clinicians and researchers, bridging the gap between laboratory research and clinical practice.
Data visibility and its impact on procurement
As a growing research organisation, SVI faced challenges in managing laboratory supplies, equipment procurement, and financial processes. Limited data visibility hindered their ability to monitor inventory levels and build strong supplier relationships. Much of their information was managed on spreadsheets, leading to inefficiencies in stock management. Furthermore, the lack of integration among various systems created additional barriers to operational efficiency.
As a result, the institute often found itself carrying excess stock or, conversely, understocked on essential supplies. The ability to negotiate pricing and delivery terms with suppliers was further restricted by the absence of comprehensive and accurate data. Reporting on inventory and financial processes proved to be a time-consuming and tedious task. For a research institute managing a diverse range of lab material some with strict expiration date, these inefficiencies affected the progress of ongoing projects.
Identifying the need for a modern solution
Recognising that their outdated system could no longer support the needs of their expanding research organisation, SVI sought a modern solution capable of scaling with their operations. With over 26 laboratories each managing multiple projects, SVI needed to ensure the new system could accommodate these complexities while enabling easy consolidation of data.
After evaluating their options, SVI chose to partner with Fenwick for the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central hosted on Microsoft Cloud. Microsoft-hosted Business Central offers automatic updates, enhanced security, and scalability, all managed by Microsoft, freeing SVI from infrastructure maintenance. This ensures reliable performance, data protection, and the ability to easily scale as SVI’s needs evolve.
The adaptability of Business Central allowed for customisations to meet SVI’s specific requirements. This flexibility enabled the system to manage the diverse needs of multiple research projects while handling the intricate financial reporting essential for a non-profit organisation.
Throughout the implementation, Fenwick worked closely with SVI, consolidating their data into a single platform and ensuring the system was fully aligned with their operational goals. This collaborative approach not only addressed SVI’s immediate challenges but also laid the foundation for future growth, providing them with a scalable system capable of supporting their long-term ambitions.
The transformative results of Business Central
Enhanced inventory management
The implementation of Business Central at SVI has brought significant improvements to their operations, with over 250 users now using the system daily. One of the most notable enhancements has been in inventory management. With Business Central, SVI now has real-time access to stock levels and can efficiently place orders, reducing the risk of running out of essential supplies while ensuring expiration dates are closely tracked.
Staff can now go online to check stock on hand at any time, allowing them to see what’s available and reorder when necessary. This seamless visibility into inventory has made it easier to avoid stock shortages, ensuring that critical research materials are always accessible when needed.
Streamlined compliance and auditing
In terms of compliance, auditing processes have become more streamlined. The ability to extract necessary data from Business Central simplifies audits, making them better organised and less time-consuming. SVI has been able to improve their handling of dangerous chemicals by integrating compliance requirements into Business Central, ensuring that all necessary precautions are followed when ordering these items. Furthermore, the grant reporting process has also been significantly improved. SVI can now easily extract data from Business Central and integrate it into business insights tools, transforming what used to be a labour-intensive task into a straightforward process.
Improved financial reporting
Financial tracking has become much more accessible, allowing staff to monitor their financial standing in real-time. Month-end reporting has been accelerated, enabling quicker and more accurate financial assessments. To further improve processes, our team worked alongside SVI to evaluate their procedures, focusing on automating repetitive tasks to maximise efficiency. Additionally, the implementation of the expense management tool, Continia, has further streamlined operations by allowing for direct data importation into Business Central, thus eliminating the need for double entry.
Benefits for researchers and staff
Researchers and staff have also benefited from the implementation of Business Central. They now receive timely, accurate reports, which have simplified budgeting and forecasting thanks to the availability of comprehensive data. Initially, the transition to a system-driven purchase quote process was met with some resistance to change. However, as they became more familiar with the system, they grew to appreciate the added clarity it offers. Lab managers have gained greater financial visibility, allowing them to monitor budgets and overall financial health more effectively.
Advancing SVI’s mission with Business Central
The implementation of Dynamics 365 Business Central has transformed SVI’s operational landscape, improving budget management, financial visibility, and overall efficiency. This scalable solution provides SVI with the tools to streamline their research processes and focus on advancing biomedical research.
As the organisation continues to grow, Business Central provides the flexibility to support their expanding needs, reinforcing SVI’s mission to drive medical innovation and improve healthcare outcomes.
Working with Fenwick has been a great experience. From the outset, it was critical for us to partner with an organization that not only understood our needs but also viewed the relationship as a strategic partnership, rather than just a service provider. Fenwick took the time to fully understand our business, the challenges we faced, and the goals we needed to achieve.
Nicky Harris, CFO at St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research
Their team worked closely with us throughout the planning process to ensure the best possible solution was put in place. The solution was delivered on time and within budget, a testament to their professionalism and commitment to excellence.
Since the implementation, Fenwick has continued to work with us on post-implementation reviews, helping to identify additional opportunities for process improvement and streamlining. In every instance, their approach has been a perfect blend of professionalism, creativity, and efficiency.
We have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Fenwick team. Their ability to solve complex problems, coupled with their collaborative and friendly approach, has made them an invaluable partner to our business.
