Using our significant experience in project management to roll out an effective and consistent delivery programme Client is a multinational oil and gas company with a strong focus on the renewable energy market and electric vehicle charging. They have a large portfolio of company owned sites in the UK, Europe, US, Australia, and New Zealand—and they aim to offer EV charging services in all of these locations. EV charging services will be provided at both company-owned, and dealer-owned sites in every region. The client's main focus is on building high priority EV charging hub sites together with their strategic partners in the centre of big cities (e.g., London, Amsterdam, etc.) or other high profile locations like the NEC in Birmingham, UK. Project Overview The client wants to invest into network infrastructure (WAN, LAN, WLAN) to provide EV charger connectivity with a PCI compliant payment solution, in order to deliver a reliable and secure service and the best customer experience possible. The goal is to provide the same experience and services on all EV charging sites that carry the client’s logo while not being directly in charge of making decisions as to which locations will be equipped with EV chargers. As the EV estate grows, there will be new partners and new sites coming into scope constantly. This EV charging programme delivery needs to be closely aligned with other network upgrade programmes running simultaneously on all customer owned/operated sites in multiple countries. The client approached us to support the development and implementation of a ‘cookie-cutter’ network connectivity solution that would be accepted and implemented in cooperation with their teams responsible for the deployment. Specific Challenges Client's huge efforts to establish themselves in the EV charging market in UK, EU, ANZ, and US led to a significant disconnect between company departments involved in the programme delivery. Most of the client's attention was placed towards finding the right partners for the EV charging hardware, but there was no dedicated point of contact to provide expert advice on the network connectivity—as this aspect of the delivery had not been properly assessed before deployment activities started. This disconnect led to a missed opportunity to leverage customer owned network infrastructure, which was pre-existing at most EV charging locations. The lack of cooperation and visibility across departments involved in the EV charging programme led to different engineering and networking standards used in the countries that are part of the EV charging programme, resulting in not only the customer incurring unnecessary costs of the rework/re-design, but also the monthly recurring charges of an inadequate network solution. The complexity of the programme required a large number of teams to be mobilised and focused on delivery in each country/region. Specific teams were set up to promote the EV charging services to other strategic partners with various types of offers. None of these teams cooperated with the network connectivity teams in any efficient, regular, or scalable manner. And although a high level agreement was made to promote a single, cookie-cutter network connectivity solution (moving away from SIM cards towards hard wired connectivity), no steps were taken to translate this agreement into action on a global scale. Solutions Our first objective was to understand the organisational structure of the various departments working on the EV charging programme. The access to site designs, engineering standards, site plans, and future deployment plans was crucial to understanding the scope and to propose a viable network solution. At the end of this investigation, we had 1291 sites of various sizes in scope, spread across 8 countries and 3 continents. This scope was always changing as the number of sites was set not by our client's team, but by an altogether different department. Due to global chip shortages, the lead time on network equipment has been 3-4 times longer than normal, so it became critical to ensure that purchase orders were placed in time and the costs included in the appropriate budgets. Once we understood the scope and targets the client was set to achieve, we finalised the solution and calculated the amount of network equipment needed to deliver the service. We managed the network equipment ordering and delivery process. At the same time, we were informed of a BT/Openreach partnership with our customer and were asked to manage the delivery of the lines for high priority EV hub sites. We became the main point of contact and immediately saw the challenges with new line deliveries. As part of the feasibility study, they required us to know not only which BT products were available on each potential EV hub location, but also what point of connection BT/Openreach use to connect from, and what route the new line would need to take. This requirement was resolved by ordering and managing standalone surveys and by requesting a dedicated Openreach Project manager who would support all new line deliveries for our customer. Further Challenges The next challenge was to ensure all sites have the necessary network infrastructure provided during the civil works for the EV chargers. This way, the cabling is done by the same EPC who is pulling electric cables, therefore minimising the costs of this activity and reducing the duration. The EPC contractors needed a clear set of instructions and SoW. Our team took the initiative to put the necessary documentation together and work with the customer’s global engineering teams to add this new requirement to their official engineering standards. During this lengthy process, the client was not only extending the scope of various types of delivery (i.e. greenfield sites v. brownfield sites; unmanned sites v. large retail sites) but also discovering new devices requiring network connectivity as per the EV chargers manufacturers’ designs, e.g. LV pillars. This new standard was crucial in implementing a new network connectivity design that ensured all EV charging sites utilise customer’s pre-existing network infrastructure, which was uplifted if necessary, e.g. bandwidth increase on an existing circuit, additional switch/access point installed and configured, etc. Our team was tasked to make the decision and chose an approach which is site specific but also in line with the ‘cookie-cutter’ solution our client requested. As the client's EV estate grew, it became obvious that our team needs to work more closely with product owners and have access to technical specs of various EV charger manufacturers. Each model posed a new challenge as some manufacturers did not have ethernet connectivity enabled for the specific charger or are using a single unmanaged network device to provide connectivity for up to 4 chargers at the same time. These variants needed to be explored and captured in the network design documents, and signed off by client network architects and digital security. We also had to ensure the new network solution contains provisions for a PCI compliant payment solution. The biggest challenge has always been communication. Decisions made at a high level were not properly communicated to all the team leads and our team was put in a position where we had to explain decisions and requests to various technical and non-technical departments within its organisation—as well as to their third party vendors and other suppliers. Securing their support and trust, necessary for implementation of the new network solution, required building a strong relationship and gaining knowledge of their SoW, targets and approaches. Outcomes & Results 1. First EV Hub in Luxembourg The solution we managed to design and implement was successfully deployed in a pilot site in Luxembourg, which was the first EV hub site the client has delivered in this country. 2. 8 Sites in the Netherlands The biggest impact was on client's market in the Netherlands, with 8 hub sites delivered: generating revenue of 762,000 euros YTD. 3. Sites in the US and UK We are rolling out the approved 'cookie-cutter' solution to hub sites in the US and UK/ 4. Single Point of Contact Providing guidance to various teams involved in the EV charging delivery - we became a single point of contact for any network connectivity-related questions, from EV chargers to payment terminals. 5. Cost Projections We were asked to put together cost projections for 2024/2025, based on the EV charging offers the client provided. 6. Further Expansion Requested to deliver network connectivity for EV chargers in 9 countries across 3 continents.

By implementing a VoIP system to reduce costs, promote collaboration, and streamline patient care Our Partner and VoIP expert, Mario Hanzek, recently completed a telephony transformation project for one of the major Healthcare NHS Foundation Trusts, with over 4,000 telephony users. The project aimed to exchange several of the original phone systems with a hosted state-of-the-art VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system. The key objectives were to reduce costs, enhance flexibility, improve scalability, and ensure superior call quality. In doing so, Mario implemented, end-to-end encryption for enhanced security, seamless integration with existing platforms, and collaboration among employees and patients. Project Overview The NHS Foundation Trust was facing numerous communication challenges, the most significant being: Increased cost of maintenance contracts for on-premise telephony systems Call costs across multiple service providers Limited flexibility for remote working and long-distance collaboration between teams Outdated hardware These challenges disrupted communication within the organisation, therefore impacting operational efficiency and crucial patient care. Why VoIP? Cost Reduction: Implementing VoIP significantly reduces maintenance and call expenses. The organisation can now make calls over the internet, thus avoiding associated with traditional phone lines. Flexibility: With the new VoIP system, employees gained the flexibility to make calls from anywhere or any device with internet access. This is particularly beneficial for staff working remotely or in different healthcare facilities. Collaboration: The VoIP system promotes seamless collaboration among the trust's healthcare professionals, allowing for instant communication across various departments and with patients. This is further enhanced by the system's video conferencing and messaging capabilities. Scalability and Functionality: Using VoIP allows for easier scalability and flexibility to accommodate the growing needs of the healthcare organisation. Additional features, such as contact centres, voice recording, voicemail-to-email and call forwarding, were easily integrated, providing enhanced functionality as required, regardless of the user's location. Integration: The VoIP system slots in perfectly among the trust's existed applications and processes. This integration streamlined administrative tasks, improved patient management, and enhanced overall operational efficiency. Outcomes & Results 1. This successful telephony transformation project for the NHS Foundation Trust proves the positive impact that VoIP technology can have on communication within healthcare organisations. 2. The project successfully addressed challenges related to cost, flexibility, collaboration, scalability, and integration.

Ensuring that University of Bristol remains the university of choice for students, academics and partners in a globally competitive market The University of Bristol is a Russell Group University and a leader in many global league tables, including the QS World University Rankings where in 2023 it ranked 9th in the UK. To strengthen its competitive position, the University is undertaking an ambitious digital transformation strategy. As a foundation of this strategy, the Modern Network will deliver a significant increase in capacity, flexibility, automation, resilience, security and experience for all users. Cambridge Management Consulting was selected as the consulting firm to help the University establish and refine the requirements, design the network in collaboration with University of Bristol experts and lead the technical procurement for a Modern Network. Cambridge MC’s technical and commercial expertise helped University of Bristol navigate a complex procurement exercise and deliver the first stages of the transformation programme. The Challenge The current University of Bristol campus network requires significant modernisation to support the University’s Digital Strategy. All staff, students and visitors interact with the University's network every day, whether it's connecting a device to Wi-Fi, emailing a colleague, or running a session on the University’s Digital Learning Platform. The University of Bristol recognised that improving their global competitiveness requires a step change in the digital experience offered to all users and so it launched its Modern Network programme. Key objectives of the Modern Network are to introduce a high-performance network that gives users access to comprehensive teaching and learning resources, as well as specialist equipment, data, and scalable fibre for innovative research. The Modern Network programme also aims to enable students to connect with friends and family, and socialise online from wherever they are on campus, at any time, day or night. The new network will enhance the Wi-Fi coverage and capacity to give users the best digital experience round the clock. The University realises that a significant increase in network performance is needed to support data intensive activities, including centralised and de-centralised computing, large scale sensor networks, media rich applications like augmented and virtual reality, data intensive instrumentation and modelling. The architecture designed is going to be more flexible, highly scalable, adaptable and evergreen. Security will be improved to cope with the continuously evolving threat landscape and to enable Modern Network users to safely perform their activities from any location in the world, with a consistent, hassle-free experience. The Modern Network will deliver a reliable platform with world-class operational capabilities, making the services easy to consume, monitor and manage. The Strategy Cambridge Management Consulting used its expertise and knowledge to quickly establish a comprehensive set of requirements and to test market appetite to deliver a Modern Network via an RFI. Requirements Management used a structured approach based on a Cambridge MC requirements catalogue. This accelerated the process of engaging University of Bristol stakeholders to validate requirements and helped to shape the University’s procurement process. An efficient and comprehensive stakeholder engagement process also saw the development of multiple personas that were used to explain how the Modern Network would deliver capabilities for students, academics, researchers and professional services colleagues. Cambridge MC, in conjunction with the university, then helped to shape a structured procurement approach. Modern Network capabilities were put into 3 main procurement categories to provide purchasing and transformation flexibility. Cambridge MC led the Procurement technical dialogue. Working in partnership with experts from the University of Bristol, a highly scalable, flexible, secure and resilient target state network was designed. The design is modular and makes use of multiple technical patterns. This provides a repeatable, standardised way for the University to deliver capabilities that can have customised performance service and levels. To assist the Procurement activities, Cambridge MC also created a Model Modern Network. The Model allowed a consistent financial assessment to be made at each stage of the Procurement, including providing a detailed estimate of the transformation milestones and payments. The Cambridge MC team also shaped the Modern Network programme. It was broadly shaped into mobilisation, discovery, design, prove, pilot and deploy phases. Cambridge MC are providing support in the early transformation phase to help the University of Bristol deliver the ambitious programme. The resulting Modern Network will be a high performance, flexible, resilient and secure platform. It will introduce self-service and automation, such as zero touch deployments and autonomous networks for research activities. It will leverage programmatic control and AIOps to improve the digital experience and inclusiveness, sustainability and the global competitiveness of the University. A technical modernisation like this requires a similar shift to a world-class operating model. Cambridge MC supported the service management redesign throughout the procurement phase. Using comprehensive requirements structured around ITIL, the team co-designed the enhanced set of service capabilities and are now helping University of Bristol to introduce these services. The new service management approach will provide full end-to-end visibility of the network, formal SLAs and SLA management and enhanced fault, change, configuration and knowledge management. This will complement the new technical capabilities and provide significant benefits to the University. The Team Cambridge Management Consulting provided procurement, commercial, technical business analysis and service management expertise. Cambridge MC also provided expertise for the procurement and post-procurement implementation activity. Cambridge MC worked exceptionally well with the University's digital and procurement teams to ensure end-to-end success for the University. Not only did the Cambridge MC team help support, but they also provided extensive knowledge transfer to, the University to minimise the future need for external support, minimise future costs for external consultants and help further develop the in-house ICT and procurement capabilities. Outcomes & Results 1. Cambridge Management Consulting's attention to detail ensured there were clear winners of the Procurement lots, with no challenges or disaffected potential suppliers. The winners of the three lots were all world-class organisations with a desire to support the University with its ambition to deliver a first-class service. 2. Cambridge MC have since assisted the University with other aspects of their Digital Strategy and continue to be engaged to help University of Bristol transform.