Solution

Vollardian was engaged to improve operations and embed AI into SMC’s tendering function, reclaiming over 30% of engineering time previously lost to manual administration and repetitive documentation. We rebuilt this capability in-house over three months using a "Foundations-First" methodology:

• Phase 1: Operational Foundations – Configured Monday.com as the CRM backbone and centralised historical tender knowledge into a structured SharePoint library, optimised specifically for AI retrieval (RAG).

• Phase 2: Workflow Automation – Leveraged Microsoft Power Automate to trigger instant tender kick-offs. A single action in the CRM now auto-creates Teams channels, SharePoint folder structures, and Microsoft Planner project plans.

  • Auto-creation of a dedicated Microsoft Teams channel.

  • Auto-generation of the SharePoint folder structure using standardised naming conventions.

  • Auto-build of the Microsoft Planner project plan with pre-populated tasks.

  • Auto-creation of the CRM deal record and associated metadata.

  • Copilot chatbot integration for conversational CRM data entry and deal updates, removing the need for manual

• Phase 3: Custom AI Agents – Deployed two bespoke Claude-powered agents grounded in SMC’s proprietary knowledge:

  • Tender Response Agent: Drafts answers to technical questions with full source-citation and a human approval interface.

  • Contract Review Agent: Proactively identifies risks and obligations in incoming clauses for human review.

Results

• Removed 75hr a week/month from Tender process: Cut setup from 30 minutes of manual work to just seconds, eliminating ~75 hours of annual administrative drudgery.

• 300+ Hours Saved Annually: The Tender Response Agent automates the retrieval and synthesis of historical data, saving ~2 hours per submission.

• $150k in Annual Value Creation: Derived from significant time savings and the avoidance of expensive enterprise tendering software licenses.

• Continuous Improvement: The built-in approval interface ensures the AI "Golden Template" grows smarter with every human-verified submission.

• Sustained Human Control: Every AI-generated response is traced back to its source, ensuring 100% accountability in high-stakes engineering bids.

Testimonial

"The time this tool saves us is invaluable."

— Manager, SMC Marine