2021: A year of growth and innovation at RPC

RPC continues to go from strength to strength and despite the challenges of COVID, Brexit and much fiscal uncertainty in the country, we’ve had a very strong year in 2021, with an increase in overall business revenues this year of more than 70% and growth in all of our consultancy, training and software revenues. We’ve added significantly to our financial stability and growing fiscal strength with some large and high-profile projects, and some ground-breaking innovations from within our own team that we are very excited about.

We were one of the first partners to transition to Oracle’s Modernised PartnerNetwork last year, and are accredited Oracle Cloud Sell and Oracle License and Hardware Track Partners. This year our relationship with Oracle has grown even stronger, with joint ventures, shared marketing activities such as a successful Construction News webinar about innovation within NEC4 contracts, collaboration in conferences and industry presentations and more plans in the pipeline for 2022.

We were pleased to join with Oracle’s Steve Cooper and also Matt Barnard to give presentations at Project Controls Expo this year, both the virtual event in September and the physical event at Wembley in November about the genesis and development of our Oracle Unifier Solution Sets, and particularly the NEC4 solution.

Another major growth area we have seen this year is in Oracle Primavera Cloud Service, and this formed the basis of our other Project Controls presentations, where Pete Gable joined with Alternus Energy CIO, Larry Farrell, to explore how RPC has helped Alternus introduce and implement OPC into their business to support their growth as they move from Solar Energy Producer to also construction of the Solar Parks they use: Solar Energy Powered by the Cloud.

Successes and sharing what we do

A particular highlight this year was receiving a Letter of Commendation from the Royal Navy’s Deputy Director Submarines. The implementation of an Oracle Primavera project controls solution has allowed for integrated planning in the Navy Command domain and the creation of a 110-year plan for every aspect of design, manufacture and deployment of the next two generations of the Ministry of Defence submarine fleet.

We’re always keen to share knowledge with our fellow professionals through speaking opportunities at events like Project Controls Expo, Round Tables and subject-specific webinars, and we have been pleased to be involved in many such events this year. We were also invited by Xplorex IT magazine to share our experiences of how the COVID-19 pandemic drove innovation and changes in project management and Dave Hurren’s article – Agile and Remote: The future of software implementation and training – gives an insight into how some aspects of our business have evolved over the past two years.

Seeing the interest in knowledge-sharing, we launched a new series of Lunch Bytes events: short, 30–40 minute free lunch time webinars on a targeted topic, including new features in the latest release of P6 Professional, a look at the differences between P6 Professional, P6 EPPM and the newcomer Oracle Primavera Cloud Service, and a dive into Monte Carlo Risk Analysis using OPC. These successful sessions were informative and enjoyable, and we look forward to offering more of them next year on a range of different topics.

What’s new in the business?

The surge in remote working, even without the push of COVID, has led to a tremendous increase in cloud-based working and the need for Cloud-hosted solutions. This year we relaunched our already-successful RPC Hosting service by transitioning to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for increased stability and security for our clients. We’ve seen a 20 per cent increase in our Hosting customers over the year and the service continues to grow.

We have a number of exciting projects in progress, including supporting our armed forces to maximise value in their procurement processes. We’re proud to have a strong history of working with the MoD and our armed forces and have long supported the Armed Forces Covenant, which pledges to support members of the Armed Forces community and their families. Other significant new projects this year include helping to improve efficiencies in the aerospace and defence sector with a large Oracle Primavera Unifier implementation for MBDA and the use of our NEC4 Contract Management solution with East West Rail as they work to re-establish the ‘Varsity Line’ between Oxford and Cambridge that closed in 1968.

Many of these major projects are built around implementation of our Solution Sets, which use Oracle’s Primavera Unifier to streamline complex project controls processes, including Earned Value Management, Cost Management, Strategic Risk, Contract Management and more. These out-of-the-box solutions can be further configured as required to give customers a bespoke and powerful tool and we are excited about their wide potential application within a range of industry sectors.

What’s new in training?

The online delivery of training that was driven by the lockdowns of 2020 proved so popular with customers and our trainers too, that it is now an established part of our training offering. All our courses can now be accessed in person either in our Leeds classroom or at your own place of work, or via Teams through scheduled online courses - wherever you are. Despite ongoing travel restrictions, this year we have trained more than 600 delegates in person on sites from Plymouth to Scotland and via online courses to delegates as far afield as the USA and Kazakhstan. These delegates have gone back to apply their training in industries including Rail, Defence, Nuclear, Construction and Utilities.

2021 saw the launch of our Learning Support Services, to complement our core training business. Three LSS options allow Primavera P6 users to access support and develop their P6 skills through one-to-one Tutor sessions to answer a specific query about a P6 feature, a series of Mentor sessions to allow for a deeper dive into an aspect of the tool or ongoing professional support, or the opportunity to take one of our P6 training courses for a second time at a reduced rate if you feel you need to Refresh your skills after a career change or break. Find out more about these new training opportunities and which one is right for you here: What kind of learner are you?

The RPC Team

Of course, as always, it is our team that underpins these successes and our small team continues to grow. This year, we have welcomed 7 new members into the RPC family, including our first apprentices from nearby Shipley College. We are delighted to be able to support these young professionals in learning on the job and exploring the world of work as they study. Technical Support Apprentices Steve Rushworth and Michael Coffey have joined our Support Team along with T-Level Placement student Harriet Brooke. They are all already valued members of the Geek Squad. Also joining us from Shipley College is Digital Marketing Apprentice, Niki Rushworth, who brings with her some fabulous digital artwork skills that will add a touch of magic to our communications.

Also new to the team, this year is Senior Consultant, Nathan Lambert, whose Unifier expertise has been invaluable in our development of our new NEC4 Contract Management solution. Wez Barker joined us to help to drive new directions in Training, including the launch of our Learning Support Services, and is also supporting our Marketing activity. And completing the band of new joiners is Holly Wenman, who has joined the Technical Consultant team, where she will be helping us to explore possibilities in AI. We welcome all of them to the RPC family.

Reflecting on how the company has grown, this year the original RPC office from 2008 – Chairman Pete Gable’s garage at his home in Guiseley – has been relaunched as a very well-appointed man cave, where Pete retreats to spin vinyl and practise his magic tricks in his spare time. The company now has employees based not only in and around Leeds, but the Cotswolds, Wiltshire, Essex, Lancashire, and more too. The benefits of remote working – it's a squeeze if everyone comes to the office on the same day!

We enjoy celebrating the team’s achievements outside of work, too. Consultant Neil Hogben spent most of May on his bike, cycling 100 miles in the month to raise money for ProstateUK: well done Neil! Projects Director John Lister has been part of a group of villagers in Whitley, near Bath, who have established a community-owned and run shop when their existing village shop closed in 2020. The shop opened in August and is providing an invaluable service within the village both in terms of what it sells and the companionship and opportunities it offers to all who shop and volunteer to work there. And Russ Gable received an award at the end of the year from Armley Helping Hands for his outstanding contribution to his community over the pandemic period. Russ stepped forward and supported the Helping Hands charity as a community hub volunteer over the most difficult times, offering his valuable time to assist in their shopping service and in collecting and delivering essential medication to older people and some of the most vulnerable citizens of Leeds. Bravo, Russ: a well-deserved recognition.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We send all team members and all our clients good wishes for a very happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous new year. Keep up to date with what we’re doing in 2022, and make sure you’re kept in touch with news about our events, by subscribing to our newsletter here. Don't forget to connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter too!