Lloyd's Register

Block Fees Management System (MARINE)

Lloyd’s Register Group (LR) is an independent risk management organisation providing risk assessment and risk mitigation solutions and management systems’ certification around the world. LR work to improve their clients’ quality, safety, environmental and business performance. The LR Group has more than 200 offices and over 5,000 employees.

LR’s Marine Business had identified a pressing need to develop a new software application to manage the “Block Fee” agreements they hold with various clients worldwide. Through these agreements, LR provides various services such as ship surveys and hull and equipment servicing, which in turn allows their clients’ vessels to maintain seaworthiness certification. These Block Fee agreements contribute a substantial portion of LR Group’s worldwide revenue, and is the method by which LR allows its clients to spread their costs over the period of the block fee and have greater control over their cash flow.

Following an invitation to submit proposals, Computime’s Software Development Business Unit were selected by LR early in 2006, to design, develop and implement an integrated Block Fee Management Tool
The Project’s objectives were to:

Calculate the Block Fees
Produce Block Fee calculation reports
Produce Cash Flow reports
Produce the Block Fee agreement schedule
Produce the Block Fee agreement contract
Export the Block Fee information to an internal support tool.
Export the Block Fee information to an internal income prediction tool
Modify the internal support system to accept Block Fee information
Interface with LR’s ERP system.

The Block Fee Tool was to be to be accessed from around the world by over a hundred users, and it additionally integrates with a number of other applications already running within LR. Computime designed the application on a multi-tier architecture model to ensure performance and scalability and made available to users over the internet. The latest Microsoft .NET, Reporting Services and SQL Server technology were used, leveraging on the interoperability, usability, reusability and deployability of a Web Service framework.

Computime’s Development Methodology, based on an iterative approach, was instrumental in delivering the correct solution to LR within the predicted time scales. Via successful demonstrations of early prototypes Computime and LR were able to work hand in hand throughout the development of the application, thus eliminating unknowns earlier in the project and minimising the risk of exceeding scope or budget.

Malta’s proximity and time zone to the UK allowed Computime to hold regular project meetings with LR to assess progress and Computime’s facilities in Malta were used to host the LR team running User Acceptance Testing and requirements workshop sessions, whereby users of the system could get first hand experience in the software.

The project was completed in February 2007 after Computime deployed the system on LR’s production environment in the UK. The Block Fees Tool has met all LR’s functional and non-functional requirements in terms of Security, Usability, Look and Feel (User Interface), Volumes, Precision and Auditing. Additionally, the Architecture of the Tool ensured that the system achieved the required performance levels while remaining reliable and constantly available.

Following the success of this project Computime and LR Group IT have agreed a contract whereby Computime deliver a number of man days per month on various services as part of a near shoring agreement. The services include:

Software Development (mostly .net, SQL Server and Oracle)
Business Intelligence Consultancy and Implementation (Based on Microsoft Platform)
Portal and Document Management Consultancy and Implementation (Based on the
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 framework)
Infrastructure and Network Consultancy

As part of this agreement Computime have delivered the following projects to Lloyd’s register to date:
- A software Decision Making tool which allows LR to make informed decisions vis-à-vis
the risk of ships being detained in port or not.
- A Management Tool being used by LR’s Quality Assurance unit world wide, to manage
their quality audits and reports.
- An internal portal and document management solution including knowledge sharing.
- The implementation of a set of KPIs based on a Business Intelligence framework.
Various other small works and feasibility studies for IT projects

http://www.lr.org