UGL - Best Tech Awards 2025 Concur
UGL boosts compliance and cuts costs with SAP Concur Download the DocumentSAP Australia and New
Zealand Best Tech Awards
2025
Zealand Best Tech Awards
2025
Best Tech SAP
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
Engineering &
Construction
www.ugllimited.comEngineering; Construction and
Infrastructure; Asset Management
and Maintenance
SAP Concur
UGL is a leading engineering and services company, delivering end-to-end solutions across transport, energy, resources and critical infrastructure. Part of the
CIMIC Group, it supports major public and private sector clients across Australia, with a strong track record in transport ma nufacturing and maintenance, energy
generation and transmission, and large-scale infrastructure delivery.
With more than 9,000 people working across projects, operations and offices nationwide, UGL plays a vital role in keeping Aus tralia moving and connected. The
company combines in-house engineering expertise with a strong safety culture and local presence to deliver practical, future -focused outcomes for customers
and communities alike.
As part of its ongoing commitment to operational excellence and continuous improvement, UGL has undertaken a strategic transf ormation of its travel and
expense processes, improving control, efficiency and visibility through the implementation of SAP Concur.
UGL boosts compliance and cuts costs
with SAP Concur
SAP Concur
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
Engineering &
Construction
www.ugllimited.comEngineering; Construction and
Infrastructure; Asset Management
and Maintenance
SAP Concur
UGL is a leading engineering and services company, delivering end-to-end solutions across transport, energy, resources and critical infrastructure. Part of the
CIMIC Group, it supports major public and private sector clients across Australia, with a strong track record in transport ma nufacturing and maintenance, energy
generation and transmission, and large-scale infrastructure delivery.
With more than 9,000 people working across projects, operations and offices nationwide, UGL plays a vital role in keeping Aus tralia moving and connected. The
company combines in-house engineering expertise with a strong safety culture and local presence to deliver practical, future -focused outcomes for customers
and communities alike.
As part of its ongoing commitment to operational excellence and continuous improvement, UGL has undertaken a strategic transf ormation of its travel and
expense processes, improving control, efficiency and visibility through the implementation of SAP Concur.
UGL boosts compliance and cuts costs
with SAP Concur
SAP Concur
Challenges
With a large, mobile workforce and significant travel spend, UGL needed a way to maximise value from its
processes and ensure it was managing expenses as efficiently as possible. Specific challenges included:
• Outdated and inefficient processes: UGL’s expense management processes were disjointed and
outdated, creating frustration for employees and leadership alike. While a system was in place, it lacked the
efficiency and visibility expected of a modern enterprise, leading the newly appointed CFO, an experienced
SAP Concur user, to champion change.
• Limited compliance and control: Without the resources to manually audit every claim, compliance was
limited to a small sample, raising concerns about governance and risk. There was also little visibility into the
expense workflow, making it difficult for users and administrators to track progress or identify bottlenecks.
• Time-consuming and unsupported: The bespoke legacy system offered no mobile access, required
receipts to be scanned and submitted at a desktop, and created delays in reimbursement. Expense teams
spent significant time processing claims manually, diverting effort from higher-value tasks.
• Embedded travel policy directly into Concur: By guiding employees to book through preferred suppliers
and within approved limits, UGL has been able to embed controls that weren’t in place before, driving
compliance, securing better rates and avoiding unnecessary premium spend.
• Low visibility and poor user experience: Employees couldn’t easily track the status of their claims, and
support teams lacked the tools to manage exceptions efficiently. The system's lack of integration, including
with the organisation’s travel tool, further added to complexity and hindered insights.
With a large, mobile workforce and significant travel spend, UGL needed a way to maximise value from its
processes and ensure it was managing expenses as efficiently as possible. Specific challenges included:
• Outdated and inefficient processes: UGL’s expense management processes were disjointed and
outdated, creating frustration for employees and leadership alike. While a system was in place, it lacked the
efficiency and visibility expected of a modern enterprise, leading the newly appointed CFO, an experienced
SAP Concur user, to champion change.
• Limited compliance and control: Without the resources to manually audit every claim, compliance was
limited to a small sample, raising concerns about governance and risk. There was also little visibility into the
expense workflow, making it difficult for users and administrators to track progress or identify bottlenecks.
• Time-consuming and unsupported: The bespoke legacy system offered no mobile access, required
receipts to be scanned and submitted at a desktop, and created delays in reimbursement. Expense teams
spent significant time processing claims manually, diverting effort from higher-value tasks.
• Embedded travel policy directly into Concur: By guiding employees to book through preferred suppliers
and within approved limits, UGL has been able to embed controls that weren’t in place before, driving
compliance, securing better rates and avoiding unnecessary premium spend.
• Low visibility and poor user experience: Employees couldn’t easily track the status of their claims, and
support teams lacked the tools to manage exceptions efficiently. The system's lack of integration, including
with the organisation’s travel tool, further added to complexity and hindered insights.
Solution
UGL’s implementation of SAP Concur was driven by a strong internal vision and non-negotiable requirements to
ensure the solution aligned with the business’s needs. While these standards presented some early challenges,
they ultimately ensured the platform delivered maximum value from the outset.
A national roadshow helped embed the change across offices in Australia and New Zealand, with strong
engagement from employees and support from partners like Amex and Virgin.
Importantly, UGL has treated Concur as a continuously evolving platform rather than a one-off deployment.
Since initial go-live, the company has introduced Concur Request to streamline pre-approval and automate
travel coding through central reconciliation. Regular system refreshers and policy updates ensure users remain
supported and engaged.
The audit and reimbursement process has also been refined to prioritise speed and compliance. UGL now
reimburses approved out-of-pocket expenses within three days, demonstrating a commitment to user
experience and operational efficiency.
UGL’s implementation of SAP Concur was driven by a strong internal vision and non-negotiable requirements to
ensure the solution aligned with the business’s needs. While these standards presented some early challenges,
they ultimately ensured the platform delivered maximum value from the outset.
A national roadshow helped embed the change across offices in Australia and New Zealand, with strong
engagement from employees and support from partners like Amex and Virgin.
Importantly, UGL has treated Concur as a continuously evolving platform rather than a one-off deployment.
Since initial go-live, the company has introduced Concur Request to streamline pre-approval and automate
travel coding through central reconciliation. Regular system refreshers and policy updates ensure users remain
supported and engaged.
The audit and reimbursement process has also been refined to prioritise speed and compliance. UGL now
reimburses approved out-of-pocket expenses within three days, demonstrating a commitment to user
experience and operational efficiency.
Impact
59% expense reports approved via
mobile.
76% of expense reports approved
within 0–3 days.
54% of travel expenses automatically
processed without employees
manually coding.
The implementation of an end-to-end travel and expense management system has enabled UGL to drive significant cost savings
while embedding a more disciplined and efficient approach to managing spend across the business. Specific benefits include:
Stronger compliance, fewer non-genuine claims: With Concur’s 100% audit capability in place, every expense – whether paid
via corporate card, Amex or out-of-pocket – is automatically reviewed before reaching a line manager. This has significantly
improved policy compliance and created a culture of accountability, reducing non-genuine or out-of-scope claims across the
business.
Streamlined processes and faster reimbursements: The automated audit workflow eliminates manual intervention and allows
faster approvals and payments. Employees are reimbursed within three days of manager approval, reducing the reliance on P
cards and increasing confidence in claiming genuine business expenses.
Simplified workflows, reduced admin: Concur’s tailored ruleset and integration with SAP mean approved claims flow directly to
finance, bypassing additional manual checks. For specific expense types, like ICT, the system automatically routes claims to
relevant approvers, streamlining governance while keeping policies tightly enforced.
High-volume success: In FY2024, UGL processed close to $48 million in corporate card and BTA account spend through Concur,
demonstrating the system’s capacity to support large-scale, high-trust expense management across the business.
59% expense reports approved via
mobile.
76% of expense reports approved
within 0–3 days.
54% of travel expenses automatically
processed without employees
manually coding.
The implementation of an end-to-end travel and expense management system has enabled UGL to drive significant cost savings
while embedding a more disciplined and efficient approach to managing spend across the business. Specific benefits include:
Stronger compliance, fewer non-genuine claims: With Concur’s 100% audit capability in place, every expense – whether paid
via corporate card, Amex or out-of-pocket – is automatically reviewed before reaching a line manager. This has significantly
improved policy compliance and created a culture of accountability, reducing non-genuine or out-of-scope claims across the
business.
Streamlined processes and faster reimbursements: The automated audit workflow eliminates manual intervention and allows
faster approvals and payments. Employees are reimbursed within three days of manager approval, reducing the reliance on P
cards and increasing confidence in claiming genuine business expenses.
Simplified workflows, reduced admin: Concur’s tailored ruleset and integration with SAP mean approved claims flow directly to
finance, bypassing additional manual checks. For specific expense types, like ICT, the system automatically routes claims to
relevant approvers, streamlining governance while keeping policies tightly enforced.
High-volume success: In FY2024, UGL processed close to $48 million in corporate card and BTA account spend through Concur,
demonstrating the system’s capacity to support large-scale, high-trust expense management across the business.
“”“With Concur, we now have real-time visibility over travel and expense spending
across the business. The system strengthens compliance, improves policy
enforcement, and integrates seamlessly with our SAP ERP. Employees can easily
book travel, check itineraries, and code expenses to the right cost centre or project
whether they’re at their desk or on the move.”
Kamil Erbel, Executive General Manager Finance, UGL
across the business. The system strengthens compliance, improves policy
enforcement, and integrates seamlessly with our SAP ERP. Employees can easily
book travel, check itineraries, and code expenses to the right cost centre or project
whether they’re at their desk or on the move.”
Kamil Erbel, Executive General Manager Finance, UGL