Accenture and Avanade Help The Felix Project Deliver on its Goal to Feed the Needy
Cloud-based solution and data analytics used to streamline operations, increase process efficiency and capacity of delivery teams.LONDON; March 18, 2021 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Avanade are using cloud and data analytics to help The Felix Project, London’s largest food redistribution charity, digitally transform its business and help achieve its ambitious goal of redistributing the equivalent of 100 million meals each year by 2024 – a fivefold increase over its current delivery capability.
Founded in 2016, The Felix Project works with businesses to rescue surplus food and deliver it to local charities and schools serving people in need. But inefficient processes – such as manually catalogued locations, routes and driver allocations, as well as using paper manifests to track delivery activities that had to be entered into a siloed data management system by hand – were holding the organisation back. Creating reports took several days each month, and it was difficult to ensure accuracy or visibility of day-to-day operations.
“We wanted to get out of start-up mode and become a growing, sustainable, mature non-profit by harnessing technology to increase our capabilities and the impact we can make,” said Mark Curtin, CEO, The Felix Project. “We needed a platform that would enable us to scale our operations by leveraging data to inform and improve our decision-making processes.”
The pandemic has simultaneously increased demand for The Felix Project’s services while limiting the availability of volunteer drivers. To quickly identify key challenges and solutions, Accenture led design-thinking workshops, and, in less than six weeks, Avanade developed a solution and moved it into pilot testing. It was fully adopted and in use across the organisation just four weeks later.
Avanade and Accenture’s solution manages delivery routes, volunteer scheduling and the coordination of both food donors and beneficiaries. It also provides a reporting and analytics platform which harnesses the scalability and agility of cloud.
A new mobile app, “RouteMe”, enables drivers to access routes, maps and pickup information, and complete forms online. This eliminates the need for paperwork and spreadsheets, freeing up hundreds of hours of manual administration time each month and saving thousands of sheets of paper annually. Real-time dashboards give The Felix Project full visibility into its operations and the ability to generate reports in minutes.
Curtin added, “Route optimisation is key for us. The phrase that we use is that we want our vans to shift around as little air as possible. Sometimes, they’re only full of food 70% of the time and are empty the other 30%. With new insights, we can better understand route options, how much time is spent traveling and how much food is being delivered to and from each location. We can identify patterns and find efficiencies that help us cut costs and scale up our operations immediately.”
Simon Baumber, digital sales and service lead, Avanade UKI, said, “Improving operational efficiency is high on the agenda for many organisations, not least, non-profit organisations like The Felix Project. Eradicating cumbersome and costly processes means that valuable donations can make a bigger human impact as The Felix Project continues to provide their life-changing services. Microsoft provides the perfect scalable infrastructure to underpin all the applications and technology being implemented and will long support The Felix Project’s ongoing growth.”
About The Felix Project
The Felix Project is a London charity with a practical solution to the dual issues of food waste and hunger. We work with businesses to rescue surplus food – good quality, nutritious food that is in-date and safe, but is at risk of being wasted – and deliver it free of charge to local charities and schools serving people in need. The Felix Project was founded in 2016 in memory of Felix Byam Shaw, by his father, entrepreneur Justin Byam Shaw. We are now London’s largest food redistribution charity. We distributed enough food for 21.1 million meals in 2020. Our vision is a London where no one goes hungry and good food is never wasted. For every £1 donated, we deliver £10 retail value of good food.About Avanade
Avanade is the leading provider of innovative digital and cloud services, business solutions and design-led experiences on the Microsoft ecosystem. Our professionals bring bold, fresh thinking combined with technology, business and industry expertise to help make a human impact on our clients, their customers and their employees. We are the power behind the Accenture Microsoft Business Group, helping companies to engage customers, empower employees, optimise operations and transform products, leveraging the Microsoft platform. Avanade has 39,000 professionals in 25 countries, bringing clients our best thinking through a collaborative culture that honors diversity and reflects the communities in which we operate. Majority owned by Accenture, Avanade was founded in 2000 by Accenture LLP and Microsoft Corporation. Learn more at www.avanade.com.About Accenture
Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialised skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services — all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 514,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.The Felix Project embraces digital transformation to end hunger
Learn about the platform Avanade and Accenture delivered to help The Felix Project reach its goal of providing 100 million meals every year by 2024 to those in need.