Purcell Architecture saves £80,000 on licensing costs, with Symetri’s CQFlexMon
Meet Purcell Architecture Limited
Purcell is an award-winning, employee-owned, creative collective of 280 architects and heritage experts (within an overall headcount of 345), based in 14 studios across the UK, Australia, and Hong Kong. It's the world’s largest practice of architects working with the existing built environment, ranking at No. 1 for Heritage in the World Architecture 100 (WA100) since 2022.
Founded in 1947, today Purcell is a top ten Architects' Journal 100 (AJ100) practice and currently ranked No.1 for the fourth consecutive year for heritage architecture in the WA100. The listing acknowledged the organisation's success in the public, prime residential, and culture sectors; also highlighting the successful launch of Purcell's guidance on RAAC, and the shortlisting of the National Portrait Gallery transformation (with Jamie Fobert Architects) for the RIBA Stirling Prize.
The Challenge
Managing software licenses for a growing global team posed challenges in accuracy and efficiency. Users often requested full software access, leading to over-allocated licenses and unnecessary spending. With 100 new employees joining in 2024, Purcell’s IT Director, Gary Dalton, sought a more efficient way to manage the company’s software portfolio and licensing costs.
The Solution
Symetri introduced CQFlexMon, a software license monitoring tool that provided real-time insights into software usage across all locations. This allowed Purcell to allocate licenses based on actual needs, not assumptions, and helped categorise users into three tiers:
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Reviewers/Viewer
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2D Drawing Users
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3D Modelling Users
With CQFlexMon, software usage was tracked more accurately, ensuring that Purcell only paid for what was truly needed.
The Results
Purcell saved £80,000 in licensing costs in the first renewal period. The data-driven insights provided by CQFlexMon improved decision-making, reduced wastage, and optimised software allocation. Additionally, Purcell gained valuable access to Autodesk experts, strengthening their relationship with Autodesk through Symetri’s support.
Challenges
· Lack of visibility and control over software licenses across an international 300-user user base
· Uncertainty over which users need which tools, and for what purposes
· Unnecessary licence costs being incurred due to over-specification of software requirements
Solutions
· CQFlexMon now monitors usage across software used by Purcell architects and heritage experts
· Makes adhering to vendor EULA/Terms of use far simpler CQFlexMon has become a business information tool for Purcell, providing detailed metrics and usage data when needed Via the Job Scheduler functionality,
· CQFlexmon delivers an almost “zero touch” solution, and instant visibility and understanding of Purcell's investment in software
Benefits
- Delivered a saving in excess of £80,000 on their first major software renewal due to the deployment and metrics provided by CQFlexMon
· Who uses what, how often, is now visible centrally, enabling pinpoint accuracy when it comes to requirements for licence renewals
· With a robust framework for specific licence allocation depending on role, Purcell is now able to make informed investment decisions
· No more reliance on people's perception of what they might need
· CQFlexMon provides data on actual user-wide usage patterns, histories, and requirements
· Anomalies hitherto buried within broader admin systems (payment to who, for what) now eliminated.
