After doubling in size over the last three years, VINCI Energies will continue to develop and increase its presence inside and outside Europe, in particular via external growth operations*.

For this reason, it is essential for us to standardise our management principles across all of our compa-nies and to have a tool that is adapted to how we operate and that can be deployed quickly in companies which join the group, regardless of the country.

To achieve this objective, the deci-sion was taken in June 2013 to launch the Codex project, i.e. to build a common ERP* for all of VIN-CI Energies, based on our SAP* base that has already been de-

ployed in most "major" countries where we have a presence, along-side the Quartz Navision* solution for countries where the companies do not justify deploying SAP.

This new ERP (for which a name still needs to be found) will replace the different tools that exist within the group.

The success of the Codex project is therefore a major factor for the fu-ture of VINCI Energies.

The "preliminary design*" phase, which was rolled out in the 4th quarter of 2013, enabled us to set up a fantastic project team in record time, under the direction of Eric VERNIER, assisted by Frdric BINET, with a massive commitment from representatives of our 4 divi-sions and VESI teams*.

It enabled us to clearly define the basic rules to structure this new ERP and has so far not revealed any technical barriers to the desires

expressed by users.

Of course, the most difficult is yet to come with the "detailed design" phase, which is starting at the be-ginning of January and which should associate business experts* and future users more broadly, with a timetable which remains ambi-tious and by staying vigilant to avoid deviating during the produc-tion phase from the main funda-mentals which should set the base for this new ERP, i.e. simplicity and flexibility.

But given the fantastic work which has been done during the first months of the Codex project, we can be confident in our ability to reach a successful conclusion and launch this new stage with determi-nation.

kickoff meeting on 7th January brought together around one hundred

people who participate directly in the Codex project. The project will

design this new tool, which in time will be used regularly by over 25 000 of

you; so, we have decided that a regular newsletter would enable communi-

cation to more than just the people involved directly in the project, to keep

you up to date with how it is progressing.

It is also the perfect means to share with you this fantastic adventure, which

is based on the commitment of the men and women who work at VINCI Energies, who must be congratulated

for their professionalism once more in working towards a common objective. Of course, the usual communica-

tion channels via your own management will enable you to have more detailed information.

The ambition of this project, which is broken down into four main phases (design, construction, tests and de-

ployment) is to find the perfect match between surveying user and management requirements taking into ac-

count business specifics and considering the diversity of countries, languages and software. Finally, the defini-

tion of a simple, flexible and effective common base and a quick implementation.

Consequently, we have two responsibilities: to make the decisions that we feel are the most relevant in relation

to the objectives we have set and to keep you informed of how the project is progressing.

One newsletter every two months, with six publications in 2014, appears to be the best for the project's signifi-

cant phases; so, we will see you in 2 months for new information on how the construction phase is progressing

in the three languages that have been defined for this communication.

Until then, I hope you enjoy reading this first edition and I would like to wish you all the best for 2014

from the whole Codex team!

he official Codex project kickoff meeting

was held on 7th January 2014. Over 110

participants met at Roissy-en-France to cele-

brate the launch of 2014's activities. This

meeting outlined the project's methodology to

the participants who attended and provided a

focus on each of the main areas of activity

profoundly affected by the establishment of

the Codex project: analytical management,

closing, finance and accounting operations,

sales, purchasing, human resources and re-

organisations*. A great deal of time was given

over to direct discussion between attendees.

The approach is based on a timetable with:

A first part covering:

The important summary pre-project (or "preliminary design") phase between October and mid-December 2013

The design, development and tests in 2014

The start-up within the existing SAP/Quartz-iC scope at the start of 2015, with several countries concerned:

France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria and Brazil; it will be accompanied by a major

user training and accompaniment wave.

A second deployment phase which will begin around mid-2015 on the other Group perimeters.

How were the design preparation phase work-

shops held?

This project has numerous challenges as it will

affect many users: we have to find a compromise

between simplicity and functionality, between

global and local. To initiate a project like this one,

the working groups first of all dealt with the func-

tionalities from a very high level, before going into

the more precise details.

For sales, for example, we dealt with the organisa-

tional structure in SAP, with different concepts

such as agencies or sales organisation and so on.

We also looked at the different billing modes.

During the Architecture workshops, which were

more technical, several decisions were taken on

the dimensioning of the system to anticipate

external VINCI Energies growth, for example. We

also saw how several new technologies could im-

prove ergonomy* and facilitate the use of the tool.

And how do you see the future for VESI?

This first phase was more business-oriented; for

the VESI technicians such as myself, the main part

of the work will really begin during the next phase,

when we'll need to go into specifics and find a

compromise between the different systems.

We will be able to go into more detail during the

workshops at the start of the year and study the

specifics of the different countries within the scope,

where a wide range of systems are being used.

What was the business role in the Closing workshops in October and November?

Business's input into the workshops is essential and is different from that of VESI. As for the "Closing" field, our role involves defining the oper-ation of our organisations as they were recently affected by the Fast-Close*; there is a diversity between VINCI Energies subsidiaries, which are mostly small and independent, and the companies from Cegelec, Faceo and VINCI Construction for example, and in all countries. We also need to reorganise the opera-tion of Quartz, the consolidated ac-counts*, the tax system, payroll...

There is only one working lan-guage within the project... is that a help or a hindrance?

We need to remain focused on what's essential and so working in English is a plus. English may make conversation more difficult in certain cases, but avoids us creating jargon and complicating things unneces-sarily. English also enables us to get outside a France-based context and to integrate all countries. We need to think Quartz but also think locally by integrating local, fiscal, statutory

and other constraints. What was put in place to prepare these workshops?

Ten to fifteen days before the work-shop we take a look at all the points and summarise them to get a first opinion; we then share them with our business contacts. We quickly see that for 80% of subjects we agree on simplification and autono-my which must be guaranteed. After these discussions, there are actually only a few areas

where we differ. It is therefore more effective to deal with most issues in advance and then finalise the few remaining points in workshops with

20/25 people. During these work-shops, we discuss the points where we agree and disagree; any remain-ing points are left up to the Project Committee.

We have no particular preference for one particular tool: we need to agree on how we operate and the level of autonomy and we strive to be consistent on these points.

How does coordination between the business and VESI work?

We work directly and meet if we need to. Our collaboration is good, especially as I have already had the opportunity to work with most of my contacts on previous projects. What is more complicated is managing our usual daily tasks alongside Co-dex work.

Several workshops are planned on the "Closing" area during the "Design" phase in January and February: what subjects will you be dealing with?

We need to determine in detail how we would like the monthly and quar-terly Closing part to operate, speci-fying the expected returns while improving the current solutions. Cer-tain subjects are relatively simple from our point of view, such as the desire to have instant closing: the specifications are also quite simple. Other more complex subjects re-quire more details. The challenge will now be to make this compatible with our start of year timetables.

What was involved in the preliminary design workshops?

Valrie Basile: Each workshop, which was always prepared in

advance to cover all subjects, was organised in a highly-

managed way, supported by existing tools and processes. This

enabled us to have a guiding principle and concentrate on what

was most essential. However, there was nothing to prevent us

adding points as our discussions often found specifics that had

to be dealt with.

Emmanuelle Flix: As we deal with many subjects at quite a

fast pace, it is important to list all our decisions in writing to

make sure that we are able to find them later. The workshop

preparation and minutes could have been heavy and time-

consuming operations for the people in charge of the different

areas, but they are essential for the rest of the project.

How do you see the role of the Division coordinator?

Valrie Basile: This is a very transverse role as you have to link

up everything that's going on in several areas and provide the

connection between the workshops: you need to keep a close

eye on things.

The difficulty lies in the fact that we are targeting people with

different functions, who come from different countries, different

cultures and different systems.

How is the collaboration with VESI?

Valrie Basile: Coordination between the business and VESI

has gone well during this first phase; depending on the work-

shops, either the business responsible or the VESI responsible

was in charge of running the workshop.

Emmanuelle Flix: The presence of a VESI counterpart for

each Codex area is a huge help to us. In all cases, I was able to

see that the workshops were held in a constructive and calm

atmosphere.

Do you have anything to say for the rest of the project?

Valrie Basile: The first phase enabled us to define the project

and determine its main guidelines. We need to be careful with

the number of people involved in the next phases.

Increasing the number of participants will certainly enable us to

deal with the significant workload given the tight deadlines we

have, but we need to be careful to not go back over ground we

have already covered: a huge amount of communication is nec-

essary to make sure that everyone is on the same wavelength.

Having said that, if we take any decisions that turn out to be the

wrong ones, we mustn't be afraid to change them.

How did the idea of organising the Codex Village come

about?

We were looking for a way to get our colleagues and field

contacts involved in the project Preliminary Design phase.

Given that we were already busy with the workshops and we

were in a brainstorming phase on the project, we wondered how

we could get these actors involved in this discussion phase.

Rather than having structured discussion groups as we were

already doing in the workshop, with a script and questions, we

thought it would be interesting to use a shorter, more open for-

mat to get our contacts to react and get as much information as

possible.

How many people took part in

the Village?

Around sixty people from almost

all of the division's poles were

there, with a third non-financial

operational staff (project manag-

ers, company managers, direc-

tors) and administrative and ac-

counting managers, but also a

major delegation from purchas-

ing. Each person took part in an

average of 3 to 4 workshops,

mixing profiles where possible.

Jean-Michel BEGUE took part in

the introduction to the day; Thier-

ry MIRVILLE, Herv ADAM and Franck WEMAERE also came

along to take in the atmosphere of this... special day.

What were the different types of workshop?

Five workshops with about ten people in each were organised,

reproducing the project areas: Closing / Analytics, Sales, Pur-

chasing, Finance and Human Resources (time sheet recording /

payroll). Only the Reorganisation subject was not dealt with, as

it was too complex to integrate into this brainstorming approach.

Each workshop lasted one hour (two hours for Finance) with

extra time reserved to encourage free discussion.

How did you prepare for these workshops?

First of all, we had to determine the size of the workshops and

recruit the participants from different poles, with different profiles

and preferably a double Oracle / Quartz-i / HR ACCESS* and

SAP /Quartz-iC culture. We wanted to be sure that the groups

would be mixed to reflect the complexity of the project. The par-

ticipants were positioned so as to ensure high-quality discus-

sion. Advance work enabled each person to list before the work-

shop what they felt needed to be kept / simplified / modified /

added / deleted in the future ERP.

Each facilitator was free to bring in their own ideas and organise

the workshop as they wished to maintain interactivity. For exam-

ple, for Purchasing, Serge MASRIERA used post-its to make

the discussions dynamic, quick and visual. The important thing

for the VE France Codex team

was to feed back information

and secure the directions to be

taken for Codex, in a flexible

way. The day was therefore de-

signed to highlight the major

trends in the areas. Each facili-

tator was able to get immediate

feedback in the field on the work-

ing areas which we were already

exploring.

How did you process the infor-

mation gathered during the

event?

Each field manager provided

their own summary and the infor-

mation collected on the main strategic and striking points had

been dealt with during the "traditional" Codex workshops (such

as the IFRS* and the primary standard*). The good ideas which

were collected but were not vital for the project launch in 2015

will be used across the whole detailed design phase.

It was a constructive day with no hostility to either system: this

is a reassuring sign, with 80% of the participants stating that

they are ready to play an active part in the rest of the Codex

project.

How do you see your role as coordinators and how did you

separate the tasks?

Patrice Mantz: We have two main functions:

We are the spokespeople for all the units to tell them about

specific features and points to be taken into account when

building the new ERP.

Within our scope, we circulate the discussions and orienta-

tions from the working groups which are in progress within

the project.

Stphane Toutain: Thomas and I were mostly involved in

meetings and working groups and Patrice was more concerned

with coordination with the countries.

Patrice Mantz: The fact that there are three of us makes inter-

nal communication easier as each of us has many contacts in

the entities.

In concrete terms, what do you do to make sure that all the

country specifics are taken into account?

Thomas Penazzo: We have organised several meetings: for

example, in Belgium we talked about Codex to gather infor-

mation from management controllers. When we meet VINCI

Energies International financial directors who are not taking part

in the project directly, we ask them for information too.

For human resources, we have sent each contact by country a

questionnaire with around twenty questions: this lets us set the

main directions to be taken, but does not enable us to deal with

all the points discussed in the Codex workshops.

All the local specifics must be taken into account and this is

where the difficulty lies.

Patrice Mantz: Getting VESI participants to travel to the coun-

tries also lets us communicate on the project state. During a

meeting in Frankfurt for example, three people outlined the re-

cent SAP Quartz-iC* developments: this provided the opportuni-

ty to talk about the Codex project and the VINCI Energies par-

ticipants were able to explain what they felt was important.

Do you feel any concerns around this project?

Patrice Mantz: Indeed, there is a level of concern in certain

countries which leads to a desire to participate as much as pos-

sible in project discussions: there is strong demand for infor-

mation and participation in the countries.

Stphane Toutain: The very objective of this common project is

to operate in a bottom-up rather than top-down way. We have

approximately one person per pole per country in Codex, but

despite this organisation the contacts seem to be somewhat

swamped and may have the impression that the project is mov-

ing forward quickly, and controlled centrally by the French. For

the moment, the general feeling is that we need to be sure we

don't go too fast!

Patrice Mantz: Change management is important for the rest of

the project as this will determine its success.

To finish, what do you feel about the project being in Eng-

lish?

Thomas Penazzo: The Quartz project at Cegelec had suffered

a great deal from the fact that all communication and documen-

tation was in French. Our communication was greatly restricted:

it is undeniable that the fact that the project is in English is huge

progress.

Patrice Mantz: Organising the workshops in English helped a

lot of people to interact: for example, during the "closing" work-

shop, all of our German colleagues were able to take part,

which was essential.

What is your background within the Group?

I joined the Group in June 1999 as Company manager before becoming Director at VINCI Energies France Est. My

scope is a mixed one with industry and telecommunications and covers around 75% of activity with ACTEMIUM and

25% of activity with AXIANS. On 1st January 2012, I joined CEGELEC Lorraine Alsace: my scope therefore contains

companies from VINCI Energies and activity centres from CEGELEC.

What are the objectives for information systems in a structure such as yours?

The ERP is of major importance for all the companies in the group as it is our main working tool. VINCI Energies is

made up of reasonably-sized companies operating within segmented markets. Therefore, the tool must meet the

needs of a large group, while offering small structures the possibility to operate effectively to preserve their activity

and have all the information they need to work. I believe in the VINCI Energies model of independent and effec-

tive companies who develop their expertise within their own local markets.

The tool for which we are beginning to write the specifications must enable us to maintain this operation to serve both

operational staff and companies.

What are the main directions for designing the tool?

I know how Oracle works in the companies within my scope and within the SAP scope at CEGELEC. In the

"reorganisation" area, for example, we need to be able to ensure external growth for small structures as this is part of

the group's DNA. Independently of major external growth, we acquire small local businesses with 3 to 4 million in

turnover with staff of 30 to 40 people: tomorrow we must be able to continue buying these types of companies and

integrate the tool simply and economically.

We must also keep companies' operational independence by decentralising simple tasks without involving the

information systems department: integrate new project managers, pilot account closings, change our budget parame-

ters during the year and so on. Within our organisation we need to be able to react very quickly; the PSP*, which are

normally valid for the year, must be readapted within certain companies as sudden variations are possible throughout

the year. This must be piloted in the companies and the information systems department must also stop making ac-

counting entries.

What are the objectives for the design workshops which will be held from January to March 2014?

The first phase enabled us to define the main principles: we will now go into detail to draft the specifications and write

down exactly what we want for each point. Therefore, we need to explain clearly just what has been agreed within

each workshop. A great many people have been involved in the project, which is a very positive point. The only

regret that I might have is that the timetable is very tight: it is very complicated for operational staff to keep up as daily

business goes on as normal.

he decision was taken early on to adopt the name "Codex" to define the project which,

as Leonardo da Vinci was able to do, involves collecting as much information as pos-

sible on the Group's different business packages* to summarise the main principles and

take the best ones.

We decided to define a logo to give the project more visibility and identify the associated

documentation clearly. Quickly, several models were produced, some of which for needs

of accuracy were sized with the golden number...

For reasons of simplification, which remains the project's watch-word, but also to illustrate our desire to leave the possibility of

thinking outside the box, the two-colour template below was born!

*Account closing: Creation of the result and production of the

quarterly reports

*Consolidated accounts: Consolidation of the results of the

Group's subsidiaries within a common international standard (IFRS)

*Statutory accounts: production of the balance sheet and the

income statement according to local legal and fiscal regulations.

*Design: IT project phase whose objective is to draft the full

specifications for the application

*External growth: acquisition of companies by the Group *Ergonomy: discipline which seeks to adapt a system to its user, to enable this user to carry out their activities with as much effectiveness, satisfaction and comfort as possible

*ERP ("Enterprise Resource Planning"): an integrated business

management application. Oracle and SAP are examples of ERP

*Business-experts: contacts present within Divisions and

Poles who work in partnership with VESI to feed back and pro-

cess user application support and development requests

*Fast-Close: All processes used to produce accounts on an

expedited basis

*IFRS: International Financial Reporting Standards: interna-

tional accounting standards used in the VINCI Group to publish

accounts

*Mobility: technical solutions that seek to enable the partial or

total use of certain applications on mobile media such as

Smartphones

*New G/L: advanced accounting functionality that in particular

enables the real time production of financial results by company

*Navision: business application used mainly in small and medi-

um CEGELEC structures internationally

*Primary standard: harmonised accounting method common to

all entities within the Codex scope

*ORACLE / Quartz-i / HR ACCESS: general accounting / ana-

lytical and payroll business applications traditionally used by

VINCI Energies

*Progiciels (Business application): contraction of the French

words "logiciel" (software) and "produit" (product)

*PSP: Shared Strategic Project

*Reorganisation: all operations that may affect our companies:

buyout, merger, partial activity input, etc.

*SAP / Quartz-iC: general accounting and analytical applica-

tions traditionally used by CEGELEC

*VESI: VINCI Energies Information Systems

Newsletter Codex No. 1 - January 2014

Editorial committee: E. Vernier, F. Binet, S. Tickner, K. Merceron - Design and development: S. Beaudouin