work. simplified.

Discover a new business modelto increase profits by 30%Business operating software that changes the way we work

Introduction 5The challenge 8Simplicity wins 11Proteus OS 12The Talent Marketplace 12The Gateway 13Xchange 13How it works 14What it will achieve 20Sign up for 3 months free 21

Contents

being in the office, Proteus maximises utilisation rates but minimises overheads. Proteus was originally designed to meet the specific challenges facing energy companies in resourcing complex engineering projects where a lack of talent, slow adoption of technology and social pressure have come together to pose a major headache for an industry which must deliver projects to meet the global demand for hydrocarbons, while delivering net-zero carbon emissions.

The brainchild of oil and gas entrepreneur, Colin Manson, Proteus brings together his wealth of learnings and experience of operating systems with engineering houses along with the resourcing expertise and industry knowledge of co-founder, James McCallum.

After years of experiencing the cycles of the volatile energy sector, Manson and McCallum knew there was a better way of working, knew there had to be a simpler operating system that could promote remote working and use of freelancers to drive up project utilisation rates and

There is no doubt that the way in which we work will undergo a fundamental shift as we start to emerge from the coronavirus-imposed lock-down.

The economy will start to recover, but the damage wreaked by COVID-19 will mean that businesses, from all sectors, will be forced to explore new operating models that will help them survive and then thrive.

If the crisis has taught us one thing, it’s that remote and flexible working is possible. Employers who were opposed to flexible, remote working have been forced to concede that it can work. Smart companies will be exploring how they can maximise this shift in behaviour to save costs, slash overheads, increase productivity and, therefore, profits.

Almost three years before this pandemic, a digital platform with the capability to revolutionise how companies resource and deliver projects was conceived.

Today, after successful BETA testing, Proteus has been launched. Proteus is a cloud-based solution to the dual challenge of increasing productivity and efficiency, while reducing costs.

Proteus’ operating system can transform the way in which businesses work and the way in which they source and use talent to resource and deliver projects. By connecting companies with the talent they need, as and when they need it, and making remote working as effective as

1. Introduction

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Proteus: a digital enabler to a new more profitable business model

The economy will start to recover, but the damage wreaked by COVID-19 will mean that businesses, from all sectors, will be forced to explore new operating models that will help them survive and then thrive.

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access to rated talent and pay-as-you-go access to major engineering software into a simple-to-use platform. It moves companies away from a fixed cost model to an on-demand model which is crucial to staying competitive in this low-margin environment. Quality increases, costs reduce, risks are managed so that everybody wins.

This digital enabler can lead to a new, more profitable business model. Trials have shown that profits can be increased by about 30%.

If you’re looking for an effective way to get process, profitability and projects in order, Proteus is for you.

efficiencies. Manson could not believe that there was no easy to use, all-in-one place tool that could make work more effective and more profitable. So, he set about developing one to solve the challenges facing the energy industry.

But the digital operating system that facilitates working remotely within a working environment is not just for energy companies. Because it changes the way you work, manages your business, makes you more efficient and improves your margins, Proteus is suitable for any company in any sector.

During these last few months of unprecedented disruption, the problems Proteus was designed to solve are more prevalent and relevant than ever before. Now, more than ever, we need to collaborate as effectively as possible, cut out the waste and make the most out of every opportunity.

Proteus combines a world-class business operating system with on-demand

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Now, more than ever, we need to collaborate as effectively as possible, cut out the waste and make the most out of every opportunity.

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“Trials have shown that profits can be increased by about 30%.”

The biggest challenge facing every business in today’s environment is the unprecedented uncertainty. The coronavirus pandemic has devastated the global economy, resulting in millions being furloughed and mass redundancies.

Where the biggest challenge previously was how to increase sustainable profits, many are now simply looking to survive. If ever there was a time to explore a new operating model, it is now.

Most businesses work on a fixed cost model with significant overheads, including people, property and other business support infrastructure. They add specific skills and increase headcount to deliver projects. These additional people add additional overheads and need more space, more support infrastructure. And then when these projects come to an end, are pushed back or cancelled, utilisation rates suffer until the next project comes along.

These cycles, symptomatic of volatile commodity driven sectors like oil and gas, invariably lead to cost-cutting and redundancies. A consequence of successive boom and bust cycles and an unwillingness to hire and develop talent leave companies top heavy and ill-equipped to resource projects when they need to most.

This is often compounded by a reluctance among many employers, particularly in traditional industry sectors, to use freelancers. The reasons for this vary from company to company. There’s a school of thought that freelancers are unreliable, due to not having supervision or accountability, or are unable to do the work as well as full-time employees in whom the company has invested and who have undergone that company’s own training programme.

Whatever the rationale for not using freelancers, undoubtedly the biggest barrier is still a belief, even in today’s digital and data-driven world, that to do the job you need to be in the office, part of the team, a member of staff. This means that companies cannot easily find the specific skills they need, when they need them. They are constrained not only by geography, when resourcing projects, but also by ability to attract new talent. Millenials and Gen X workers are looking for the ability to work flexibly and remotely, not just from home, but from anywhere in the world.

Before the pandemic, smart working was already becoming more common. The number of UK workers who have moved into remote-working has increased by nearly a quarter of a million over a decade according to the Office of National Statistics. Remote work makes staff happier, with 55% of UK

“If ever there was a time to explore a new operating model, it is now.”

2. The Challenge

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commuters reporting increased stress levels due to their commute. The time and stress saved by avoiding a commute are enticing reasons for many employees to look for a job that allows remote working. 75% of people choose to work remotely because there are fewer distractions. Yet, despite these statistics, many businesses and industry sectors remain unconvinced about remote working.

But the genie is out of the bottle as a result of COVID-19 and, as we start to emerge from the lock-down, remote working will be the new norm. Freelancers will be looking for work that best suits their skills-sets and project managers will need to find freelancers quickly, effectively and in a way that does not incur the high costs of advertising and recruitment agencies. Companies who adopt modern, digital working methods will be best-positioned to attract top talent.

Failure to attract the brightest and best talent from the next generation will lead to companies becoming obsolete and eventually going out of business. By modernising and building businesses on the best technology platforms, businesses can push forward from a position of strength.

Using cloud-based platforms to make working flexibly and remotely simple and successful can send a powerful message about a business. It

But the genie is out of the bottle as a result of COVID-19 and, as we start to emerge from the lock-down, remote working will be the new norm.

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also helps reduce our carbon footprint. The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated that these platforms can and do work. However, it has also uncovered the failings in some systems – even Microsoft Teams, the saviour of many a company during this coronavirus-imposed lock-down, doesn’t go nearly far enough in managing and simplifying workflows.

The problem is that most enterprise resource planning (ERP) software or operating systems are cumbersome and complex. Many hundreds of millions have been spent on developing bespoke systems which have not delivered a return on investment. They are not well-liked and therefore not well used, often failing to deliver the efficiencies they were designed to.

Digital transformation is now clearly being accelerated by COVID-19. Access to the technology needed to do the job, without being in the office is key but it needs to be easy to use. It also cannot

be bespoke as that is too prohibitive for most businesses.

With a technology platform that is easy to access, easy to use and connects all the key workflows seamlessly, companies can dramatically revolutionise the way in which they work.

Add a talent “marketplace” to this system, where the best contractors and freelancers can be sourced and matched to the needs of specific projects as and when they are required, and you have a solution to the resource challenge which is a game-changer in terms of profitability but also a radical shift in the working culture.

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Work from anywere at anytime

MOBILE

MARKETPLACEConnects people

with projects

GATEWAYEngineering software

access simplified

XCHANGEExchange problems for

solutions globally

In life as in business, it’s the simple things which often make the biggest difference. Digital technology can only transform a business if people use it and they will only use it, if it’s simple.

Billions have been wasted on bespoke ERP and operating systems because they were clunky and not user-friendly.

For a cloud-based operating system to change the way you work, it must help you manage your business, become more efficient and save time, as simply and quickly as possible.

Proteus has been designed with simplicity in mind. At every step in the design and build of the product, the question ‘is it as simple as it can possibly be?’ was posed. If it didn’t pass this test, it was reworked.

As a result of this relentless pursuit for simplicity, Proteus is highly intuitive, so it’s easy to use. It has everything you need, all in one place, driving consistency and improving productivity.

3. Simplicity wins

In fact, it’s ingenious in its simplicity. It combines a world-class business operating system with on-demand access to rated talent and pay-as-you-go access to major engineering software into one simple-to-use platform.

By bringing together four key components, any operation can be completed with a few simple clicks.

At the heart of Proteus is the operating or work management system which is not only simple to use, but has the added attraction of simplifying all your workflows.

A talent marketplace makes it simple for you to find and engage team members, enlarging and optimising your project team as and when you need to.

The gateway makes it simple to access and pay for the engineering software you need and then track the usage on each project.

And if you need help or a quick answer, it’s simple to ask through the Xchange.

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3.1. Proteus OS

At the heart of Proteus is a simple operating/work management system that can deal with complex projects. The OS streamlines business workflows and puts everything your business needs in a database structure with single point data entry and a document numbering system. It facilitates and promotes remote working and team collaboration in a way that can digitally transform your business.

You can manage client information and relationships as well as proposals like never before. The proposal generator allows quick and efficient development of proposals using a template structure, cost estimates from saved data, CTRs connected to contracts, CV integration from a single source and an integrated project planning tool. This alone will reduce proposal development time by up to 30%.

A project management system is linked to the proposal with real-time project data that can be viewed at any time and linked to an automatic project reporting system.

Tracking of all manhours, software and equipment usage are all linked back to the project management system and invoicing.

3.2. The Marketplace

This allows you to connect instantly with rated professionals, giving you the confidence that they have the relevant skills, competences, accreditations and experience you need, when you need them.

It’s rapid and easy through the seamless on-boarding and is much more cost-effective than typical recruitment fees. And because it is pay as you go your fixed costs are lower. Engaging freelancers through the Marketplace, who work remotely from anywhere in the world, means you can further reduce overheads associated with staff such as space and business support infrastructure.

For the freelancers, the Marketplace offers the ability to work remotely and flexibly, from wherever and whenever you want. Freelancers can work with multiple companies at the same time, create virtual teams, collaborate with other freelancers, access industry leading software and the Xchange technical forum.

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3.3. The Gateway

One of the biggest challenges facing contractors is that their clients all use different software. Most of these are run on different licensing agreements which means contractors typically have to carry multiple software packages, resulting in high pricing to cover the inevitable under-utilisation.

This is compounded by the fact that licences run on differing lease-times, limiting the customer base and siloing usage to regions or the office. There are often multiple installation modes for software, some on the cloud some on a remote server or and some locally installed. Software usage is not integrated with a project management tool for control which makes it very hard to track utilisation and wastage.

The Gateway gives you simple access to engineering software on a pay-as-you-go model so that, in turn, you can offer your staff or freelancers easy, instant and cost-effective access to industry leading software, as and when you need it, where you need it, with 100% visibility over costs, clear reporting and no expensive hardware.

3.4. Xchange

This is Proteus’ social media channel. Xchange is a global, technical forum where you can share questions and best practice with other companies and freelancers around the globe. Whenever and wherever you need help, it’s simple to ask and get answers.

3.5. Mobile App

Although Proteus is designed as a desktop application, some of the functionality has been added to the mobile app. Users can complete their timesheets and expenses, receive notifications manage their profiles and view the status of all of their workflows on their phones.

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Commonly, the process of signing up for a work management software tool and getting it configured to your specific business needs is both costly and time consuming, involving a team of IT specialists.

Key processes, such as sourcing and onboarding team members and developing a proposal, normally take weeks, with lags from multiple revisions made by disparate stakeholders.

The simplicity of Proteus dramatically reduces the time required for these processes from weeks to hours.

Proteus is cloud-based, so getting access is as easy as entering your email ID and creating an account via the website www.proteus-work.com.

4. How it works

Whether you are a company user or a freelancer, you can literally be up and running within minutes.

There are two types of accounts:

1. A company user who is a part of a Proteus company account. A company user will work on projects run by that company, engaging freelancers and using Proteus OS work management tools. The company account shares all the databases for its clients, contractors, suppliers and its proposals, projects, contracts, invoices and reports with company users.

2. A freelance user who will manage a profile and use The Marketplace to look for a freelance gig. The freelancer is independent from any company until he or she is onboarded onto a company’s project

Assignedfreelancer

Freelancer marketplaceCompany project databases

Company team

Freelancer has access to assigned project

Company invites chosen freelancer to project

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Company accounts on Proteus can flex and adapt to any size and structure of business; from multiple global offices with varying team set-ups and time zones to currency, timesheets, rates and user grades.

Benefits

1. Connect instantly with rated professionals

2. Much lower cost compared to traditional recruitment fees

3. Reduce fixed cost on a pay-as you-go platform

4. Reduce overheads due to less office space and business support infrastructure

5. Spot future utilisation issues with resource planning and advertise your under-utilised staff on The Marketplace

For companies

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On Proteus, your freelance profile operates as a CV. Here you can share your key skills and interests that will make you attractive to potential employers.

Benefits

1. Open up opportunities you didn’t know existed

2. Work with multiple companies from where you want to, when you want to

3. Create a team and collaborate with other freelancers

4. You’re in control of the projects you work on

For freelancers

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The Proposals module allows users to create a proposal literally within minutes.

1. Add CTRs to detail all the workstreams you need to cost the project, with clear outlined objectives and goals as well as all resourcing including hourly rates and expenses.

2. Add team CVs

3. These CTRs are automatically dropped into a project plan

4. All component parts can then be pulled together using the drag and drop proposal builder tool resulting in a polished looking document, achieved in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

Set up a proposal, with all the data you need in one place

Proposal set up

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1. Search The Marketplace for a freelancer to suit your project requirements

2. Review matching freelancer profiles

3. Message freelancer directly within Proteus

4. Invite the freelancer to your team, seamlessly adding them to your project, giving them immediate access to all the relevant data via their Proteus dashboard.

Engaging freelancers Engage the best-suited freelancer in minutes

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“Are you ready for a new operating model?”“Are you ready for a new operating model?”

Increasing profit has never been easy – until now. Proteus is designed to change the way you work. It manages your business, improves your margin and makes you more efficient. It enables your team to work from anywhere more productively. It’s a sure-fire way to cost containment, efficiency and resourcing. It’s not just a game-changer in terms of profitability but also a radical shift in the working culture which will allow businesses to better compete for the best talent and reduce their carbon footprint.

Using digital technology and data in new ways to bring new talent into your business that will be key to unlocking our survival and winning the recovery.

Proteus was originally developed to supply clients, post-downturn, access to talent in a more cost effective, efficient manner with reduced cost by using digital connectivity to eliminate the need for office infrastructure and support staff.

What has emerged is a transformative digital technology that can bring about a permanent cure for the critical consequences of coronavirus by offering up a B2B and B2C platform that transforms how we can access intellectual solutions to meet needs.

Extremely simple to use, Proteus

5. What it will achieve

facilitates the capture of invaluable knowledge from existing employees, sharing that knowledge with a newly recruited generation of talent from across the globe. Its talent database is, through the application of a fit-for-purpose operating system, comprehensively rated by clients with open, transparent feedback on the transaction by the supplier.

It’s a platform where costs are regulated by an honest and direct communication between the customer and the end supplier and where the individual is able to access the software and competency tools needed to fulfil the obligationsof that transaction.

By changing behaviours and building in optionality on skills, quality, location and cost, you can tap into a globally diverse young and mature workforce with very different but complementary desires on not just who they will work for but from where, when and how.

We need to emerge from this crisis having changed forever. We cannot control the virus, but we can control how we use digital technology to control costs and the way in which we work.

In this new world, just like in nature, it is not always the strongest who survive, but those who are the most adaptable to change. Are you ready for a new operating model?

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To support businesses in the current climate, Proteus is being offered free to all users from now until 31st of July 2020. The COVID-19 crisis has forced us into remote working and, as a result, there is going to be a fundamental shift in working culture moving forward.

Using Proteus, businesses can capitalise on this and, as restrictions are eased, this free period will allow businesses to test the product and see for themselves the benefits it brings and how they can be well-placed to exploit the new norm.It’s time to put your house in order and prepare for the recovery.

All companies and freelancers signing up during the free trial period agree to the standard Terms and Conditions.

These Terms and Conditions includepaying for subscriptions outside of the free trial period.

6. Sign up for free

Accounts will be automatically upgraded to the payable tiers on Saturday 1st August.

Payment and billing are managed through the Proteus platform.

Pricing for companies is $25 per user per month (there will be two months discount if a company pays annually.)

Freelancer engagement fee is 2% for the freelancer and 2% for the company engaging the freelancer.

Payments will be managed through a secure third-party payment gateway, MangoPay.

Any account can be cancelled before the end of the free trial period and no charge will be incurred.

Cancellations can be applied for in writing to support@proteus-work.com

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