Streamlining vendor management across a diverse resource group

New Hope Group is one of Australia’s leading diversified resources companies – with coal mining, port logistics and agricultural operations spanning across Queensland and New South Wales. The group’s key assets include New Acland Coal (NAC), the Bengalla Mine, and Queensland Bulk Handling (QBH) – with agriculture activities located near the coal mines.

Queensland Bulk Handling (QBH) image courtesy of New Hope Group

Tanya Jones is the Manager of Procurement at New Hope Group’s corporate office in Brisbane. A former solicitor with a sharp commercial lens, Tanya is the driving force behind how the group manages its large supplier base. 

New Hope Group operates on a hybrid procurement model, with elements of procurement run by sites and key processes categories managed centrally by Tanya’s team, including:

• Vendor onboarding across the entire group: Every new supplier, across all sites and operations, is onboarded centrally through Tanya’s team – providing visibility on vendor compliance and attributes.

• Contracting for NAC and QBH is managed centrally: Tanya and her team prepare and facilitate contracts across NAC and QBH.

• Group-wide procurement for key categories: Where centrally led procurement delivers value and impact, Tanya’s team manages.

Tanya has been using Felix since the very beginning – and today, it’s the backbone that brings structure to a complex procurement and business environment. 

Challenges prior to Felix: Manual onboarding, fragmented processed and siloed systems

Before implementing Felix, vendor management was fragmented and manual.

Key challenges include:

• Ad-hoc, manual vendor onboarding and management: Vendor onboarding and management was handled through a patchwork of spreadsheets and Microsoft forms. There was no single system of record, limited standardised process, and no reliable way to capture and track vendor compliance information. 

• Contract management outside a dedicated system: Tracking expiry dates, managing renewals, staying ahead of critical supply contracts – it was all done manually, and subject to error.

• Knowledge loss following a major restructure: A COVID-19 restructure meant accumulated procurement knowledge and experience lost in a short period time – leaving processes fragmented. 

• Siloed systems: Different sites running on both Pulse and Infor M3 ERPs created layers of complexity – made more complicated by a separate tool (Eftsure) for verifying supplier bank details. What was needed was as vendor management solution that could integrate with the systems and tools already in place. 

“Before Felix, supplier information was captured through forms and managed in spreadsheets. When the restructure happened, we lost a lot of the knowledge and structure we relied on. We needed a solution that could bring it all together, one that could integrate with our existing systems.” 

Outcomes enabled by Felix: Standardisation, governance and risk mitigation

Felix has reshaped how New Hope Group manages its suppliers - delivering consistency, automation and stronger governance. 

Key outcomes include:

• Standardised vendor management across the entire group: Felix is now the single source of truth for vendor management for every New Hope Group entity and site. Onboarding, compliance, contracts and supplier contact details are all managed via Felix. Tags within Felix are used to identify which suppliers are relevant to which entity or site, enabling the corporate team to manage a complex, multi-entity supplier base without losing visibility or control.  Whether a supplier works across the entire group or is specific to one operation, Felix provides a standardised and structured view.

• Seamless integration with two ERP systems: This is one of the biggest wins for New Hope Group – through API integrations to both ERP systems, vendor data now flows automatically from Felix into the relevant Pulse or Infor M3 ERP, the moment a supplier is approved. Felix captures the data once and manages it throughout the vendor lifecycle, keeping the ERPs up-to-date and synchronised – eliminating the need for duplicate data entry and increasing productivity. 

• Automated bank verification with Felix and Eftsure: Felix’s integration with Eftsure has simplified the onboarding process for New Hope Group and its vendors. The native integration between Felix and Eftsure removes the need for vendors to onboard into two systems, ensures vendor bank details are verified at the time of onboarding in Felix, and strengthens the groups vendor management process. 

• Contract management and expiry visibility: With vendor management and contract management sitting in one platform, Tanya’s team can instantly see which contracts are associated with which suppliers. For a business where many contracts are critical – Felix provides visibility over upcoming contract expiry dates – providing the visibility that has made forward-planning possible.

• Structured compliance in a high-risk industry: Operating across mining, logistics and farming means New Hope Group carries substantial compliance obligations. Felix has brought structure and rigour to how obligations and identified and managed at a vendor level – including labour hire licensing, insurance management, health and safety obligations, sham contracting risk and modern slavery screening.
  
  

“Felix has given us visibility we never had before – across every supplier, every site, every contract. The integrations with our ERP systems means we don’t have to re-enter data, and the Eftsure integration has taken the risk out of bank verification entirely. A lot of our vendors were already familiar with Felix too, so they know exactly how to use the platform. It’s made the whole process so much smoother – for us and for them.” 

Final thoughts and recommendation

Ask Tanya if she would recommend Felix, and the answer is straightforward. Felix has replaced a fragmented, manual, risk-prone operation with a structured, integrated and reliable system. But for Tanya, it’s not just the technology that stands out.

In a world of chatbots and tickets queues, Felix does something refreshingly simple – and that’s having a dedicated contact to reach out to on the phone. Tanya has a dedicated Felix Customer Success Manager who works closely with her to answer questions, solve problems and make sure New Hope Group is getting the most out of the platform.

“Felix is making my job a lot easier compared to doing everything in spreadsheets – but what I really like about Felix is being able to pick up the phone and speak to someone who knows our business, our systems, and our challenges. It’s not just a vendor management tool, it’s a relationship I trust – and that’s a big positive.”

Team image courtesy of New Hope Group