When growth exposes structural limits
Before adopting XaitPorter, Mercury relied on Microsoft Word and SharePoint to manage tender documentation. For years, this approach was sufficient. But as project scale and bid volume increased, structural weaknesses became clear.
“We were writing in Word, collaborating in SharePoint, and tracking responsibilities in Excel,” Larsson recalls. “Technically it worked. But it required constant manual control.”
The most significant pressure emerged toward the end of the process.
After weeks of drafting and internal review, documents were often handed over for graphic assembly. Any formatting inconsistencies-different styles, changed numbering-had to be corrected manually.
“If we discovered an issue close to the deadline, we had very little flexibility,” Larsson explains. “Changes could take hours. Everything became time-critical.”
At the same time, tracking progress across contributors was fragmented. Understanding of section ownership and the status of completed versus in-review work could be unclear at times.
Excel lists attempted to provide oversight, but visibility remained limited. As Mercury expanded its tender capacity, the need for a more structured system became unavoidable.
A structural shift: from document editing to process control
The turning point came with a simple realization: Content and layout should not compete for attention.
“I had used LaTeX during my studies,” Larsson says. LaTex is a document preparation system used for the communication and publication of scientific documents. “You focus on the content, and the layout is generated automatically. When we saw XaitPorter, that principle immediately made sense.”
Instead of formatting documents manually, Mercury could:
- Define structure through templates
- Assign ownership at section level
- Monitor progress in real time
- Separate content creation from formatting
- Publish instantly
Implementation moved quickly. A small core team of three to four people drove the process internally.
“We saw the potential immediately,” Larsson says. “We built our templates, went through
training, and pushed it forward.”
Change management required attention. While the core bid team adapted quickly, occasional contributors, particularly those not involved in tenders daily, needed time to adjust to a new interface and workflow.
“In any organization, people are used to their tools,” Larsson explains. “You have to show them how it improves their work.”
Over time, transparency and clarity replaced resistance.
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