1. WILLIAM SIMON ERSSER
6 Tabor Gardens
Cheam Village
Surrey
SM3 8RX
Tel: 020 8642 6799
E-mail: ersser@talk21.com
OBJECTIVE
Seeking a position which would challenge, complement and enhance a predominantly financial background
latterly rounded by nine years of cost management.
PROFILE
Currently a Senior Cost Engineer for Magnox working on the Harwell Nuclear Research Site Decommissioning
Project with a proven track record in managing Nuclear and Oil and Gas project cost and accounting services
from both client and contractor perspectives. An ability to communicate with all levels of personnel, sound
analytical capabilities, a good understanding of many computer software applications and a flexible and versatile
approach to problem solving.
RELATED SKILLS
• Self motivated
• Team building and leadership
• Policy/procedures development
• Strong computer skills
• Ability to communicate both written and oral
DELIVERABLE BENEFITS
• Projects set up
• Tight budgetary control
• Cost management
• Robust expenditure reporting
• Cash forecasting and management
• Projects close-out
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
• Set up of all accounting systems, processes and procedures
• Successful implementation of cost control software applications on two multi-million dollar projects.
• Consistent high level of delivery of accounting and cost functions for all Amoco UK Exploration Co
construction activity and BP Azerbaijan Performance Unit for twenty-five years
• Application of skills and experience in a nuclear decommissioning environment
COMPUTER LITERACY
• Accounting: SAP, Business Objects, J D Edwards, Agresso
• Cost: Kildrummy Cost Manager, JobProms
• MS Office: Advanced Excel, Intermediate Access, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Explorer, MS Project
• Maximo
• Various in-house applications – Commercial Browser, E-ut, E-timewriting
EDUCATION
Donhead Lodge Preparatory School and Wimbledon College - 8 ‘O’ Levels; 2 ‘A’ Levels
Kingston Polytechnic - Accountancy Foundation Course
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
I am married to Maria and have two children, Oliver and Hannah. My interests mainly revolve around sport,
having played and coached both rugby union and cricket to a reasonable grade. Sadly, injury has affected my
ability to take part in these so I now swim, row and cycle to keep up some sort of fitness and have resigned
myself to being a spectator for the more physical sports.
Page 1 of 6
2. DETAILED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
FLUOR LIMITED (MAGNOX SECONDEE) June 2015 – present
Senior Cost Engineer – Harwell Nuclear Research Site Decommissioning
Supporting all aspects of cost and estimating activity through the commercial and organisational transition from
RSRL to Magnox with specific responsibilities:
• Produce current year EAC’s (Estimates at Completion) using actuals output from Agresso accounting
system for historical data and meetings with project management and contractors to compile forecasts for
the Liquid Effluent Treatment Plant and the Campus Care & Maintenance budgets and reporting such in a
suite of Excel models incorporating Earned Value and ‘S’ curves
• Automate and document the EAC process using Excel Macros
• Prepare estimate underpinning for ‘Cat 0’ changes and reconciliation sheets to support various Project
Control Managers
• Work with in-house cost control tools Basis of Estimate (BoE), PMRS, Agresso and standard MS Office
applications including Access
FLUOR LIMITED (CHEVRON/TCO SECONDEE) May 2014 – April 2015
Senior Capex Cost Engineer – Future Growth Project/Well Pressure Management Project
Responsible for the production of monthly reports for all major in-country construction contracts (pre contract
Execution) numbering approximately 40, value $2.8bn scheduled to be spent over 10 years across the Main
Plant Facility (3GP), Sour Gas Injection (3GI), Multi Well Pads (MWP), Field Gathering Systems and Main Works
(Common)
• Individual Contract Status Reports incorporating a level 1 phasing, represented numerically and graphically
using the latest schedule and available data dependant on what stage the contract was at i.e. Class III
Estimate, bid evaluation data or contract committed values as appropriate. Summary sheet tracking original
contract value with all approved, pending and potential changes and growth to produce a Forecast Final
Value
• Consolidated monthly report with all Contract Status Report data compiled into Value of Work Done and
Commitment profiles along with all dates and assumptions used
• Reconciliation/match off of Bills of Quantities where available against detailed Estimate data
• All working models were developed in Excel from scratch to produce a fully interactive reporting suite
BP EXPLORATION OPERATING COMPANY August 2011 – April 2014
Senior Cost Engineer – Chirag Oil, Shah Deniz 2 and SCPX Projects
Managing cost for all Logistics, Inspection and Expediting activity across the three projects
• In conjunction with BP logistics team and Freight Management Contractor, formulate and maintain budgets
and forecasts for Contractor management team and freight movement cost by equipment package aligned
with Project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Work with BP in-house Inspection and Expediting co-ordinators to produce and maintain budgets and
forecasts at equipment package level aligned with Project Work Breakdown Structure
• Ensure all invoice pre-approvals are for budgeted cost and allocate to correct project/asset coding
combination (WBS)
• Maintain register to facilitate various analyses including gap and ageing between Contractor supplied Value
of Work Done (VOWD) and actual costs booked in SAP
• Set up and maintenance of BP committed values by contractor by currency through in-house system
Maximo
• Prepare cost data for Budget Holders including but not limited to budgets, commitments, VOWD, forecasting,
Capex expenditure phasing, monthly project reporting, variance analysis and AEL vs. MLO reporting
• Feed BP Group Financial Outlook (GFO) monthly, quarterly and annually with Logistics, Inspection and
Expediting cost data and prepare variance analyses as required
• Work with cost control tools including WBS, BP Cost Database System (the BP version of Kildrummy®
CostMANAGER, BP-KCM), SAP, Maximo, Change and Trend Registers, etc…
Page 2 of 6
3. BP EXPLORATION OPERATING COMPANY October 2009 – July 2011
Senior Cost Engineer – Chirag Oil and Shah Deniz 2 Projects
Managing Project Management Team cost for several Delivery Teams across two projects at different stage
gates, the former at the back end of Execute and the latter approaching Execute stage
• Establish budgets and forecasts by Budget Holder / Project for all Project Management Personnel aligned to
the project WBS
• Establish and maintain relationship with Project Services Resource Team to:
o Obtain & challenge latest headcount information
o Ensure timewriting guidelines are followed and set up in the appropriate systems
o Obtain billing information for agency personnel
o Validate agency timewriting before monthly billing is performed
o Ensure organisational breakdown is reflected in cost model
• Establish and maintain relationship with Finance Controllers to:
o Ensure invoices are coded correctly
o Validate the BP Staff cost charges
• Track and monitor average rates per employee type to ensure accuracy of forecasts
• Interface and work closely with relevant Budget Holders covering HSE, Environmental, Capitalized
Operations, PMT Services Support
• Prepare cost data for Budget Holders including but not limited to budgets, commitments, VOWD, forecasting,
Capex expenditure phasing, monthly project reporting, variance analysis and AEL vs. MLO reporting
• Ensure correct coding of all requisitions, purchase orders, contracts, invoices, estimates, and develop and
maintain all required cost logs and registers
• Work with cost control tools including WBS, BP Cost Database System (the BP version of Kildrummy®
CostMANAGER, BP-KCM), SAP, Maximo, Change and Trend Registers, etc…
BP EXPLORATION OPERATING COMPANY September 2006 – September 2009
Lead Cost Engineer – Azerbaijan New Projects
Managing the cost and accounting activity for Azerbaijan Performance Unit New Projects portfolio comprising of
two large projects through Appraise and Define stage and several smaller ones through Appraise only, annual
budget in total approximately $100 million
• Production of internal and Co-venturer annual budgets
• Monthly cost reporting and graphics for internal and external stakeholders
• Monthly reforecasting and quarterly budget variance analysis
• Foreign currency exchange impact analysis
• Commitment control
• Co-ordination of work breakdown structure, organisational breakdown structure and the coding thereof to
meet reporting requirements
• Synchronisation of SAP chart of accounts and Kildrummy Cost Manager budget item tables
• Close-out of assigned cost centres at each stage gate
BP ANGOLA BLOCK 18 BV September 2003 – August 2006
Accounting Manager – Greater Plutonio Project
Primarily brought in to facilitate a seamless transition of the Angola Business Unit accounting system from SUN
to SAP whilst managing the Accounting Team consisting of an Accounts Payable group of three and one
accountant. Also responsible for the successful implementation of an E-invoicing system using scanned images
to process all Project invoicing
• Assurance that all 3rd
party invoices are verified to contract terms and settled within same
• Management of procurement accounting function performed by design contractor
• Consolidation of Partner three month cash look-ahead
• Supervision of monthly accruals process
• Liaison with in-house tax groups with regard to Angola, UK Tax and Customs & Excise issues
• Monitoring of reconciliation of cost and commitment data between corporate and project databases
Page 3 of 6
4. AZERBAIJAN INTERNATIONAL OPERATING COMPANY January 1998 – August 2003
(Operated by BP)
Accounting Manager – Azeri Project
(Approx $6.5billion)
Managing the Accounting and Database Systems Team consisting of three accountants, an Accounts Payable
group of four, and one database administrator.
• Assurance that all 3rd
party invoices are verified to contract terms and settled within same
• Production of cash forecast information to BP finance group to facilitate foreign currency hedging
• Management of procurement accounting function performed by design contractor
• Set up and maintenance of Project Chart of Accounts in line with work breakdown structure
• Allocation of budget numbers to accounting system
• Consolidation of Partner three month cash look-ahead
• Supervision of monthly accruals process
• Liaison with in-house tax groups with regard to Azeri, UK Tax and Customs & Excise issues
• Monitoring of reconciliation of cost and commitment data between corporate and project databases
• Assurance that cost control software meets Project needs and expectations
• Management of data exchange between a geographically fragmented team
• Co-ordination of trials of innovative software to enhance Project communications
AMOCO (UK) EXPLORATION CO October 1994 – December 1997
Projects Accountant – Inde, Davy, Bessemer, CATS Terminal Expansion, Erskine, Trent/Tyne
Working within the Construction group core team and reporting directly to individual Project Managers, to deliver
effective financial controls and ensure compliance with financial, contractual and administrative policies and
procedures.
• Control and maintain cost monitoring and reporting systems for all UK projects
• Monthly cash forecasts and accrual preparation and submission to relevant corporate accounting
departments
• Verification of invoices to ensure validity and allocation to correct budget areas
• Preparation of monthly cost reports and other ad-hoc requests
• Co-ordination of both internal and external audits, and participation in construction related audits with
company audit group
AMOCO (UK) EXPLORATION CO March 1990 – September 1994
Projects Administrator – Central Graben Development Project
(Approx £1billion)
Working within a small team consisting of two Contract Administrators, a Project Cost Forecaster and an Invoice
Clerk, primary responsibilities were as follows:
• Total project cost control, design and implementation of new cost control system (CMARS) using database
systems and production of “tailor made” management reports from Relational Report Writer Software
• Monthly assessment of individual contractors’ expenditure status to ensure accurate reporting of total
financial liability
• In conjunction with Cost Forecaster, re-evaluation of estimates and forecasts based on actual expenditure to
date figures, to include budget variance analyses and reasoning for any such variances
• Six month look-ahead multi-currency cash forecasts for all contracts for Treasury Department and Co-
venturer information
• Procurement accounting co-ordination to ensure correct funding was available for design contractor to pay
vendor invoices and subsequently monies were fully accountable
• Administration of various contracts including design, agency call-off agreements, compressors, generators
and ad-hoc support to all others
• Audit co-ordination for both co-venturers and internal corporate audits
Page 4 of 6
5. AMOCO (UK) EXPLORATION CO February 1987 – February 1990
Project Cost Accountant – Leman Field Compression Expansion
(Approx £44 million)
Engaged on a consultancy basis to act as an Amoco Representative with the Design Engineering Contractor’s
offices and be responsible for the overall smooth running of the cost control reporting functions.
• Establishment, maintenance and enhancement of budget and cost control models which monitor all project
related cost activity
• Planning and co-ordination of cost estimates to raise appropriation approval documentation
• Preparation of forecasts to enable comparison and control of actual and forecast versus budget expenditures
• Justification of any variances between actual and budget expenditures.
• Analysis of cost allocations
• Verification of monthly management reports
• Audit of contractor invoices against established company policies and resolution of any disputes directly with
the contractor
• Supervision of commercial and administrative practices being auditable
BROWN & ROOT (UK) LIMITED July 1984 – January 1987
Project Cost Administrator – BP ULA Project
(Approx £36million)
Reporting to Project Administration Manager.
Responsible for day to day activity of ULA Engineering Consortium Joint Venture accounts, both Financial and
Operational, which includes:
• Monthly management information of financial progress of Joint Venture for Management Financial Review
meetings
• Client (BP) liaison to discuss costs presented and relating payments due
• Co-ordination of payments, both in and out of two bank accounts in Norway and UK
• Monthly Bank Reconciliations, Monthly Cash Forecasting to Management and Monthly Cash Calls to Client
Company
• External year-end Audits
• Assurance that incoming partner’s costs presented to the Joint Venture are contractually valid for payment
• Control of a staff of four, whose responsibilities were to maintain ledgers, prepare input to monthly accounts
and produce invoices to Client
KINGSTON POLYTECHNIC October 1983 – June 1984
Accountancy Foundation
BROWN & ROOT (UK) LIMITED March 1981 – September 1983
Accounts Assistant I
• Preparation of monthly labour and non-labour invoices to the Client, reconciliation of these to ledgers and
producing monthly Statement of Accounts for Management (British Gas Project)
• Apportioning reprographics’ costs to various projects/overhead accounts and involvement in design of new
computerised billing system
• As above for a new Vax computer. Design and implementation of billing system for said computer
Accounts Assistant II September 1981 – October 1982
• Preparation of overtime for payroll, manual calculation of offshore bonus, processing of timesheets for some
900 personnel on a weekly basis and distributing labour costs and recoveries at month end by semi-
computerised journal.
Junior Accounts Assistant March 1981 – August 1981
Page 5 of 6
