99% Timesheet Compliance and 3x Faster Invoicing: What Happened When STP Engineering Started Using Total Synergy

STP Consultants is one of Queensland’s leading privately owned engineering firms, with six offices strategically located across the state. The company combines local insight with state-wide capability, supporting clients throughout Queensland, across Australia, and into the Pacific region. This strong regional presence enables the firm to tailor solutions that reflect the unique needs of each community, while maintaining the resources and expertise to deliver projects of scale.

The team’s collaborative approach, technical depth, and practical mindset have positioned STP as a trusted partner across healthcare, education, aged care, retail, industrial, commercial, and community infrastructure sectors.

But the team was being slowed down by one thing: their project management software.

“We couldn’t run reports. We couldn’t trust the data. Every fix broke something else. It just wasn’t working.” —Ben Madsen, Partner & Senior Electrical Engineer at STP Consultants

TAFE Queensland Townsville (Pimlico Campus)

The Breaking Point

STP Consultants invested in IPM, a software that promised flexibility and control. Instead, it became a daily source of frustration.

The software’s limitations crept into every part of the business:

• Timesheets were delayed, dragging payroll into an eight-hour task.
• Invoicing took up to ten days every month.
• Reports were unreliable and often had to be assembled by hand.
• Leaders lacked visibility across offices and disciplines.
• Even small updates came with hidden costs, including $295 to add a new user.
• User adoption was poor and morale around the system was low.

The breaking point wasn’t one major issue, rather it was the buildup of little inefficiencies that no longer made sense for a growing business managing thousands of projects a year.

The Search for Something Better

Determined to use a system that worked, a core team took ownership of the search:

• Ben Madsen, Partner & Senior Electrical Engineer
• Aimie Anderson, Accountant & Quality Assurance
• Courtney Hall, Marketing Coordinator

Their goal was simple: find a platform that could scale with the business, support its complexity, and make day-to-day work easier.

That’s when they turned to Total Synergy.

Townsville Youth Foyer

What Changed with Total Synergy: Less Admin, Better Insights, and a More Confident Team

The difference was immediate. From the moment Total Synergy went live, the team noticed just how much smoother and faster everything became.

Manual workarounds were replaced by reliable tools. Tasks that once took days were done in hours or less.

“We’re not chasing people for timesheets anymore. Payroll used to take me eight hours. Now it takes two and a half hours. That’s unheard of here.” —Aimie Anderson, Accountant & QA at STP Consultants

Real Results, Real ROI

Across the board, Total Synergy gave STP Consultants something they hadn’t had in over a year: Control.

Timesheets are submitted on time. Project managers can tender with accuracy. Invoicing is completed in a single day. Leadership finally has access to reliable reports without stitching together spreadsheets.

James Cook University, Townsville – New Student Accommodation

Tools That Actually Work

The shift wasn’t just about speed, it was about simplicity. With Total Synergy, the team feels like they’ve got their time (and sanity) back.

Timesheets That People Actually Want to Use 


Built-in timers make it fast to fill out and even faster to approve.

Real-Time Project Financials 


See how every job is tracking across offices, disciplines, and billing stages. No more data hunting.

Budgeting Tools That Protect Margins

Scope work more accurately, split jobs by sub-discipline, and tender with confidence.

️Automated Reports by Discipline or Region 


Run WIP summaries, invoicing breakdowns, performance and KPI reports without spreadsheets.

Onboarding and Support From People Who Care

STP Consultants felt supported from day one, thanks to Total Synergy’s award-winning customer success team. With fast response times, dedicated support, and a 95% satisfaction score, help was always just a call or click away.

“The support was just amazing. Even during holidays, they showed up for us.” 
—Aimie Anderson, Accountant & QA at STP Consultants

A Culture Shift

The impact wasn’t just operational, it was cultural.

People are excited to use the platform. Even the Managing Director, Trevor Slogrove, was on the floor helping with rollout. Training sessions were full. The office felt lighter.

“Everyone just breathed easier. The old system weighed people down. Total Synergy gave us room to work the way we want.” —Courtney Hall, Marketing Coordinator

What’s Next for STP Consultants

STP Consultants continues to cement its position as a trusted provider in Queensland’s health infrastructure, delivering multi-disciplinary engineering services across several large-scale and regionally significant hospital developments.

With streamlined systems and renewed momentum, the team is focused on delivering major healthcare projects that will help shape the future of regional Queensland.

Current Highlights Include:

Mackay Base Hospital Clinical Services Expansion

STP is providing Mechanical, Electrical, Hydraulics, Fire, and Vertical Transport engineering services for the $250M+ Mackay Base Hospital Clinical Services Expansion.

The project includes the delivery of four new medical and surgical inpatient units—a Maternity Unit, Special Care Nursery, Pediatric Unit, Birthing Unit, and Medical Day Unit—designed to meet the growing healthcare demands of the region. A key feature of STP’s contribution is the delivery of highly specialised N Class Isolation Rooms, embedding advanced infection control capabilities within the hospital’s future operations.

Mater Townsville: Renal Dialysis and Maternity Unit

At Mater Mothers’ Private Townsville, STP is delivering Structural, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Fire, Hydraulic, and Vertical Transport engineering services for a $40M campus consolidation project.

The development will centralise maternity and renal dialysis services onto a single site for the first time in over 20 years, offering new birthing suites, special care nursery cots, and an expanded dialysis facility to support both local residents and travelling patients requiring temporary dialysis treatment. Completion is anticipated by early 2026, enhancing healthcare delivery and accessibility for communities across North Queensland.

Looking ahead, STP Consultants remains committed to expanding its presence across healthcare, education, commercial, aged care, industrial, and community infrastructure sectors.

By combining deep technical expertise, a collaborative approach, and an understanding of regional needs, STP Consultants continues to deliver smart, practical, and sustainable engineering solutions—building a healthier, more connected future for Queensland communities.