D & G Mechanical Engineering Ltd proved to be another prime example of an extremely talented and competent company involved in R&D on an almost daily basis without realising it.
D & G are constantly pushing the boundaries designing new and innovative solutions, in the majority of cases from an idea or spark of inspiration from the business founder David Bowie. The HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) criteria for edibility centres on two key aspects – are new or improved products being created or does the design and development involve some uncertainty for which the answers were not obvious?
It was clear to Fiscale from the very first conversation with D & G that they were ticking both of these boxes by designing and building new and innovative machinery - just as they had been doing for over 30 years. Our challenge was to ensure that we got to the bottom of every project so that we did not miss anything that was eligible from the R&D Tax Credit claim.
The Background David spends the majority of his time on R&D and is supported by a team of fully qualified and highly skilled design and workshop engineers and metal fabricators. Their objective is to utilise the expertise and passion for engineering to produce machines and equipment that are at the leading edge of the industry. D & G work across a diverse range of industries including the environmental services, construction, extraction, industrial and agricultural sectors. There is no such thing as a typical customer or typical product.
Like many engineering and manufacturing companies, D & G had not associated their design capability with R&D. It was just something that they did to find the ideal solution to problems they encountered with existing machines used in the industries they service. D & G were surprised to learn that there was actually a Government incentive to compensate them for their efforts. They were keen to find out more from Fiscale about how they could benefit.
The Solution A ‘basis for claim’ meeting was organised in February between the Managing Director at D & G Mechanical Solutions, and Fiscale’s Technical Director. It soon became apparent that the innovative machines designed and built by the company required a very high level of technical and mechanical engineering expertise and definitely involved aspects of research and development.
Several meetings and in depth telephone calls followed as we worked together to ensure that all the relevant projects from the past two years were included in the claim. When Fiscale were confident
D & G Mechanical Engineering Solutions Ltd Case Study that no stone had been left unturned the draft report was compiled and sent to D & G for the directors to approve before being submitted to the specialist HMRC R&D Tax Credit team in Leicester.
The Results The initial contact with Fiscale took place in February and the cheque from HMRC arrived with D & G Mechanical Solutions in May. D and G were delighted with the size of the cheque that they received. “I think it is fair to say that we have become real advocates of the R&D Tax Credit Scheme. We have recommended it to a number of business colleagues who we think maybe eligible. Of course it does take some time to set up but the returns completely justify the effort.
What we do for our customers is complex and highly technical, no two projects are the same. We went through our order history with Fiscale, job by job, explaining the ins and outs of each one, to assess whether the activity undertaken was in fact research and development.
Assimilating the required information was a time consuming exercise however I believe it was a very useful process as now we have a greater understanding of what constitutes R&D. The team from Fiscale also have more of an insight into our business. A second claim is now being worked on and it is proving to be a lot simpler to pull together.
This is the beauty of the R&D Tax Credit Scheme - it isn’t just a one off. As long as we continue to undertake research and development for the solutions we provide for our customers we can continue to claim. In effect we have created an extra revenue stream from just doing what we do.
The team from Fiscale are really lovely and easy to get along with – which is important when you have to work so closely together. From the outset we felt that we could trust Fiscale and were convinced that the time we were investing in analysing our projects would pay off.”
David Bowie, MD of D & G Mechanical Solutions
The Conclusion The relationship with Fiscale is ongoing. A second R&D

Dr G. Mark Johnston MA VetMB PhD MRCVS, MD of Vetstream

Two different trusted advisors recommended Fiscale to Vetstream. At the time of the initial contact they were already in the process of making a claim for two years of R&D Tax Credit.
After a few initial fact finding phone calls Technical Director Stephen Bunting and Claims Administrator Madeline O'Mahoney attended a meeting with Dr Mark Johnston at Vetstream's office in Cambridgeshire. The meeting lasted around two hours. The main focus of discussion was the identification of the different elements of software development associated with the presentation, management and publication of information that would be eligible for R&D Tax Credit.
The meeting was followed by several Skype calls with Vetstream's accountant during which the detailed information to support the claim was obtained along with clarification of the structure of the accounts in order to maximise the R & D Tax Credit claim. Even though the claim for the first year had already been submitted after the thorough review by Fiscale this claim was subsequently increased by 10%.
Once all the information had been collated Stephen prepared the report for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The report was reviewed and approved by the Vetstream team and accountant before being submitted to the R & D Tax Credits team in Cambridge.
The results
Vetstream received a cheque from HMRC within 12 weeks of making the first phone call to Fiscale. The team were delighted with the amount of the credit and the fact that Fiscale's expertise had increased the size of the credit by a further 10%.
"Fiscale's expertise and professionalism was impressive. We immediately felt reassured that the team knew what they were doing.
Stephen worked closely with our accountant and the majority of the information gathering didn't involve me at all, which was a relief. Time is our most precious resource and when you are running such a busy and dynamic organisation it really is in short supply. I was very pleased that the demands on our internal resources were kept to an absolute minimum. It probably took less than a day of our accountant's time - the return on investment was well worth it. Now we have robust systems in place to ensure that future R & D claims will be much easier to put together.
The team from Fiscale are excellent. It is an extremely professional company and they have done a great job for Vetstream."
Dr G. Mark Johnston MA VetMB PhD MRCVS, MD of Vetstream

The conclusion
This is very much an ongoing relationship with Fiscale now working on a second claim for Vetstream. Innovation and development lie at the heart of what Vetstream offers its clients in the veterinary sector. The injection of what is effectively "tax-free cash" into the business will enable Vetstream to continue investing in their product and service portfolio; satisfying the information and education demands of their clients and ensuring the company retains its position as the market leader in the sector.

Peter Centa, MD of Howe Green

Howe Green was very happy to receive a cheque from HMRC and was pleased at how painless the submission had been when working with the expert team at Fiscale.
"Our first experience of R&D Tax Credit several years ago was not the best. We came away believing that the time gathering the information and submitting it to HMRC was simply not worth the return. Having worked with Fiscale we now understand that the scheme is not as complex or cumbersome as we first believed. The level of knowledge that they have is very impressive. Stephen has the knack of translating HMRC jargon into plain English which simplifies the whole process.
It has taken Stephen a while to convince us that what we do is Research and Development as nearly every day we are developing products to solve problems for our clients. I guess having been so close to it for over 30 years we just see product development as all in a day's work!
Thanks to Fiscale we are now starting to recognise the elements of our development work that are eligible for R&D Tax Credits. We are anticipating that future claims will be much higher and much easier to process as a result of the systems and processes that we are starting to implement as a result of working with Fiscale."
Peter Centa, MD of Howe Green

The conclusion
Fiscale is continuing to work alongside Howe Green and is currently looking at the submission of a second claim as even more projects that are eligible for R&D Tax Credit have been identified.
Since 1983 Howe Green has researched, developed and manufactured access solutions for their clients. New product development is an everyday occurrence and the "can do" mentality is what sets the company apart from the competition. The ability to recoup a significant proportion of the expenditure on R&D will enable the company to fund further investment in the future.

David Allen, MD of Camtech PCB Design Services

The time frame between David making contact with Fiscale and receiving a positive response to the claim from HMRC took less than six weeks. David received a phone call from Fiscale to advise that the claim had been successful around 2-3 weeks after the final report was submitted, the cheque arrived a couple of days later. David was delighted with the outcome and the extra funds into his business!
"The R&D Tax Credit scheme for small and medium sized businesses has been around for a long time. I remember looking into it a number of years ago and reaching the conclusion that the projects we undertook for clients didn't qualify as Camtech didn't retain the rights to the intellectual property for the PCBs we designed.
I am so pleased that I decided to investigate our eligibility for R&D Tax Credits again but this time using the expertise of specialist R & D Tax Credit advisors.
My phone call to Fiscale certainly paid off. They advised that at the end of 2009 there had been a change to the criteria that HMRC used to determine whether a company qualified for Tax Credit. It was no longer necessary to own the intellectual property arising from a project.

Fiscale unravelled the complexity of R&D Tax Credits and made the whole process very simple and straightforward. It did take some of my time to go through the projects that we have worked on over the past few years however from the clear direction from Fiscale I knew exactly what I was looking for. Needless to say the cheque we received from the HMRC generated a very favourable return on investment for my time! I was surprised at how quickly it all went through. We are looking forward to continuing to work with Fiscale and maximising the benefits available from the R&D Tax Credit scheme. We know that working with them is going to save us a lot of money."
David Allen, MD of Camtech PCB Design Services

The conclusion
The relationship between Fiscale and Camtech will continue with Fiscale guiding the company through the complexities of the R&D Tax Credit system. Future projects will be closely monitored to ensure that the investment in R&D is documented and that Camtech benefit fully from the R&D Tax Credit scheme.
The income received from the Tax Credit has been earmarked for investment into a 'next generation' Electronics Design Automation (EDA) package that will help position Camtech at the cutting edge of their market. The team from Camtech are currently evaluating the software to establish if it aligns with their operation and whether it will deliver the promised business benefits. It seems appropriate that funding from an R&D Tax Credit will potentially be used to finance further innovation, allowing Camtech to stay ahead in their highly competitive and fast moving industry.

Barry Caulkett, MD of BA Caulkett
When the HMRC payment arrived Barry was elated and very happy that he had put his trust in Fiscale.
"It is hard not to be sceptical when you get a call basically telling you that you could be eligible for tax relief under a scheme you have never heard of! You can't help but think it's some sort of scam.
Now I am so glad that I gave Fiscale the time of day, they are an excellent company. They were easy to work with and very helpful. They offered plenty of guidance on what they required. Of course we are absolutely delighted with the cheque we have received but our work with Fiscale has uncovered something of far more value long term.
Thanks to Fiscale we now understand and appreciate that we are innovators; that we are carrying out R &D on a daily basis - it's what we do. With this realisation has come a new confidence and we have gone out to our market with a different message. It has already brought us a prestigious project with a high profile company in the construction sector. This fresh approach gives us a real competitive advantage over the other manufacturers in our industry. It is an invaluable benefit that has arisen as a direct result of our association with Fiscale.
Just now and then when something sounds too good to be true - it isn't! I am so glad that I put my trust in Fiscale and am looking forward to working with them for many years to come. If you get a call from Fiscale my advice is listen to what they have to say!"
Barry Caulkett, MD of BA Caulkett

The conclusion
The relationship between the two companies is ongoing. Fiscale has helped BA Caulkett to review their record keeping to make the data capture is a much more streamlined process. This will ensure that the next claim is maximised and will reduce the time required to gather the information.
The R & D Tax Credit relief already received has been used to invest in a new unit adjoining the existing premises and new equipment. The sole purpose of the additional space is to focus on Research and Development. BA Caulkett will be capitalising on their expertise as innovators and creating a new market based on their forte - a market, which as they have already discovered, is full of opportunity.

Within two weeks of the claim being approved and submitted Precision received a substantial cheque from HMRC. Matthew was taken aback by the size of the cheque and was very grateful to Fiscale for their tenacity in pursuing the claim.
“Our introduction to Fiscale came at a particularly hectic time as we were planning our move into the new building and organising funding through the LEP’s Growing Business Fund. I am glad that Fiscale stuck with us as the outcome definitely outweighed my expectations! It’s not every day that you receive good news from HMRC!
I know that our case was slightly more complex as our core service is marketing which is not an activity that qualifies for R & D Tax Credit. However Stephen showed a dogged determination to delve deep into the nitty gritty of everything we do and identified that our software development for clients involved a degree of technological uncertainty. Stephen left no stone unturned; his ability to interpret the HMRC guidelines is impressive and resulted in an unexpected windfall for Precision.
My advice to any company, whatever industry they are in and whatever they have read or heard about R & D Tax Credit is to speak to Fiscale, they really are the experts. A short telephone conversation could reap huge rewards for your company.”
Matthew Caldwell-Nichols, MD of Precision Marketing
The Conclusion
Precision is continuing to work with Fiscale and will be submitting a second claim at the end of their next financial year. The team are now aware of what elements of their software development qualifies for R & D Tax Credit and have the appropriate framework in place to accurately record this information.
The R & D Tax Credit relief has been invested in a new business in the healthcare sector.

Black Barn 6 Beech Tree Lane Whittlesford Cambridge CB22 4AJ
12 December 2012
Dear Sirs
Jacqui Stoneman has been working as a Management Consultant with my business, Bumpkins Day Care Nursery since September 2010. She has been a great benefit to us in many ways and I am delighted to act as a reference for her to work with developing new and starter businesses.
My initial contract with Jacqui was for her to address my primary concern of the high level of staff absences we were experiencing at Bumpkins and to help us with preparing new staff contracts. Jacqui very quickly identified how this level of sick days had developed and worked with us to introduce good practise that rapidly got results. In July 2010 we had a staff team of 50 which averaged 28 staff days per week lost to sickness, by December 2010 this was reduced to 2 days a week. This has continued to be the case ever since and the strategies Jacqui helped us to implement throughout the business has ensured that sickness is no longer a problem in our staff team.
From that point we continued to develop a working relationship with Jacqui and developed her role to a company-wide perspective. We now have a workforce that are more empowered and take responsibility for their contribution to the success of the company. Jacqui has helped us to introduce relevant job descriptions to hold individuals accountable
More recently with her help we have introduced a-new appraisal system to help measure and manage success and progress, she completed two days of appraisal coaching to assist our senior management team in how to run effective appraisals. We are now planning a half day workshop to teach our new supervisors how to conduct one to ones, to become good managers and deal with staff.
Throughout the last year Jacqui has helped us to improving and maximise the management of the Nursery through coaching and mentoring the management team in best management practises and people management skills, implementing new strategies and procedures to give them control and methods to improve accountability, such as the Bradford scoring system, company hand book, daily tracking on numbers, new rota schedules, better catering reports.
Working with our management she has helped them identifying the bottlenecks within our organisation and looking at opportunities within the nursery to maximise numbers and create a structured enquiries system. We have also increased our efficiency at her suggestion by restructuring the current configuration within the nursery.
Overall I have no hesitation in recommending her for a role developing and supporting new and existing businesses.
Yours faithfully
Michaela Huffer
Proprietor, Bumpkins Day Care Nursery email: [email protected]

“I was impressed by Fiscale’s professionalism and friendliness from the outset. The process was simple and hassle free. I was pleasantly surprised at how limited my involvement in the project needed to be. I just explained what we do and how we do it and Fiscale did the rest. It was far less onerous than I had expected.
I have no hesitation in recommending Fiscale to other businesses. This is one situation where the old adage ‘if you think it’s too good to be true it probably is’, does not apply. For a few of hours of my time, under the expert guidance of Fiscale, I have secured a significant amount of money, from the R & D Tax Credits scheme, to reinvest in my business. I now have the ability and confidence to invest even more in the development and growth of the business and am looking to recruit a new software developer. I am so glad that Fiscale choose to pick up the phone to me!”
Chris Grover, MD of DataStation