IEEP Doubles Billability While Staying Fully GDPR and EU Audit Compliant

IEEP (The Institute for European Environmental Policy) is a Brussels-based nonprofit focused on advancing sustainable environmental policies across Europe. With a team of over 30 employees, many of whom work remotely throughout Europe, they manage EU-funded Horizon projects, private foundation work (e.g., the European Climate Foundation), and US-based environmental grants.

They needed a digital time tracking solution that could support strict European Commission audit requirements, improve project planning and cost reporting, and integrate easily into their increasingly remote operations.

#The challenge: From paper files to GDPR-ready time tracking

Senior project finance officer Fruzsina Csepi said that when she joined, IEEP was at a crossroads in digital transformation. The company recognized the need to digitize its documents and processes, including project time tracking. It also needed to ensure GDPR compliance.

IEEP's transition to digital workflows was accelerated by the pandemic. While remote work offered flexibility and cost savings, it also introduced new complexity in project tracking and compliance.

Previously, the organization relied on an outdated tool (Innate), which was:

• Not user-friendly

• Lacking reliable reporting

• Poorly adopted by staff

Before implementing Beebole, IEEP was dealing with:

• Months-long reporting backlogs that put grant compliance at risk

• Staff resistance to an outdated, clunky system that nobody wanted to use

• Audit anxiety with no reliable way to generate the clean, signed timesheets auditors demanded

• Revenue leakage from inaccurate project cost tracking and poor billability visibility

For organizations handling grant-funded projects, these aren't just operational headaches—they're existential threats. Miss an audit requirement or lose track of billable hours, and your funding could disappear overnight. Csepi, who joined in April 2021, was there when the team decided it was time to digitize their workflows and switch to Beebole.

When IEEP is audited, it must demonstrate how payslips align with timesheet records in Beebole. Csepi simply exports a PDF file with the correct parameters (employee, month, project, activity, hours, and status) for employees to sign. Auditors also verify that the hours for public holidays and other days off align with those indicated in the payroll.

#The solution: A time tracking system built for audits and accuracy

IEEP's challenges reflect a broader problem facing project-based organizations, especially those managing EU grants or operating with remote teams. They needed a solution that offered compliant timesheets and that also helped management gain insight into the team's project success rate and billability.

IEEP selected Beebole for its:

• GDPR compliance

• Simplicity and visual clarity

• Great value and high cost-to-quality ratio

• Fantastic one-on-one customer support included in the price

• Powerful and intuitive reporting features

Crucially, Beebole met the European Commission's requirement for timesheet-based cost tracking—essential for Horizon and other grant-funded projects. IEEP staff now log their hours monthly, including absences, via a clear, centralized interface. This helps smooth the auditing process.

With Beebole in place, it also became the foundation for:

• Audit preparation

• Monthly payroll reconciliation

• Grant and service contract cost tracking

• Billability reporting per team and individual

#The implementation: Collaborative support and a smooth transition

IEEP implemented Beebole in just a couple of months. While the previous system had a rough migration path, the Beebole team (including one-on-one support from CEO Yves Hiernaux) guided IEEP through the process.

The biggest hurdle? Cleaning up duplicate data in absences and project records. With Beebole's help, they resolved these issues quickly and ensured each team had the correct quotas and access.

The Beebole team provided:

• Personalized migration support with video calls and tailored guidance

• Data cleanup assistance to resolve duplicate records and set proper team quotas

• Ongoing training to ensure full adoption across all 30+ remote employees

The result? A system that staff actually use consistently, feeding accurate data into every downstream process.

#The results: Measurable improvements in billability, compliance & planning

Since switching to Beebole, IEEP has transformed its internal operations. Key wins include:

• Eliminating reporting backlog: Employees actually follow through with submitting their timesheets. This discipline translates to timely, accurate grant reports.

• Offering bulletproof audit compliance: Csepi can easily export timesheets for employees to sign, which means auditors receive clean, signed timesheet PDFs and matching cost data right from Beebole.

• Increasing billability: One team member increased their billable hours from 25% to 70%. Overall, the organization saw the highest billability rates in over two years.

• More accurate planning: Beebole data feeds into cost accounting, payroll reconciliation, and capacity planning via Excel exports.