In 2020, Cognizant received an RFP from Ferring, a new logo for Cognizant. Ferring was facing a significant transition from an Oracle/Microsoft Navision environment to an SAP S/4 environment. Our team worked tirelessly on a SAP Greenfield implementation approach, and while our proposal was strong, it wasn't enough. Ferring chose a boutique consulting company for the S/4 template creation, with TCS and Tenthpin as the main competitors. But, never give up! Ferring had a very positive impression of Cognizant and requested our testing capabilities for the OneERP program. From day one, they started testing and found an experienced partner in Cognizant. Testing is not a no-brainer, and after the initial sunshine, we faced some thunderstorms. Our team went through steep learning curves, but we persevered. Over 1.5 years, our testing lead, Rachid Mittal, steered this workstream in a safe and right direction. After 3.5 years, the testing workstream is successful and has earned a stellar reputation. Parallel to the testing workstream, Ferring requested handpicked SAP S/4 resources based in Portugal for the OneERP program. Portugal is set to become the SAP hub for Ferring, moving all ERP activities for the new SAP system there. The challenge for Cognizant was the lack of an onsite team. Our Offshore Delivery Organisation, led by Preethy Shaji and Gukan Sivaprakasam, along with our onsite team in Spain and Portugal (Maricarmen, Carolina, Mafalda), took on this challenge to find the right people. We started with cherry-picking for Ferring to find the best people for the required skills. In parallel, we began a cooperation with Fusion Consulting in Portugal, a SAP LifeScience Partner with a strong team. This research and recruiting process was time-consuming but very successful. Ferring built more and more trust in our SAP capabilities and performance. We started with one resource in Q4-2021, extended the team with five more consultants, and added ten more in 2023. By the end of 2024, our SAP core team grew to nearly 50 consultants. In 2023, a second Cognizant partner, Decskill, joined the delivery to fulfill the required positions, proving to be a valid and trustworthy partner. Our team, including Nimesh Mistry, Razvan Buzgau, Parisa Noorishad, and Manfred Oppitz, worked in Q1-2024 on a large contract with Ferring. The purpose was the global roll-out program between 2024 and 2027. This opportunity involved a challenging internal process with restrictions from Ferring, leading to several negotiations and hard discussions about rates and expectations. We can be proud to have overcome all these pitfalls and hurdles in a short period, together with our management, our team, and our partners. Our team was completed with Evandra Marinho in Q2-2024, who took over the role of Service Delivery Manager for this Ferring engagement. In the end, we won this super large deal with a volume of approximately $27 million for three years and more than 100 SAP consultants. We should not forget the CPI consultants and the full testing team. Key Lessons Learned The journey with Ferring has provided several key lessons that are both positive and tangible. Firstly, persistence is paramount. Despite the initial setback, maintaining a positive relationship with the client and continuously showcasing our capabilities led to new opportunities. Secondly, flexibility and adaptability are crucial. The ability to quickly assemble a capable team, both onsite and offshore, demonstrated our agility and commitment to meeting client needs. Thirdly, collaboration and partnership are vital. Working closely with partners like Fusion Consulting and Decskill allowed us to leverage additional expertise and resources, ensuring the project's success. Lastly, effective communication and negotiation skills are essential. Navigating through complex discussions about rates and expectations required clear, consistent, and strategic communication. These lessons underscore the importance of resilience, teamwork, and strategic planning in achieving long-term success. Our team was well-balanced between creative, conservative, economic, emotional, and ambitious discussions. Special thanks to Razvan Buzgau for the fantastic job on the ground and Parisa Noorishad for bringing discussions and creativity to the point. And a great thank you to all of our consultants for making this big deal happen! And a big thank you to our management team, including Prashant Swadi, Manish Sakhuja, and all others.