A specialist agent lead management, automation, and phone answering platform has been awarded a prestigious award, despite it launching only 18 months ago. The revolutionary software system, designed specifically for the sales and lettings industry, is being used by hundreds of agents across the UK. Agent Response, the software, helps
Cintoo, the leader in providing a cutting-edge SaaS-based cloud solution for managing reality capture data such as laser scanning for the construction, architectural and engineering disciplines, is proud to announce that it has been accepted as an Autodesk Construction Cloud Premium Integration partner. As a leader in promoting collaborative efforts
If you’re still manually handling your company’s bidding process, you might miss out on the perks of using automation tools or software. With complex documents and tight deadlines, keeping track of various bids can be a real challenge, and using the right tools can make a huge difference between losing
LEADING contract management software provider Sypro is seeking to demystify the usage of NEC contracts within the construction industry through a series of free online drop-in sessions hosted by Dr Stuart Kings. Dr Kings is one of the drafters of NEC4 and co-author of NEC3 and NEC4 Practical Solutions. He
Chubb, one of the UK’s leading telecare and telehealth solution providers, is pleased to announce an exciting and innovative partnership with Swedish cloud-based alarm management software provider, Skyresponse. This brand-new partnership, the first of its kind in the UK for Skyresponse, enables Chubb to launch Cloud Care Control, a true
A new technology platform which takes a huge step towards meaningful global climate change accountability has been specially selected for presentation as world leaders gather in Glasgow for the COP26 summit next week. The New Energy Matrix is a global ecosystem software platform developed by Isle of Man-based data management
LEADING management and compliance software company Sypro has revealed an exciting rebrand to reflect the business’ modern software solutions and people-first approach, along with its company values and vision. Hard-wired into Sypro’s DNA is creating software that makes life simpler, happier, and easier. Its original branding was designed with the
Yourkeys and ContactBuilder have announced an alliance which enables housebuilders to put their lead management and sales progression ‘on autopilot’. Yourkeys is the first platform to fully digitise the new homes sales process, from onboarding and reservation through to exchange and completion. It recently introduced a function which allows sales
Congrid, the Finnish construction quality and safety software company, today announced its expansion into the UK and the appointment of Daniel Hunt as UK territory manager. The Congrid mobile app introduces new levels of transparency and communication for safety and quality on construction projects and helps deliver zero-defect buildings to
NBS, who have been monitoring BIM adoption in the UK for almost a decade have announced their 2019 BIM survey results which show that overall trends of BIM awareness and adoption have grown from little more than 10% in 2011 to around 70% in 2019. Although the latest report, which
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
A specialist agent lead management, automation, and phone answering platform has been awarded a prestigious award, despite it launching only 18 months ago. The revolutionary software system, designed specifically for the sales and lettings industry, is being used by hundreds of agents across the UK. Agent Response, the software, helps sales and lettings agents generate increased revenue from sales leads, pre-qualify lettings leads, and improve operational efficiencies, saving both time and money. The company behind the system was crowned the Best Supplier in the Small Business category in the EA Masters Best Estate Agent Guide (BEAG) Awards. “We’re hugely proud and absolutely thrilled to have been recognised by such a prestigious award as the BEAG. Having worked as a Sales and Lettings agent for well over two decades, I knew from my personal experience that there is a huge gap between data and delivery. Many agents were, and still are, having to spend so much of their time filtering enquiries and identifying those that are genuine from those that aren’t, before then being able to move further through the Sales or Lettings process,” said Mike Nettleton, Co-Founder of Agent Response. “Agent Response essentially takes a huge load off lettings agents by asking pre-qualifying questions and capturing valuable data before an enquiry is even made – ensuring that only those who are genuinely interested and suitable for a property are sent to our users. For Sales, it harnesses the data to boost revenue potential that may otherwise be missed, and makes the process as straight-forward as possible.” The BEAG guide is produced annually by Property Academy in partnership with Rightmove, and independently assesses over 90% of UK estate agents, making it one of the most inclusive and extensive data-driven reviews in the industry. “We’re not only over the moon about our own award win, but the fact that 50% of the four overall winning agents across the nation use Agent Response which is fantastic! While we’re under no illusion that our tool is the sole reason for their award success, it’s great to note that many of the processes, automation, and operational efficiencies they’ll have been judged on will be directly influenced by what the Agent Response tool does. We’re hugely excited to see the platform continue to grow and to be recognised in this way by an industry event which recognises the best of the best,” concluded Leon Blair, Co-Founder at Agent Response, who heads up the technology and automation behind the platform. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Cintoo, the leader in providing a cutting-edge SaaS-based cloud solution for managing reality capture data such as laser scanning for the construction, architectural and engineering disciplines, is proud to announce that it has been accepted as an Autodesk Construction Cloud Premium Integration partner. As a leader in promoting collaborative efforts and providing cloud-based resources in the areas of digital design and construction, Cintoo is providing its extensive knowledge and thought leadership in reality capture to promote the combined use of Autodesk Construction Cloud® and Cintoo Cloud for all aspects of design and construction. Using Cintoo Cloud, BIM or CAD files can be seamlessly uploaded for comparison to the mesh-based laser scan and drone data. They can then be compared to the as-built conditions to evaluate them against the intended design. Cintoo’s goal in joining the Autodesk Construction Cloud Premium Integration partner program is to drive reality data adoption to help builders reduce costs by ensuring what is being built is according to the plans. “Cintoo is proud to participate in the Autodesk Construction Cloud Premium Integration Partner program. Our membership will allow interested users to learn about the latest advancements in reality capture, providing leading edge support for their Autodesk BIM or CAD designs. By joining the Autodesk Construction Cloud Premium Integration Partner program, Cintoo confirms its goal to provide more value to Autodesk customers. We offer a browser-based solution that leverages a unique point cloud-to-mesh technology and the TurboMesh™ streaming engine, to allow any expert or non-expert access to high resolution 3D scans and models from anywhere at any time,” said Dominique Pouliquen, CEO and Product Manager at Cintoo. “Autodesk Construction Cloud customers are among the most ardent users of Cintoo Cloud by utilizing inherent uploading of Autodesk BIM models for design comparison to scanned reality data. Working in concert with Autodesk Construction Cloud, users can easily create and share annotations or issues with their distributed team members.” “By positioning Cintoo Cloud with the Autodesk Construction Cloud Premium Integration Partner program, users can create additional value for all Autodesk Construction Cloud customers. Cintoo allows users to easily and continuously update their BIM and CAD models and optimize their decision-making process over the life of the project.” Cintoo’s Chief Sales Officer Rob Rasnic further stated, “Reality capture is an essential component of the Autodesk Construction Cloud ecosystem and Cintoo is proud to work in collaboration with the Autodesk Construction Cloud Premium Integration Partner program to educate and inform all users on all aspects of optimizing their designs thanks to accurate, trustful and shareable reality capture data.” To learn more about Cintoo Cloud please visit: https://cintoo.com/ or go to the Autodesk App Store here: Cintoo Autodesk App Store
If you’re still manually handling your company’s bidding process, you might miss out on the perks of using automation tools or software. With complex documents and tight deadlines, keeping track of various bids can be a real challenge, and using the right tools can make a huge difference between losing and gaining business deals. Fortunately, there are various tools you can use to simplify your company’s bidding process and gain more business opportunities. One of these tools is called bid management software, which is designed to simplify bid management. However, you can only make the most out of bid management software if you use quality platforms like Bidhive and others that make the bidding process manageable and hassle-free. If you’re unsure about using bid management software in your business, here are the reasons to consider it today: Better Security A primary reason to use bid management software is that it helps ensure the security of your information. This tool typically allows control over what users can do and see. It protects your business while providing the right access to staff and several contributors. The sign of secured bid management systems is accreditations. These accreditations cover information security management systems. They also include technical, legal, and physical controls involved in a company’s information risk management process. Gain Better Control Over Documents Unlike the traditional bidding process, using a reliable bid management solution enables you to control your company’s documents better. For instance, placing a bid for a big construction project may need input from third parties when creating bid proposals. Traditionally, bid proposals are done via email and other document-sharing platforms, making it hard to document all stages of the process. With the best bid management software, each contribution of third parties is entered directly into the system, enabling your sales team to see every step of the process in a single dashboard. As a result, it saves your precious time because you don’t need to switch from every system. Streamline The Bidding Process Creating and sending an Invitation to Bid (ITB) document can be time-consuming. After identifying the required trades, you must determine which subcontractors can work in the project area. To avoid wasting time, consider using bid management software for your business. Once you use the software, fax machines and plan rooms are no longer necessary because plans can be retrieved or sent via email instead of post or fax. The ability to identify who to invite for bidding, create ITBs, and share specs and plans all at once can be a huge time-saver for every business. Improve Reporting Methods Typically, bid management software offers comprehensive features that allow you to create reports for essential meetings. Staff may decide when reports must be generated, who they must be sent to, and what details to include. Bid management software also keeps a comprehensive audit trail of the employee responsible for the process. This way, keeping on top of compliance monitoring is made easy. Make Your Business More Professional Most bid management tools come with built-in templates, making it much easier for the bidding team to craft professional-looking documents without spending more money and time on designers. Having such professional-looking and high-quality bid documents make your bids set apart from others and may increase the odds of winning business. Bid Coverage Guarantee Bid management tools allow businesses to monitor which vendors have responded quickly and the bids they’ve received for every trade. Such tools also enable access to a wider network of vendors, enabling you to invite more potential interested companies to bid on your projects. With this, you can also increase your network for future projects and ensure that every bid covers all aspects of your projects. Improve Communication Projects that communicate effectively are more likely to succeed. As budgets and schedules become tighter and most projects become more complicated; collaboration is crucial to ensure the project’s success. By using bid management tools, businesses can easily share addenda and information with their bidders. It’s also possible to track the files or documents that have been viewed and accessed, which makes communication easy. With good communication, you can guarantee that all parties involved will better understand the project. Save More Time Generating estimates might take up a certain amount of time when bidding for contracts. Since your company isn’t the only one bidding, you must use bid management software to speed up the bidding process and automate quotes. So, if you want to save time and improve your company’s bottom line, never hesitate to take advantage of the software to automate the bid management system of your company. Conclusion In today’s modern business world, your company should keep up with the changes and adapt to the latest technological advances to stay ahead of the competition. The best quality management software will help streamline the process of managing your projects, submitting bids, and receiving bids. It won’t only make your life easier, but you can be assured of a smooth project that’ll benefit your business over time.
LEADING contract management software provider Sypro is seeking to demystify the usage of NEC contracts within the construction industry through a series of free online drop-in sessions hosted by Dr Stuart Kings. Dr Kings is one of the drafters of NEC4 and co-author of NEC3 and NEC4 Practical Solutions. He holds more than 20 years’ experience within the healthcare and construction sectors, having provided NEC consultancy services on some of the UK’s biggest schemes. The series of online sessions have been designed to give attendees an insight into the NEC contract that is not available anywhere else. They are free to attend and open to clients, contractors and consultants from across the industry and will provide top tips, best practice and answers to the most current questions associated with the NEC engineering and construction contract. Dr Kings said: “The NEC contract itself has been around for three decades, outlining not just purely contractual procedures, but focusing on good project management principles and modern practice. Several iterations have been released over the years, and indeed the move from NEC3 to NEC4 was seen as an ‘evolution, not a revolution’ – building on and improving what was already in place. “NEC covers every procurement exercise around and embodies those principles of good project management, which is why it’s the dominant contract within the construction industry. That being said, making sure project teams are making the most of the contract still requires much understanding and nuance, which is exactly why we’ve set up these sessions to help people across the industry get the most out of NEC4. “Whether it’s running through secondary options and how to use them, how to assess compensation events, or how to successfully close out a project, each session aims to provide attendees with practical knowledge to take away and apply to their own projects.” Each session will have a key area of focus, identifying key terminology and related clauses from the contract, along with discussing any common pitfalls and how to avoid them. They will also conclude with a live question and answer session, allowing attendees to put their specific queries to Dr Kings directly. Sypro’s Contract Manager has a track record of delivering projects across the globe with a combined value of more than £30 billion and has created software solutions developed to help organisations perform better every day. The next session will take place on 7 July at 11am, focusing on new quality amendments in ECC4 and understanding the defects date and the defect correction period. To register for any of the upcoming sessions, please visit https://sypro.co.uk/webinars/.
Chubb, one of the UK’s leading telecare and telehealth solution providers, is pleased to announce an exciting and innovative partnership with Swedish cloud-based alarm management software provider, Skyresponse. This brand-new partnership, the first of its kind in the UK for Skyresponse, enables Chubb to launch Cloud Care Control, a true cloud-based, remote personal care alarm monitoring platform solution. Utilising Skyresponse’s alarm management platform and embracing the switch to the Next Generation Network (NGN) infrastructure, Cloud Care Control will provide fast and effective remote monitoring of personal alarms for end-users of public sector organisations, including councils, health and social care providers and housing associations. The new and future-proofed solution will provide instant help and care through monitoring and response to activated devices and equipment such as care alarms and associated peripherals. In turn, this will support Chubb Community Care’s vision for enabling vulnerable persons to remain as independent as possible, as well as remotely aid those patients in recovery, providing them with remote access to care. With an emphasis on open design and interoperability at its core, Cloud Care Control provides scalability in adding new services and products to suit customers specific service needs and enable to take full advantage of the benefits that a full digital solution will bring to service user support. Shaun Moscrop, General Manager for Chubb Community Care, said, “We’re delighted to have signed a partnership with Skyresponse to bring this pioneering life protecting service to the UK and Ireland. Through innovations in technology, remote care is now much more accessible for both the providers and end-users. We’re delighted to be leading the way in providing a solution that will protect people so they can live healthy and independent lives. Our new Cloud Care Control solution is further evidence that Chubb is now moving ahead of the curve when it comes to digitalisation and innovations in telecare, ultimately meaning better care for our end users.” Martin Reidevall, CEO at Skyresponse, said, “We are happy to be part of Chubb’s offering to UK and Ireland. This partnership is absolutely the right step for Skyresponse to fulfil our vision Improving lives in a connected world. We are by far the fastest growing platform for alarm management in the Nordics Elderly care market where our customers harvest the benefits of digitalisation. With this partnership we can now also change the UK and Irish market with a platform that already today can provide the benefits available once digitalisation have happened and that means the Chubb customers can provide better and more secure service to their end users.” Chubb’s Cloud Care Control service will be available from June 2022. For more information contact Marketing@chubb.co.uk
A new technology platform which takes a huge step towards meaningful global climate change accountability has been specially selected for presentation as world leaders gather in Glasgow for the COP26 summit next week. The New Energy Matrix is a global ecosystem software platform developed by Isle of Man-based data management specialists, Curtis & Associates Group, which allows citizens, institutions such as schools, companies great and small, and government regulators to post and monitor their carbon footprints and net zero targets in a transparent, fair, verifiable and immutable way. A unique validation process within the decentralised ecosystem platform guarantees that there cannot be any zero counting or double counting of net zero efficiencies, and also addresses the vexed issue of “greenwashing”, where many companies claim to be offsetting their emissions without evidence or proof. Curtis & Associates also has the credibility of practising what it preaches. While many companies have set net zero targets for dates in the future, it has become one of the few enterprises to have already achieved net zero for all *Scope emissions in 2020. CEO Jon Curtis said: “One of our most important achievements is the company Gold Teak based in Indonesia, wherein we set up at the time of the Kyoto Protocol an agro-forestry project of over 30,000 teak, mahogany, acacia, jabon and fruit trees as an ethical investment, and which to date has sequestered over 16,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent as well as funding the re-building of the local school and mosque to the benefit of the local community. “Over the years of its operation, we calculated that the cost of sequestering this carbon in the trees was only 0.3% of our total group turnover. So, it doesn’t have to cost the earth to save the earth.” Mr Curtis has a track record in data management dating back to the boom years of the North Sea energy industry. After setting up his own company over 30 years ago, he conceived and built data sharing mechanisms which have now been re-designed to use as net zero target and progress monitoring systems for any industry in any country worldwide. As one of the select group of companies chosen to present at COP26 through the Climate Chambers events between the 1st and 4th November, Curtis & Associates will demonstrate how the New Energy Matrix Ecosystem can be used by anyone and everyone to post carbon footprints and net zero targets. The ecosystem software will be free for individuals, institutions, and non-profit organisations to post a yearly set of net zero scope emission data. Companies would be expected to contribute modest fees. The transparent nature of the ecosystem, and the huge importance of our collective decarbonisation efforts means that peer pressure within sectors would encourage mutual validation amongst leading companies. The New Energy Matrix will enable the creation of Green Ecosystem Certificates of Known Origin (GECKOs). These verified and immutable certificates can be applied to any industry on a global basis. For organisations such as schools and universities, or other organisation seeking green finance, such verified information can give confidence to both government and private sector fund managers. The New Energy Matrix validation system will be open source, thereby allowing citizens, institutions, and companies to build their own solutions to use on a common decentralised framework, anywhere in the world. Mr Curtis said: “This is a major opportunity for businesses, which need to urgently collaborate with governments to address the immediate issue of climate change. “While government can regulate, without the direct involvement of business, climate action will not succeed. The fair and universal system of green certificates will enable those common objectives to become a reality. “We know that we must mitigate climate change by replacing fossil fuel sources with renewable and carbon-free alternatives and do so as rapidly as possible without destabilising industry and even entire countries. “The New Energy Matrix will be an important deterrent to greenwashing, which involves companies misleading consumers about their green credentials and their overall environmental performance.” The Curtis & Associates Group has offices in many countries across the globe. Its projects include EnergyVue, a platform for renewable energy operators. It will present at COP26 on the 1st, 2nd 3rd and 4th of November in association with the British Chambers of Commerce. Jon Curtis is available for media interview by arrangement through Blueprint Media on 0330 223 4288. *Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions. Scope 2 emissions are indirect. Scope 3 emissions relate to the supply chain.
LEADING management and compliance software company Sypro has revealed an exciting rebrand to reflect the business’ modern software solutions and people-first approach, along with its company values and vision. Hard-wired into Sypro’s DNA is creating software that makes life simpler, happier, and easier. Its original branding was designed with the construction industry in mind, but as services have expanded beyond this one sector, the visual branding has been evolved to reflect the technology expertise of the company with a refined and more sophisticated appearance. Dr Stuart Kings, technical director at Sypro, said: “This is a really exciting time for the team, with our rebrand including a new logo, website and refreshed brand identity. The strength of our people and our quality services is what defines us, and we now have a distinct personality to take us further as we continue to grow the business and develop our offerings further. At the core of what we do is innovating and collaborating to ensure that we are always moving forwards, finding new and better ways to make work easier for our clients. “Our products are designed to give support in industries where life can get very complicated, very quickly – and if the past year has taught us anything, it’s that harnessing the power of technology will drive us into a more flexible, efficient and productive future, which isn’t limited by where we work.” Made up of a team of 20 talented software developers and business management professionals, the Hull-headquartered company has been providing management software solutions since its inception in 2008. It now has more than 5,000 software users and having a track record of delivering projects across the globe with a combined value of more than £30 billion. Sypro’s range of services includes Contract Manager – the award-winning construction management software tool – and Total Risk Manager, which helps organisations run more effectively and actively identifies and helps to eliminate all aspects of operational risk. Stuart continued: “2021 has been off to a really strong start for Sypro, with the overall volume of contract requests being raised through our Contract Manager tool so far this year rising by more than 50 per cent on the same time in 2020. Added to this, the total project value of those projects has risen by more than 360 per cent to total more than £630 million. “Over the past 13 years, we have been proud to support clients as they have grown from small businesses to being some of the UK’s biggest organisations. The key to our success is our focus on people. This stretches beyond our product solutions and our own team, to encompass absolutely everything we do, including our support of local charities and our part in the Pagabo Foundation, raising awareness of mental health within the construction industry. “We’re proud to have grown from our humble Humber beginnings to the business that we are today and look forward to expanding both our teams and services in the future – all from our central Hull headquarters.” For more information, please visit https://www.sypro.co.uk/
Yourkeys and ContactBuilder have announced an alliance which enables housebuilders to put their lead management and sales progression ‘on autopilot’. Yourkeys is the first platform to fully digitise the new homes sales process, from onboarding and reservation through to exchange and completion. It recently introduced a function which allows sales proceed without the customer being present in response to the COVID-19 crisis. ContactBuilder is the gold-standard customer relationship management (CRM) package specifically designed for housebuilders. The alliance means that housebuilders will be able to take reservations using the Yourkeys platform from inside ContactBuilder’s CRM system. This will help them to retain house buyers, reduce the time to exchange contracts by around half, and save many hours currently spent by sales staff on progression. Yourkeys CEO Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson said: “This marks a significant moment for Yourkeys. ContactBuilder is one of the leading CRM suppliers to housebuilders and, by integrating our platform, we have immediately made it accessible to ContactBuilder’s sizeable client base. “Many of our clients have adopted ContactBuilder’s CRM ahead of the launch of our collaboration, so together we have created a ready-made audience who will immediately benefit from the two systems working together. “Managing leads and progressing sales are functions which have caused many a headache for housebuilders. Now they can switch both functions to autopilot and focus their efforts on selling more homes, supporting the wider economic recovery.” Yourkeys will automatically create documents to manage ID checks, deposit payments and mortgage updates. This information is securely held in a document store within ContactBuilder. Yourkeys will then link to one of 1,100 law firms and 1,400 mortgage brokers to progress the sale, with real-time updates visible to all parties. Danielle Mitton, operations director of ContactBuilder, said: “ContactBuilder’s fundamental strength is its ability to streamline a housebuilder’s sales process by collating leads from multiple sources and empowering users to efficiently manage the sales process through to reservation. Our alliance with Yourkeys provides the next logical step and allows the sale to be managed right through to completion.” Yourkeys launched in January and already has 46 clients, as housebuilders increasingly seek to digitise their entire sales process. June had been a record month for new home sales activity through the platform. The numbers were six times higher than April and showed a 50 per cent increase since May, demonstrating pent-up demand. July’s figures were higher again. With the government announcement about the Stamp Duty holiday, this is set to increase transactions significantly. ContactBuilder was established in 2008 and currently provides a CRM platform for over 50 of the UK’s most forward-thinking housebuilders, ranging from small, local developers through to top 10 PLCs. Throughout the recent lockdown period, interest in ContactBuilder has increased dramatically due to it being the perfect solution for home-workers, with access to the system available from any internet-connected PC, tablet or smartphone. For more information or for a free demonstration, go to Yourkeys.com. To find out more about ContactBuilder’s lead-management platform and to arrange a free demonstration, see Contact-Builder.co.uk.
Congrid, the Finnish construction quality and safety software company, today announced its expansion into the UK and the appointment of Daniel Hunt as UK territory manager. The Congrid mobile app introduces new levels of transparency and communication for safety and quality on construction projects and helps deliver zero-defect buildings to clients. Already the market leader in Finland, with 60% annual revenue growth and all of the country’s major construction firms using its platform, including WSP, YIT, NCC, and PEAB, Congrid is now targeting the UK. Congrid’s cloud-based app is aimed at project managers and quality managers at construction companies involved in various projects, including housing, offices, hospitals and schools. Designed to reduce the industry’s reliance on manual, paper-based workflows by digitising on-site project management and documentation, workers use Congrid on smartphones or tablets, to manage safety and quality inspections, document defects and faults and monitor the progress of each work stage in real time, all in the same app. This approach enables construction companies to involve their contractor network in the quality assurance and safety management process without any additional costs. Everything is recorded using detailed site plans allowing for the accurate resolution of any issues and subsequent monitoring to ensure all faults are fixed. Benefits include increased transparency and better communication between construction companies and their contractors, improved safety levels, reduced quality costs, zero-defect property deliveries and more efficient ways of working on site. The data collected allows detailed monitoring and reporting on any issues in need of attention. Future product developments include new data visualisation tools to expand what users can learn from their quality and safety data. “We aim to bring our expertise and knowledge to the UK market and introduce new, smarter ways of working relating to safety and quality in construction. Our approach offers the UK construction industry a better understanding of what has been built and how,” explained Timo Makkonen, CEO of Congrid. “The entire industry needs to change its mindset towards quality – quality is everyone’s business. Our software enables all stakeholders involved to participate and take responsibility for quality and safety. What we’ve experienced is that quality has become far more of a priority and users are looking for peace of mind, to better manage how a building is built and have a record to demonstrate this.” Congrid’s first UK appointment sees Daniel Hunt become UK territory manager, responsible for spearheading customer acquisition and hiring further staff in 2019. Already established in Finland and Sweden, the UK is the first country Congrid is moving into outside of the Nordic region. For more information please visit: https://congrid.com About Congrid Congrid was founded in 2013 by a team of construction site managers who had become frustrated with the use of pen, paper and Excel-files to control the quality and safety of construction sites. Congrid’s cloud-based software offers users one platform to handle quality and safety management on any construction project, reducing quality costs, improving safety and maximising site productivity. Customers include majordevelopers, construction firms, contractors and subcontractors in the Nordic region.
NBS, who have been monitoring BIM adoption in the UK for almost a decade have announced their 2019 BIM survey results which show that overall trends of BIM awareness and adoption have grown from little more than 10% in 2011 to around 70% in 2019. Although the latest report, which received more than 1,000 responses, does show a 1% decline in adoption, NBS remains confident that BIM will continue to embed itself in workflows as construction continues to move in a positive direction, embracing collaborative and digital ways of working. Commenting on this Dr Stephen Hamil, Innovation Director for NBS said, “In the early days of BIM, some may have equated it to simply generating drawings from a model. “There is now a wider understanding that BIM is about project teams following a common process based on standardised information and collaboration. We think we’re seeing a period of consolidation – where more people understand what BIM really represents and are embedding that into their workflows.” The survey shows that there has been a trend of increasing BIM awareness and adoption across the UK industry, using standards and protocols as the platform for this. This national success will be bolstered with the new ISO 19650 series, creating a standardised digital process across the world based, in part, on the BS 1192 standards. This BIM Report 2019 lists some of the main barriers to the adoption of BIM, such as lack of client demand, the need for training, the time required to get up to speed and a lack of standardised tools. NBS says it has sought to align the NBS content and software to the ISO method of working to allow its customers to more easily produce BIM deliverables within their project teams for clients. NBS Chief Executive Richard Waterhouse commented, “We have seen some negative trends within the report that might suggest the emergence of a ‘two speed industry’ – the ‘BIM engaged’ and the ‘BIM laggards’. “For the advocates, 60% of those who have used BIM have seen improvements in efficiencies whilst 22% of those yet to use BIM have indicated they would rather not adopt it. “In addition, the demand from clients, on both private and government projects, is mixed. The survey suggests that not all clients across the industry are seeing the benefits of BIM. We would expect this to increase as BIM, defined by ISO 19650, becomes more commonplace. “Once teams have had a good experience of working collaboratively using digital processes then they will demonstrate the benefit to the client. The client will then, in turn, request that this process is followed on subsequent projects.” The 2019 NBS survey also indicates that there has been a drop-in awareness of UK Government activities in this area despite the fact that Government’s initiatives led to the ISO standards that were launched at the end of 2018. This drop could be explained by recent changes such as the replacement of the BIM Task Group by the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB). It may take time to rebuild this position in the market. There are however a number of key projects underway, involving Government, industry and academia which may drive greater awareness that will be seen in the 2020 survey. Richard Waterhouse continued, “Overall, there can be no doubt that digital processes and technologies are changing the industry. “Use of the cloud is enabling collaboration, giving the industry the opportunity to break down the silos and form a new approach to information development and distribution. “In addition, the latest International Standards are giving us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to standardise processes across the global industry. This is an exciting time, and we must now take advantage of it to help create a step-change in productivity, transparency and quality within our industry. “At NBS, we have already played a significant role in the UK’s BIM journey and we will continue to do so as we move towards a global digital construction industry. “We have supported the BSI committees that have developed BIM standards, as well as supporting the BIM Task Group’s original core initiatives, where we developed, published and now maintain the Uniclass 2015 classification system, defined in the UK as the system for classifying information on BIM projects in BS EN ISO 19650-2. “This year, our journey to support the global BIM world takes a giant leap forward as we launch a global platform for BIM-related content. “Our ground-breaking cloud specification tool, NBS Chorus, has connected specification clauses, technical guidance and manufacturer specifications for North America, the UK and Australia, dynamically linked to geometry objects and standards, technical and regulatory data. We have, and will continue to develop digital content and to enhance our software offerings to support global BIM processes” For further information about NBS and to download the report please visit https://www.thenbs.com/knowledge/national-bim-report-2019
