Gleeds and theBIW.com to build pan-European e-procurement system

Citation

(2001), "Gleeds and theBIW.com to build pan-European e-procurement system", Facilities, Vol. 19 No. 3/4. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2001.06919cab.011

Gleeds and theBIW.com to build pan-European e-procurement system

Gleeds and theBIW.com to build pan-European e-procurement system

Keywords: Internet, Construction industry, Project management

Gleeds, the international management and construction consultant, has formed an alliance with application service provider the Building Information Warehouse to create a pan-European e-procurement system based on theBIW.com's e-business technology platform, the Project Information Channel.

Gleeds' decision to adopt the Project Information Channel opens up a potentially huge market for theBIW.com Gleeds is one of the UK's leading consultants in the property sector, employing 1,000 people worldwide, earning £42 million in fees. It is involved in projects valued at around £4.5 billion and is keen to complement its existing consultancy services by offering an e-commerce facility for online procurement.

Richard Steer, senior partner at Gleeds, said:

Using the Project Information Channel will help us to deliver the most efficient project management service possible. Combining our expertise in managing construction project processes with this unique technology will enable our clients and fellow project managers to not only communicate with each other effectively, but also to access the most up-to-date project information using the Internet. The fact that it is already up and running means that clients can take advantage of the benefits of this service right away.

The nature of the Project Information Channel also means that we can use it extensively in our European operations, building the capacity for quality e-procurement on each and every project we are involved in without having to worry about country or language barriers. We will be working with theBIW.com to promote and then implement the service for clients keen to reap the benefits of this exciting electronic communications tool.

For the Building Information Warehouse, managing director Colin Smith said:

We have been working with major industry clients and with forward-thinking consultants like Gleeds to both develop and promote the virtues of Web-based supply chain integration technology. Gleeds has seen the Project Information Channel in action and has realised it could offer significant client benefits. We are already talking to several major pan-European companies about them using the Channel to manage and procure projects.

The Building Information Warehouse (www.theBIW.com) has attracted a great deal of attention within the AEC (architectural, engineering and construction) community. In August BIW welcomed industry leaders Sir Michael Latham, author of the joint government and industry report Constructing the Team as non-executive deputy chairman and Charles Botsford, part-time consultant construction advisor to the Office of Government Commerce, as executive director. Both of these industry champions have added to the existing level of expertise and industry knowledge at the BIW.

In addition to its UK network of offices, Gleeds has offices in Ireland, Spain, France, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Hungary, Romania and Shanghai. Project offices or associated businesses extend Gleeds' reach through the whole of Europe, Africa, and North and South America.

The Project Information Channel (PIC) is a communications platform that revolutionises the management of a construction project. From the earliest conceptual design stages right through to the operation, maintenance, and even demolition of a building, the PIC allows every party involved in the project to access a knowledge database giving details of every aspect of the building. Team members can share information using the PIC platform to build a picture of the whole life of a building including drawings, comments, queries, information requests, minutes, orders, photographs and even virtual reality renditions. As a Web-based application, it can be accessed from any PC or laptop with an Internet connection. This not only speeds up the communications process, but improves the efficiency of a project's whole supply chain management and allows the knowledge of a building to remain dynamic, up-to-date and never be lost.

For further information, please contact Andy Rowlands/Stuart Ledger, Bell Porringer Public Relations. Tel: +44 (0)20 7400 5929; E-mail: arowlands@bell-pottinger.co.uk Or contact Paul Wilkinson, Building Information Warehouse. Tel: +44 (0)845 1300 800; E-mail: paul.wilkinson@thebiw.com Or Stuart Senior, Gleeds. Tel: +44 (0)115 977 8000.