BIW NAVIGATION FORMS REINFORCE AEC PROCESS MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP

Latest release, version 5.5, adds information database functionality

04 June 2009

In the release of the latest version of its Software-as-a-Service collaborative project control platform, BIW Technologies (BIW) has incorporated a significant number of new functional capabilities. The new release, version 5.5, includes beta availability of a new module – BIW Navigation Forms – that enables customers to start creating information databases relating not just to their projects, but to any aspect of their business, from buildings, infrastructure or equipment to employees or key suppliers.

There are also numerous enhancements to improve functionality in other parts of the BIW platform.

System improvements

• Date formats – BIW now supports different international standards for recording times and dates
• Document numbering – New standards for drawing and document numbering have been incorporated into BIW, allowing users to specify and enforce compliance with conventions recognising the project details, document information, originating company and other criteria into document file names
• Improved email notification – BIW’s email notification system now provides richer levels of detail, including direct hyperlinks to the information users need to see
• Colour mark-up by company – BIW’s integrated viewer now allows teams to specify default colours for mark-ups and comments issued by individual companies
• Approval stamps – these can be configured to contain standard text for individual companies, ensuring consistency in their application
• BIW Financial Control – many new functional enhancements have been incorporated within BIW’s Financial Control module to extend its benefit for commercial teams

BIW Navigation Forms

BIW v5.5 makes available an early version of a new configurable database module. BIW customers can now create and configure database forms to capture any type of business information, retaining a secure ‘single version of the truth’ for all authorised users to access and share via the internet.

BIW chief executive Colin Smith says:

"We were the first collaboration vendor to enable the creation and manipulation of data relating to built assets that were designed and constructed over different phases. We have now expanded that functionality still further to allow our clients to manage other types of information and to import and export data to and from back-office systems. This will give BIW users on-demand access to real-time reporting on numerous aspects of their business and related assets, people and processes."

The BIW Navigation Forms allow organisations to capture static data such as floor space, location details, tenant agreements, inspection dates and other attributes. It is also designed so that online operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals can be created and broken down by the different elements of a facility or piece of equipment.

Building the SaaS applications of tomorrow

“BIW has long advocated the centralisation of information about an organisation’s built assets to improve business efficiency,” says Smith. He continues:

"BIW has been leading customers away from a focus purely on management of works information, towards end-to-end process support and improved visibility for projects and programmes.. We already offer state-of-the-art change management functionality through our Contract Administration and Financial Control applications, and by expanding the range of types of data that can be stored using BIW Navigation Forms we are enabling an even richer range of services. The BIW users of tomorrow will experience real-time reporting on numerous aspects of business intelligence, giving them an agile advantage in their marketplace."

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BIW communication consultant: Paul Wilkinson – tel: +44 (0)20 8858 1104 or mobile 07788 445920, email paul.wilkinson@biwtech.com

Notes to editors

• Project collaboration services from BIW Technologies (www.biwtech.com) were first employed in 1999 on UK construction projects for major retailer Sainsbury’s. BIW believes it is the European leader in web-based collaboration systems for the construction and property industry, measured by numbers of users, usage and volume of data.
• The BIW platform is a sophisticated web-based supply chain integration technology, designed specifically for construction projects or programmes. Each client is provided with a unique, project or programme-specific website created around a knowledge database. With this, data can be made available securely to every team member – from the earliest concepts, through detailed design, buildability studies, pre-fabrication, construction, maintenance, operation and improvement to the eventual demolition or dismantling of the facility.
• BIW customers include leading UK companies such as Bovis Lend Lease, Sainsbury’s, Mace, Crest Nicholson, Canary Wharf, The Resort Group, The Wellcome Trust and The Coal Authority.
• BIW, BIW Financial Control, BIW Contract Administration and BIW Navigation Forms are registered trademarks or trademarks of BIW Technologies Ltd