BIW ADOPTED FOR M.O.D. ANDOVER PRIME CONTRACT

20 July 2001 
 
BIW Technologies (BIW) has won its first public sector contract for the redevelopment of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Andover North site. The prime contractor, Citex, will be using BIW's supply chain management tool, Information Channel, on this £41m Prime Contract.

Only the second Prime Contract to be placed, the Andover North site spans some 34 acres which will be redeveloped to house 26,000 square metres of new accommodation comprising an office building for 780 staff, a warrant officers' mess, a sergeants' mess, technical and sports facilities, a day nursery, gatehouse and associated infrastructure and external works. Construction commenced in April.

Information Channel allows the project's data to be made available to every project team member through a unique, project-specific website. In keeping with the Prime Contracting process, the channel will provide a strong framework for partnering throughout the project. Users will be able to create, and have access to, information on the site including drawings, photographs, comments, team member details and even virtual reality renditions, all viewed and sent securely over the internet.

BIW chief executive Colin Smith said: "This is a major contract for BIW. It is the first time that Information Channel has been used on a public sector project, an area of our business that we are very keen to expand. Project collaboration is an issue for everyone in the construction industry, not just the supply chain manager, and this will be central to the ethos of the Prime Contract at Andover."

Tony Brown of Citex said: "Using Information Channel will help us to deliver the most efficient project management service possible at Andover. Combining our expertise in managing the construction process with this unique technology with enable our client, the MOD, and our cluster leaders not only to communicate with each other effectively but also to access the most up-to-date project information using the internet. The fact that it can be accessed from a standard internet connection with no extra programmes means that everyone will be able to use it immediately."

Under the contract, Citex will be responsible for providing a complete solution, spanning the design and construction work and for the subsequent maintenance of the facilities until March 2009.

More information from:

• Paul Wilkinson, BIW Technologies - 0845 1300 800 (mobile 07788 445920)
• Helen Major, Citex Group Limited - 020 7614 8375

Notes to editors:

• Citex is responsible for building and management of the supply chain. Key members include C H Pearce, Thomas Vale, Southern Electric Contracting, Percy Thomas, Hoare Lea & Partners, Torpy & Partners, Thorburn Colquhoun and Hyder.
• Project collaboration systems from BIW (www.biwtech.com) were first employed in 1998 on UK construction projects for Sainsbury and BAA. The customer list now includes Capital One Bank, housebuilder Crest Nicholson, Marks & Spencer, Manchester Airport, Ikea, the West Development Agency, Asda and developer Garbe. As the technology is adopted by each client's supply chain, BIW's Information Channel user base has grown rapidly. By early July 2001, it was being used by over 6,600 people from over 1,100 companies working on some 350 UK projects.
• BIW Information Channel is a sophisticated web-based supply chain integration tool or 'project portal', originally designed specifically for construction projects. Each client is provided with a unique, project-specific website created around a knowledge database. Using this, all data can be made available to every project team member - from the earliest concepts and specifications, through detailed design, buildability studies, pre-fabrication, construction, maintenance, operation and improvement, to the eventual demolition or dismantling of the facility.