It has also implemented BIW’s corporate standards environment to manage standard elements across all its projects. Two major new stores, in High Wycombe and Belfast, have now reached detailed design stage utilising the standards technology as part of the solution.
Proven savings
“Our relationship with BIW dates back to 2004 when we collaborated with our supply chain partners Havelock Europa and Simons Construction to do a detailed evaluation of the BIW system in use on projects in Manchester and Maidstone,” says House of Fraser director of store development Peter Horrix. “The studies showed the system delivered tangible cost savings equivalent to 0.25% or more of the overall project value, and identified further potential benefits that could arise if we deployed the system on all projects. House of Fraser subsequently decided to standardise on the BIW system for all future store projects.”
Raising standards while cutting costs
House of Fraser senior project manager Paul Chidgey was instrumental in implementing the corporate standards platform. “In a special initiative, ‘Project Rapier’, we worked with our supply chains to analyse all the key elements of our store delivery processes,” he says. “Best practices regarding contractual procedures, design and specification of store fixtures and even use of the collaboration system itself have all been captured for future re-use. The system gives us greater flexibility – we can accommodate changes to retail layouts much later, for example – and we have also been able to negotiate lower fees with our designers. Suppliers are already submitting standard information for approval and we have already processed 580 drawings into the standards system.”
“By streamlining design, procurement and construction processes and increasing standardisation, we aim to deliver House of Fraser stores of the same high quality, but at 20% less cost,” adds Horrix.
Work on the 200,000 sq ft Belfast store – which will be twice the size of any other department store in the city - starts on-site in March 2007, with the 140,000 sq ft High Wycombe store starting three months later. Both stores are scheduled to open in March 2008. In the meantime, two further major store developments, at London’s White City and in Bristol, are currently at feasibility stage, with information already being managed using BIW Information Channel.
Increased productivity
“House of Fraser has a small in-house project management team responsible for works across its store network,” says BIW chief executive Colin Smith. “It has selected BIW’s technology to improve the productivity of the whole supply chain. The addition of BIW’s standards environment is already helping it to accelerate its new-build and refurbishment programmes.
“This deal is a further demonstration of the wide applicability of BIW Information Channel to different types of business,” Smith continues. “Already this year, we have announced UK corporate deals with Dandara, a major property developer Dandara, Fitzpatrick Contractors and Canary Wharf Contractors. House of Fraser is showing how the technology can be employed to manage works where many elements are repeated, and consistency with corporate standards is essential.”
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More information from:
- Paul Wilkinson, BIW head of corporate communications – 01483 712620 or mobile 07788 445920, email paul.wilkinson@biwtech.com
- Paul Chidgey, House of Fraser, (020) 7963 222, email pchidgey@hof.co.uk
Notes to editors:
- Project collaboration services from BIW Technologies (www.biwtech.com) were first employed in 1999 on UK construction projects for 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.
- BIW Information Channel 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 United Utilities, Sainsbury’s, BAA, housebuilders Crest Nicholson and the Peabody Trust, Marks & Spencer, the Ministry of Defence, the Wellcome Trust, O2, Mace, Bovis Lend Lease, Kajima, Gleeds, Fitzpatrick, Canary Wharf Contractors and developers Land Securities, Ballymore, Dandara and Garbe.
- BIW and BIW Information Channel are registered trademarks or trademarks of BIW Technologies Ltd.
