Collaborative working is now a widely recognised concept in construction but achieving it – from inception and design through the build phase, down the supply chain to life-cycle maintenance - can be cumbersome. Think of the volume of documents, drawings and correspondence, with all the on-going amendments, many out of date before they reach the recipients by conventional means of delivery, involved in a major construction project. The ideal is for everyone in the chain to work to the same up-to-date information, with the data recorded in an almost paper-free environment.

With this goal in view, in 1998 BIW launched a web-based, project specific information system that would facilitate the sharing and co-ordination of data by all parties throughout the life cycle of a capital project. Early takers included Sainsbury and BAA. Now the service is being used by nearly 9000 people from over 1300 companies working on some 400 UK projects worth a total of £3.2bn.

In the public sector, BIW Information Channel is being used on the Prime Contract £41m redevelopment of the Ministry of Defence Andover North site. Another major project is the £60m Ground Transport Interchange at Manchester Airport, a complex and high profile scheme involving many different consultants and professionals.

Once the system is set up, all that any project member – whether client, consultant, professional, contractor or supplier - needs is a PC or Mac with access to the internet. There is no need to replace, upgrade or purchase any new computer hardware, network systems or software. For a fixed monthly charge, any number of users can have 24-hour access, seven days a week to project data which grows as the building, road, bridge, etc develops. Feasibility studies, budgets, sketches, drawings, approvals, schedules, minutes, photographs, specifications, standards, procedures, virtual reality models can all be viewed, with team members adding their comments or requests along the way.

Tailored information

Users receive tailored information relevant to their job role. Where they have authorisation, they can make amendments or issue new documents – and these will be annotated as being revised. Thus security and transparency are assured. Better integration of teams and people reduces the opportunities for errors.

Everyone is working on the most up-to-date, accurate and relevant information, backed by all the archive material. In this transparent environment, everyone knows who did what and when. It is easy to see who is responsible for a delay or problem which encourages team members to work harder to achieve targets and settle disputes before they become causes for litigation.

Better information flow means that design changes have less impact, decision-making is quicker, resulting in less delay, fewer attendant costs and more chance of an on-time, on-budget completed project. One architect reports an eight per cent increase in efficiency. On average, a cost saving of 1.75 per cent can be achieved on a project. Substantial tangible cost savings arise simply by not having to print and courier documents, and by holding fewer site meetings. But there are much greater savings to be reaped by moving away from an adversarial way of working and adopting a collaborative approach.

The information can be stored to build up a knowledge base and re-used to solve problems at an earlier stage in future projects. Today, it is less about post-completion remedies and more about getting things right in the first place. On an Asda project, for example, £30,000 was saved, and the time taken to construct a store was 30% less than previously.

Perhaps most important of all, however, the BIW Information Channel is a whole-life information system – from inception to decommissioning - showing a full audit trail. To operators and maintainers of a facility this can be an immense benefit. They can have access to the operational and maintenance requirements for each component and its history. For regulatory requirements, a Health and Safety file, developed during the course of the project, is available.

As BIW deputy chairman, Sir Michael Latham, says: “Apart from the obvious advantages of avoiding confusion, duplication of effort and waste, improved communication also lies at the heart of the modern trend away from the adversarial system, towards partnering and collaborative working.”