THE RESORT GROUP SELECTS BIW TO HELP DELIVER CAPE VERDEAN DEVELOPMENTS

SaaS specialist chosen by international property developer for luxury resorts

15 December 2008

International property developer The Resort Group has selected BIW Technologies (BIW) to deliver Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications to support design and construction of two luxury resort developments – Tortuga and Dunas, worth a total of €100m (£82m) – on the island of Sal in the Cape Verde Islands. The web-based platform will support communications across a multinational team of consultants spread across the UK and Spain, as well as contractors working on the sub-tropical island in the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa.

Rob Jarrett, chairman of The Resort Group says:

"We are essentially creating new towns on what are currently sand dunes next to the sea. These schemes will set a standard for future developments in Cape Verde and, as well as being creative and innovative in our design and construction, we wanted to demonstrate technological excellence in the project management systems we use. BIW will help us coordinate information and manage key business processes and costs in real-time, introducing the concept of web-based working to this developing market."

1000 villas and apartments

Construction of the beachfront Tortuga Resort, set in a 75,000m2 plot situated on the south-west coast of Sal, is due to start after a ground-breaking ceremony in early January 2009. The development includes 52 luxury three- and four-bedroom villas, 306 two-bedroom apartments and a five-star hotel, all set in extensive landscaped grounds. Facilities will include a 150-seat restaurant, a wine bar and piano bar, courtesy and lounge areas, luxury spa and gymnasium, two communal pool areas and a variety of shops.

Also starting on site in early 2009, the neighbouring Dunas development is on a 147,000m² plot, almost twice the size of Tortuga, allowing a slightly lower density of accommodation. The scheme has some 695 luxury properties, including 67 detached villas and 628 apartments with a choice of one, two and three bedrooms, plus communal pools and relaxation areas.

A five star hotel, bars and restaurants, spa and gymnasium, tennis courts and shops will augment Dunas' tourist resources.

Project challenges

Cape Verde has few natural resources, only four of the ten main islands support significant agricultural production, and so its economy is service-oriented, with the government keen to welcome foreign investors and develop tourism opportunities.

However, says Darren Lees, The Resort Group's construction director, building new resorts on a remote island presents a number of major challenges:

"First, we have to ensure that our developments have excellent sustainability credentials. We are working closely with Birmingham-based sustainable development consultant EmissionZero to ensure that delivery and operation of our resorts won’t harm some of the unique natural characteristics of the islands – which include beaches where sea turtles come to lay their eggs. Our designs include sophisticated grey water recycling, photo-voltaic arrays and state-of-the-art approaches to ventilation."

The Resort Group’s project team also includes principal consultant HCP, architect SpaceStudio and quantity surveyor Locus (both based in Birmingham), engineer Halcrow Yolles, mechanical and electrical engineer Hulley & Kirkwood, and contractors San Jose and Loid Engenharia. Lees continues:

"Second, it is vital that our developments help create sustainable communities. We will be helping fund new infrastructure including roads, power generation and distribution, telecommunications, and waste management, working with the Sal islanders to create manufacturing and services businesses, and looking to build a legacy of local construction skills and expertise – including IT know-how – that can be employed on future developments in Cape Verde.

"Finally, these developments have to stack-up financially. Our investors come to us with high expectations and we are committed to creating the resorts on time and on budget and to the high specifications we've set out. The BIW platform gives us great auditability and control, so we can constantly monitor the projects' progress and ensure they are completed on time and on budget."

Tortuga is due to be completed in 2010 and Dunas in 2011.

BIW chief executive Colin Smith says:

"I am delighted that BIW has been entrusted with these projects. Clients like The Resort Group who are committed to changing the way in which projects are delivered, and to working with us to develop new cutting-edge functionality, skills and expertise, are helping change the international face of sustainable design and construction."

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• Paul Wilkinson, BIW head of corporate communications – tel: +44 (0)1483 712620 or mobile 07788 445920, email paul.wilkinson@biwtech.com
• Sample photos (low-resolution) are displayed below. For print use, high-resolution versions of these (and others) are available upon request from Paul Wilkinson (details above).

• Collaboration services delivered on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) basis by 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 SaaS collaboration systems for the construction and property industry, measured by numbers of users, usage and volume of data. BIW had a turnover of £7.3m in the year to 30 September 2008, yielding a profit of £1.1m.
• The BIW supply chain integration technology has been designed specifically for construction projects or programmes. Each client is provided with a unique, project or programme-specific browser-based toolset 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.
• To date, the BIW system has supported over 10,000 projects. It has over 116,000 registered users in nearly 12,000 different organisations. In the year to 30 September 2008, BIW earned £7.3m in revenues, generating a profit of £1.1m.
• BIW customers include United Utilities, Sainsbury's, BAA, housebuilders Crest Nicholson and the Peabody Trust, Marks & Spencer, the UK Ministry of Defence, the Wellcome Trust, O2, Mace, Bovis Lend Lease, Kajima, Gleeds and developers Nakheel, Land Securities, Ballymore and Garbe.
• BIW is a registered trademark of BIW Technologies Ltd.

• The Resort Group (www.theresortgroupplc.com) is a Gibraltar based PLC with representative offices in the UK, Cape Verde, Canada and Spain.
• The Resort Group is a developer that also has a very strong sales distribution network of financial advisors and property agents. It has enjoyed international property sales of over €0.33bn over the past four years, and its 2008 sales have been even stronger than in 2007.
• The group has an international property fund (The Resort Group Enhanced Security Fund PCC) that is EU registered, regulated by the Financial Services Commission in Gibraltar and audited by Deloitte.
• The Resort Group is an official partner of Everton FC.

Sample images