The new construction minister, Beverley Hughes, enthusiastically launched IT Construction Best Practice earlier this month. "IT can save time and money, improve links between contractors and subcontractors, and reduce the errors and misunderstandings which plague the industry, causing delays and driving up costs," she said. These are big claims. So, how does IT Construction Best Practice work?
The call for a best practice programme specifically for IT was driven by a survey of 600 small to medium-sized general builders carried out last year by Davis Langdon Consultancy, which won the contract to manage IT Construction Best Practice on behalf of the DETR.
The results were not surprising. The desire to invest in IT was overwhelming. More than 80% of the firms surveyed wanted to upgrade their IT systems in some form. The downside was that two-thirds thought the rapidly changing nature of technology was off-putting. More than half thought IT was too expensive. More important, more than half found it very difficult, or even impossible, to receive impartial advice on what was best for them.
"Anecdotally, when I speak to people, there is a real problem. People think they are going to get ripped off," says John Connaughton, a partner of Davis Langdon Consultancy and project manager of IT Construction Best Practice.
Saving firms from the IT phobia is what spurred the DETR on to providing a solution. Industry bodies collaborated to produce a range of tools to act as an impartial source of information on all aspects of IT use, from buying computers to electronic commerce. The initial package being sent out next month will contain details on how to register. Firms that decide to join up will receive a start-up pack with a questionnaire to establish exactly what they want.
The initiative identifies some barriers to IT take-up but says nothing about training. Ian davies, FMB Director-General
Once registered, firms will also receive a series of about 20 "How To" guides (This is how to do it, below) on various aspects of IT use. The first 10 are already in the pipeline, and others will follow after firms supply feedback.
The Construction Confederation and the Construction Industry Training Board will run regional seminars to support the guides. Connaughton also has ambitious plans to establish an eye-catching interactive web site.
"The web is potentially very powerful," he says. "You could get demonstrations of new software and download trial versions. We want to encourage people to use the web."
Perhaps the backbone of the scheme will be the series of case studies that is being developed. Finding out how similar businesses use innovations in IT to improve efficiency or competitiveness is always of keen interest. The case studies will recount the trials and tribulations of general builders that have recently installed new technological devices. For example, they might detail how a firm with a turnover of less than £1m introduced a new estimating package, and the problems it encountered.
The programme has been greeted with enthusiasm by the industry. Leadbitter is one regional contractor, based in Oxford, that is already a fair way along the IT road. It transfers drawings electronically and finds e-mail and the Internet an important part of its business.
Advice is a real problem. People think they are going to get ripped off John Connaughton, best practice programme
Marketing manager David Notley agrees that finding independent advice is a problem. He highlights the importance of IT in a client-driven world. "It's an excellent idea to drive IT through the industry," he says. "We need to be able to communicate with clients efficiently and show we are a professional, modern organisation."
But one industry body fears that the DETR's project will not reach the small firms that make up a vast chunk of the industry. The Federation of Master Builders believes there is not enough emphasis on training in the new programme. Director-general of the federation, Ian Davis, applauds the programme, but says it might not respond to his members' needs.
"The initiative correctly identifies some of the barriers to the take-up of IT but it says nothing about the lack of training which our surveys show is a major issue," he says. "The programme needs to be targeted at micro firms employing fewer than five people. These make up the vast bulk of the industry. I noted that the DETR was working with several industry bodies but strangely, we've not been invited to participate. Yet many of our members are presumably the target for this initiative."
Whether IT alone can make the industry Egan-compliant, as construction minister Hughes seems to think, remains to be seen. But for small to medium-sized firms at least, the IT best practice project is a step forward.
