Major contractors to launch online tendering

Wates Construction managing director Rod Bennion told Construction Computing that the consortium is launching an online tendering service in March 2001. It is expected that Wates and its consortium partners will be the first to start conducting tenders for subcontract packages online through the new service.

The service will be in direct competition with Arrideo an online tendering service being developed by a consortium of five top ten contractors. Arrideo, which is backed by Laing, Bovis Lend Lease, Kvaerner, Amec and Balfour Beatty, is due to start online bidding for subcontract packages and for materials purchasing in November.

The Bidcom venture, which will run a portal called www.uk.bidcom.com, is the first of what is expected to be a flurry of e-tendering tools, say analysts. While Arrideo has been keen to emphasise the neutrality of its e-tendering tool, rival contractors are concerned about about confidentiality. "This is prompting contractors to launch their own systems or link up with existing tools," said one analyst.

Bidcom is also launching a project collaboration tool called ProjectFirst. Wates and Carillion are already using the tool on at least three projects in the UK and it will be officially launched on 1 January 2001.

Bidcom is one of the leading ecommerce portals in the USA. The company started up in 1997 and its portal, www.bicom.com, now features ProjectFirst, a e-tendering tool for buying and selling materials and services, and an estimating tool.