A materials trading site that claims to be the first independent service of its kind for construction was launched this week.

EasyMaterial.com, which will go live later this year, is the brainchild of a consortium of construction and IT professionals including Majid Jahanshahi, former head of construction at Neman Pulp & Paper.

The service, which will allow contractors to make value-for-money comparisons before buying materials, is being trialled with merchants in South-east England.

Jahanshahi said the main advantage of the service was that it is not tied to any particular merchant. He said: “It can offer a neutral platform of fair trade for all participants, both large and small.” The service claims it will offer 100 000 materials from participating merchants across the UK.

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