Imagine if buying a building was as easy as buying a car. It soon will be.
You're in the showroom. You know which car you want: all you need to specify is the model, colour, size and extras such as air conditioning and a sun roof. Oh yes, and the delivery date. Easy.

It would be nice if planning, and constructing an office block were as simple. The client could pick the shape, size and colour of the building, choose the trim to suit the corporate image and select extras such as a bespoke reception area. A price would be calculated and then all the client has to do is sit back and wait for the delivery date – the guaranteed delivery date.

Branded Office Product (BOP) is a group of 16 companies, spanning all of the main construction disciplines, headed up by construction manager Mace. They have come together to offer a pre-engineered product, for a set price by a guaranteed delivery date. The Alliance, as the group is called, challenges the adversarial image of the construction industry by working together on all phases of a project. All 16 members, from architect to contractor, work on a level CAD and IT environment and all are linked by a secure web site.

The product, or building, is designed using 70-80% standard components, 10-20% pre-designed options and 10% bespoke. This concept is explained by Gerry Ackerman, associate director of Mace and Alliance manager for BOP: "We are trying to prevent reinventing the wheel which seems to happen with every new building being built today. Components often end up being bespoke for no reason at all."

At the front end of BOP is an electronic briefing tool. This software is used as an aid for the client, to help them understand the process, and as a shopping list of building components. Ackerman explains: "There are options for each stage of the construction process. The client is asked questions like, 'Is it brown- or green field? Is it retail or office? What size do you require?"

When the requirements have been ascertained the office is designed using the pre-engineered components.

This standardisation enables the Alliance to identify any potential trouble spots before the project moves out on site. Time and cost savings are big. Ackerman believes that BOP will reduce contract times by up to a third, and claims: "BOP will bring the cost per square metre down significantly."

Electrical and mechanical contractors T Clarke and Sulzer Infra (UK) are part of the BOP Alliance. Both are heavily involved from the design stage. Instead of the architects designing a building and then leaving the contractors to work out how to put it together, all parties collaborate to create a workable design. Robin Wyborn, director with T Clarke, says: "We work as a team. It should be seamless between the contractor, designer and consultant. Because of the way that the Alliance is set up, everyone has a common aim."

The trade contractor is not seen as the poor relation within BOP. Ackerman believes that recognising the contractors' expertise is an important part of getting the best out of them and one way of doing this is to delegate more responsibility to the contractor. "We said to the contractor, 'Look, you build buildings every day of the year, how would you do it? What is the most efficient way?' The contractor has a bigger say in how the project goes together."

This extra insight into how a project is designed enables the contractor to fully understand its surrounding trades. BOP utilises this by appointing ambassadors for each of ten predefined 'systems'. For example, the floor system will compromise carpet, raised floor, slab, structural beams, fan coil units and ductwork, vav, ceiling and lighting. A coordinated 'system' workshop ensures that the best method of completion is realised by contractors.

Peter Morley, contracts manager with Sulzer Infra, says: "We are developing new philosophies and practices that are efficient and that can be transposed from one project to another. BOP gives us the benefit of good coordination and the ability to look at a problem from all angles because we are all working together."

Brand names

Mace
Astec Projects
BDL Group
Rowen Structures
T Clarke
Ruddy Joinery
PlusWall
Grants of Shoreditch
Hotchkiss Ductwork
John Doyle Construction
Otis
Sulzer Infra (UK)
Coverite
Llewelyn Davies
Ove Arup & Partners
Troup Bywaters & Anders