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September 2003

Highways Agency's first e-tendering project saves £250,000 pounds.

In May 2002 Halcrow, the independent provider of infrastructure-based business solutions, recommended to the Highways Agency, that Business Collaborator from SciSys, could be used to facilitate a tender process on-line. As a result, the £75 million PFI, A249 Stockbury (M2) to Sheerness DBFO project became the Highways Agency's first e-tendering project. Today's conservative estimates show that the decision to use Business Collaborator saved the Agency in excess of £250,000, just in document production and distribution costs.

In January 2003, a month after tenders had been received, Halcrow undertook a user satisfaction survey. Very positive feedback was received, with over 90% of users satisfied with the Business Collaborator system and its use. They also expressed a keen desire to operate in this manner on future projects. As a result, the Highways Agency has now confirmed that Business Collaborator will be used throughout the construction phase of the project (until Spring/Summer 2006), with the solution provided by it's preferred bidder.

Halcrow are currently involved with the design of system processes for the construction phase of this contract, and will continue to provide advice to the Highways Agency in the use of Business Collaborator.

Doug Bevan Technical Director - Work Systems and CAD, at Halcrow commented:

“We are naturally very pleased that the use of Business Collaborator, and the processes that we have designed and managed for Business Collaborator have met the Highways Agency's expectations and helped them deliver this project so effectively. The client's and preferred bidders desire for it's continued use demonstrates the effectiveness of the system and the way it has been applied and managed. ”

Sanjeev Shah, Managing Director of BCL, explains:

“The huge, tangible savings that are demonstrably being delivered by systems such as Business Collaborator completely support the increased usage being predicted by research and industry commentators. The benefits of well-proven collaboration software are so direct and the savings so assured that soon a complex project undertaken without a system such as Business Collaborator will be the exception not the norm. ”