Transco e-deal for BuildOnline

BuildOnline has been selected by Transco, the UK gas transporter, to provide internet project collaboration and e-tendering right across its £200m-a-year construction workload.

Mark Oliver, UK managing director at BuildOnline, said: "We are very proud [to have been selected]. Transco is the first infrastructure client to make such a step forward. In the private sector, we made a similar deal with OSB, a developer in Germany, a year ago.

"Transco's decision empha-sises the shift we are experiencing with many clients who are moving on from their project-by-project experimental phase to a planned rollout across their entire business.

"Twenty years ago, CAD software passed through a similar evolutionary stage and we are at a similar flip-point with the uptake of e-business solutions," Oliver added.

Having decided to push forward on collaboration technology, Transco evaluated 20 global providers, using a series of pilots to test their suitability.

Peter Roberts, head of asset for Transco National Transmiss-ion & Trading, said: "Having proved the economic benefits of collaboration and e-tendering in a series of pilots, we reviewed the entire market and will now be rolling out BuildOnline with our supply chain partners on Transco major projects."

The pilot projects included the £8m Willington-to-Steppingley gas pipeline project, as well as compressor stations at Nether-kellet and Cambridge.

Oliver said: "Having trialled with our software tools, benchmarking the results on individual projects, Transco reached the point where it said 'now we'll do them all'. Other clients will now follow - it won't be long before the Highways Agency and rail clients take a similar step forward.

"Seven out of the top 10 UK contractors use our solutions: Balfour Beatty on a broad base, Kier and Ballast on a dozen projects, and Mowlem on one or two schemes. This is giving clients more confidence," he added.