18 June 2015

New efficiencies in site working are on the way following a decision to standardise on one type of mobile device software for personnel.

A year-long project to find the most suitable mobile system has been concluded and the hope now is that it can be introduced across the Company.

It aims to be particularly useful in cutting down the amount of paperwork required on jobs.

Mobile BIM Technician Harrison O’Hara and his colleagues on the Costain Mobile Interest Group (CoMIG) have conducted a 12-month review of the most suitable mobile products available in the marketplace.

Until now, individual project teams have sourced and bought whichever type of software they felt best suited their needs, said Harrison. “The CoMIG Community reviewed several products being used across projects and selected the solution that best fits our requirements across all sectors.”

FieldView (formerly Priority1) was the chosen mobile system. London Bridge Station Redevelopment team trialled the system and a decision was made to roll it out across the whole project.

FieldView “is basically a way of digitising our paper-based forms out on site. It began life in 2001 as a snagging application, with the mobile device being used to take pictures, mark them up on the drawings and send them to the contractors to rectify.”

Since then, “It’s turned into a complete mobile solution used widely across the industry for all construction processes and task management.” The Android-based solution consists of a mobile interface for on-site data capture and an online interface for reporting and managing. The system will hold a library of scripted forms that can be easily redeployed to increase our productivity.

"Instead of taking a traditional sheet of A4 paper round several locations for signatures, a digital form can be distributed to multiple people for approval instantly." This saves not only time but also paper, which equates to both efficiency and carbon reductions.

“A consistent approach to capturing and managing data, will allow us to link to platforms such as CoAMP and other Business Intelligent tools to perform effective analysis and identify trends,” said Harrison.

"The Contract Leaders Board was given a demonstration of the range of applications that FieldView could provide and gave the system their full backing," added Project Director David Woodhouse.

"This is the type of big "I" innovation that has the potential to positively impact all contracts across the business," stated Group Innovation and Knowledge manager Tim Embley.

So far, 10 projects – London Bridge, Crossrail Anglia, Crossrail C360 Mile End and Eleanor Street, the A556, A160/180, A465 and A5/M1 Link, Severn Trent framework, Woolston 4Delivery and Shieldhall strategic tunnel – have jointly contributed funds towards securing the Enterprise Agreement.

The business is in the final stages of agreeing the contract with the software provider. This will give Costain unlimited licenses that can be used across all projects. Harrison and his colleagues hope to launch the system in early July.

Ends

 

 

Media Enquiries
Costain Communications Department
01628 842585
[email protected]