e-Business for Construction - Build-Online.com - 06/2000
Build-Online.com, the first business-to-business e-commerce site for  the European construction industry, has completed second round funding of £10 million in March from Goldman Sachs, Viventures, and BancBoston Capital to fund the company's expansion across Europe. With third round funding on its way for credit facilities to let users complete purchases on-line, Build-Online is establishing significant presence in Europe with sites in Ireland, the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The underlying business concept of BuildOnline depends on internet service  platforms akin to ASP (application service providers, see below) that allow industry participants to use information technology without the need for large capital investments for in-house software developments. All the technological  requirements are transparent and IT applications are facilitated through a web interface, i.e. using a PC and a WWW browser. 

Through the company's website, building materials and services can be bought on its internet marketplace of suppliers and buyers. SuppliersOnline, one of the company's services for the construction supply chain, provides access to database of suppliers and up-to-date product information (downloadable brochures, electronic quotation and specification etc.). The service also lets suppliers publish their product information through electronic storefronts which handle an electronic document exchange facility and real time electronic requests for quotations and specifications in a secure environment. Other services include ProjectsOnline, the site's web-based facilities which link together dispersed parties involved in a  project, enabling management of and access to up-to-date project information in various construction processes such as design and tender, building and maintenance.

CICA Seminar: 'e-commerce - Turning potential into reality' - 04/2000
E-commerce is any commercial activity that is conducted over electronic networks which eventually leads to purchase or sale of goods or services. On the consumer fronts, particularly the retailing and travel sectors, e-commerce is currently  transforming the ways existing businesses operate and creating new opportunities for many internet start-ups - the 'dot.com' companies. Business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce is still at the early stages for many organisations. There are  issues  to be addressed so that sectors such as the Property and Construction Industry can benefit from the potential of B2B e-commerce. For instance, key issues such as regulatory framework and improved communications infrastructure are currently being addressed at national, European and international level. To enable these  issues to be discussed among the UK construction industry, CICA (Construction Industry Computing Association) organised a seminar, which took place on the 9th March, at Ove Arup & Partners, London. 

Putting e-commerce into perspective, Philip Virgo, the Secretary General of EURIM (European Informatics Market) stated that e-commerce is the  latest evolution of the world's largest machine - global telecommunication networks, that began almost 30 years ago. Several current issues were raised. Among them, the need for security and reliability of the internet as the medium currently accounted for 5-10% transaction frauds. The global nature of e-commerce also raises legal uncertainties  - 'Where is the country of origin/destination?', 'Which jurisdiction/law applies?'. It was also stressed that the industry needs to 'make your voice hear' and be participatory in current e-commerce initiatives, such as the public consultation of the UK Electronic Communication Bill. The CICA will be setting up an advisory group in April,  informing the construction businesses of various public initiative and policies developments. 

For many construction SMEs, fast, reliable and affordable access to technology and infrastructure is one of the key component for the successful introduction of e-commerce. Graham Popple, the Programme Manager of BT's Network Research described current developments that will enable this requirement. This includes the development of technology for high-speed internet access  -  'ADSL'  which will provide 80% UK coverage by September; the use of 'XML',  and 'digital certificates' for security and law enforcement purposes. The development of XML, an advanced data standard for document exchange over the internet, in particular, was a main topic of discussion throughout the seminar. The technology which revolutionises the way web pages are presented and manipulated, will be a crucial component for developing B2B e-commerce for the construction industry, particularly for construction procurement and  supply chain. Such developments are currently undertaken by several leading EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)  standards initiatives such as, CITE (Construction Industry Trading Electronically), International Alliance For Interoperability (IAI) and aecXML ('architecture, engineering and construction' - XML). 

In a broader context, the seminar forewarned companies to anticipate changes in business processes, culture, working pattern and invest in training people. Particularly, for the construction supply chain, extending e-commerce outwith immediate business partners to a wider arena of customers can result in benefits. For example, a leading material manufacturer, with a roll-out of an e-commerce website this Spring, has indicated  the potential of direct dealing with the DIY sectors from which about 95% of their orders are currently placed electronically. E-commerce is likely to impact all facets of the construction supply chain and project life cycle from briefing, feasibility, scheme design, design, construction, facilities management to refurbishment and demolition, as discussed by Steve Lockley, the Director of  the Construction Informatics Research Centre. Failing to recognise, assess and respond to these impacts may result in an adverse effect -  'add value or disappear', a stark warning  given to the businesses within the construction supply chain by Paul Cooper, the IT Manager of British Gypsum.

e-Construction Conference - 09/2000
A three-day conference entitled, 'e-Construction, exploiting e-business for the construction industry' is to be held in Selfridge Hotel, London, 20th-22nd September 2000. It will feature case studies and key contributions from leading companies for online markets such as BuildOnline.com, Constructw@re, Construction Plus (see below), Interlock, BuildPoint.com, BidBuyBuild.com, the BRE as well as leading construction companies. The conference will begin with a  4-session workshop on the first day addressing  important issues  - project
 management systems, B2B (business-to-business) electronic procurement, IT solutions for building design and outsourcing e-business applications.  In Day 2,  best practice for e-business  integration will be discussed, e.g. how C3 Systems and Laing Construction are managing and simplifying their project collaboration and procurement processes. Day 3 will feature assessments of the positive business opportunities for construction firms and focus on the importance of assessing the value of mobile commerce and linking project management and the main contractor with strategic partners, for lasting, mutually beneficial alliances. Further details and registration: phone 020 74307300 or Freephone
 0500 821 057, Website: http://www.iqpc.co.uk/

Construction Plus - http://www.constructionplus.co.uk/
Construction Plus, is a multi-million pounds venture of Emap Plc.  It is dedicated to the provision of comprehensive online information for various sectors in the construction industry, through a series of community web portals - AJ Plus for architects, NCE Plus for engineers,  CN Plus for contractors, Surveyors Plus and Client Plus. Typical services featured on the website include: construction news (claimed up to 80 per day), architectural ideas, online new products databank, 30,000 engineering articles archive and contract assistance and guide. In addition, the company also provide free internet access (subject to call time at local rate), e-mail account and host 20 megabyte of web space for company home pages. 

The latest community portal to be incorporated, is Get-on-site.com, aiming for professionals who need to get started on construction site, with services such as construction plant and equipment sourcing, site buildings and temporary staff hiring. Initially, Get-on-site.com will provide extensive details on construction plant and equipment on the market, drawn from Construction News' market-leading What Plant? directory. Current developments include facilities for online purchase of small and commodity tools; buying plant and large or specialist tools through an online Request-for-Quote (RFQ) procedure; selling unwanted or idle assets through Get-on-site.com's 'classified' section. These services will be WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) enabled. This gives the feasibility of using mobile phone, from the site, to find and contract with a local company, and get the equipment on site fast.

UpMyStreet - http://upmystreet.com
UpMyStreet.com is a website for access to the latest published statistics such as property information (average house prices, location descriptions), local education , authority and politics information (school results, council tax, your MPs etc.). The information can be acessed by typing in post codes or town names. The website also carries direct links to a variety of useful local services including entertainment, food and drinks.  Since its launch in October '98, UpMyStreet.com has won numerous plaudits and awards, including Internet Magazine Cool Site of the Day and the Daily Mirror Click of the Week, "Best use of the Internet" at the New Media Age Effectiveness Awards, and has been
 nominated for the Bafta Interactive Entertainments Award. 

Improveline - http://improveline.com
improveline.com offers free and insured services specialised for home improvement projects which include finding local professionals according
 to project and area criteria. The website also contains a variety of information for design ideas and  other resources such as financial and regulation guide, all of which can be customised or 'clipped' into a 'Personal Folder' feature facilitated by the company.