Interviews

CADMeasure

By MECN Adminstrator

Posted on April 1, 2011

When UK-based Galliford Try required an estimating system capable of integrating CAD and PFD drawings for their new operations in the Middle East, they teamed up with Causeway Estimating

In search of an estimating system with the capability to integrate a number of different information sources, Galliford Try employed the services of Causeway Estimating to assist with their new operations in the Middle East. Designed to provide “clear visibility of risk, net cost information and value engineering opportunities” Causeway also say their CADMeasure software provides reliable and accurate project information about sub-contractors and suppliers.

“Armed with this information, estimators and bid managers are able to make meaningful decisions and produce higher quality tenders while typically reducing tender enquiry costs by up to 50%,” says business development manager, Phil August.

Designed to facilitate a project’s supply chain, the software has been applied to a number of projects in the UK, including Heathrow Terminal 5, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and M6 Toll Road. The principle is to help companies manage costs and reduce financial risks.

Described as a fully-fledged tender management tool, Causeway say their software is not a stand-alone pricing tool.

We needed an estimating system that would help to streamline operations”

To the test

Galliford Try’s Qatar branch bid manager David Holdway, explains the benefits and opportunities the software creates:

What unique demands and issues were you faced with during these projects?

When we established in the Middle East we needed an estimating system that would help to streamline operations for all the projects we were involved in. For instance we were looking for true integration with other functions, such as electronic measurement from drawings, as well as the ability to exchange project information with our back-office systems for the commercial and financial management of contracts.

Causeway’s electronic measurement software CADMeasure works well and provides the ability to measure from CAD or PDF drawings. Information can then be transferred to the software for inclusion in specific tenders.

Also the Causeway estimating software is not limited to the number of digits in the pricing columns which is a basic requirement when dealing with large value tenders using local currencies, i.e. QAR100 million. Tenders are the small end of the market place here, which equates to £16m in the UK.

Why did you select Causeway’s product and how did it help you overcome these challenges?

Causeway’s Estimating software addresses all of our requirements and one major benefit has been the links to the company’s CADMeasure program. We have now used this on several projects and seen real time-savings.

Also, Causeway’s programmers were willing to work with our financial department to ensure we could use the information from the estimate in the management of the contract and keep control of costs.

What are the main benefits of the product?

The biggest advantages have certainly been the ease and speed of electronic take-off from both digital and paper-based CAD drawings. We used both the estimating and CADMeasure as soon as we had the software installed. The CADMeasure software has already proved its worth on the first tender where quantities were the contractors’ responsibility; we could immediately commence our take-off in-house and react quickly to any changes.

We have found CADMeasure to be an excellent and logical addition to the estimating software from Causeway. Causeway Estimating software has also proved to be very easy to use by our estimators in Qatar.