Transport for London and Greater London Authority
(London, UK)
The Challenge
The challenges presented by TfL were twofold.
The first challenge related to the ability to retain, retrieve and share current project information.
The second related to the management of contacts, at the procurement stage, throughout the project, and at the project end.
Project Information
Project information was being stored and shared in various forms: email, fax, phone, desktop, server, filing cabinet.
This presented several problems:
Version control
There was little clarity of certainty around retrieving the current version of information. This was particularly pertinent when considering construction drawings, where using the wrong version could have expensive and dangerous consequences.
Time wasting
Time was being wasted attempting to find information that could have been better spent on individuals carrying out role-related tasks.
Staff turnover
The storage of information on desktops and individuals email, meant that annual leave cover and staff turnover could result in the loss of information.
Archiving
Legal requirements to retain deliverable project information for a number of years could not be met in any meaningful way.
Contract Administration
In terms of contract management, there was no standardised set of NEC3 contract forms. There was also no facility to live-track projects in terms of change, schedule or cost. This presented several problems:
Responsible Procurement - there was no meaningful way of engaging in, or reporting on, a responsible procurement process.
Change control - there was no meaningful way of engaging in, or reporting on, a responsible procurement process.
Accuracy - TfL could not guarantee that staff and contractors were using the correct forms in their correct format, nor that the information contained within the forms, was being accurately recorded.
Reporting - lack of visibility made statutory progress reporting time consuming, and risked inaccuracies.
Liability - lack of process and evidence meant that TfL may have found themselves liable for events that should have been the responsibility of other parties.
The Solution
Asite's challenge was to bring all information together and provide a single source of truth, that could be easily retrieved, audited, and reported on. Our solution was to implement the Asite Common Data Environment (CDE) which delivers an integrated management system, offering transparency and security for the entire TfL enterprise.
Asite - Project Information Management
Asite provides TfL with a centralized folder structure to store and share documents. It automatically manages revisions to documents, making current information instantly accessible to other members of the workspace. It has the facility for discussion forums, notifications, and the ability to map processes and workflows, all tracked within the system. It has allowed TfL to:
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Create a centralized hierarchical folder structure to store and share documents
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Drag-and-drop documents directly into the platform
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Apply mandatory document meta-tagging for easy retrieved of data
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Search for documents using a powerful search facility including indexed content search
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Share documents and .ifc models with other members of the workspace
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Notify workspace members of documents
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Manage revisions of documents and track interactions with the documents in an extensive audit trail
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Collaboratively review and mark-up documents
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Track additional information regarding documents such as titles, purpose of issue, and status
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Automatically track e-mails within Asite using email integration
Asite enables TfL teams to view documents in over 360 different file
formats without needing the native software
Asite - Contract Management solution
The Contract Management solution gives real-time visibility and control across the contract process. The tool provides TfL with a secure system to send notifications. By assigning time-based actions it helps ensure that contractors reply within the agreed timescales. It also provides a centralized auditable view of all notifications across all contracts, ensuring everyone is dealing with the same information.
The solution caters for many different contract types:
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NEC3 and NEC4
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Engineering and Construction Short Contract Option A.
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Term Services Contract (TSC)
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Professional Services Contract (PSC)
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Non-NEC Contracts
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Sub-Contractor Contracts and STAKE (Option G PSC variant)
The solution has also provided a suite of standardized forms, which allows TfL to:
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Securely manage from processes online within Asite.
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Quickly convert Paper / MS Office forms into Web-forms.
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Route and track forms within Asite to gain full control.
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Customize formatting and data collected using simple
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Use Asite form templates to quickly start managing industry-standard processes.
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Customize templates to match TfL's culture & branding.
The Benefits
All contract and project information is held in a single, secure location.
The administration of NEC contracts has been standardized throughout TfL.
No changes, variations, or compensation events will have meaning outside of the system.
All information will be available via a collaborative platform
TfL is able to report on the progress of any element of works.
TfL can confidently share current and approved versions.
Information is easily searched for and retrieved.
TfL now has the ability to live-track a project in terms of change, schedule and cost.
Transport for London is an integrated transport authority responsible for delivering London's strategy and commitments on transport. As well as running the day-to-day operation of London's public transport network, it managers London's main roads. The services it operates include: London Underground, London Buses, Docklands Light Railway, London Overgound, TFL Rail, London Trams, London River Services, London Dail-a-Ride, Victoria Coach Station, Santander Cycles, and Emirates Air Line.
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Marketplace
Marketplace
Build your network with project owners, contractors, and subcontractors. Marketplace enables project owners to build project teams, allows contractors to qualify new partners, and helps subcontractors to discover new opportunities.
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Ecosystem
Ecosystem
Improve performance with solutions and third-party applications that integrate with the Asite Platform. Connect to your existing systems through software plugins to work the way you want.
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