Flexible working the key to future success says Civils 2006

Friday, 19 January 2007

From-the-show-floor survey tests the mood of the industry

Civil engineers need tools to help them work with more flexibility and efficiency, if they are to maximise the opportunities presented by a buoyant market. This was the main message from the floor on the first day of the Civils 2006 show, delivered via a survey designed to identify the major challenges faced by today's civil engineering community.

In general, the mood was upbeat with 88 per cent of respondents agreeing that the foreseeable future will bring an abundance of opportunities for the industry.

However, 58 per cent of respondents ranked "flexible working" and "efficiency gains" as either "very important" or "important" in order to take advantage of this climate.

Key to this flexibility, said respondents, will be the ability to provide clients with a variety of design options (increasingly known as "value engineering" or "optioneering"). This will provide competitive advantage both in winning new contracts and in servicing existing contracts.

The majority also agreed that the ability to access, share and use correct and up-to-date information at all times will increase accuracy, reduce errors and drive efficiency.

However, the industry recognises that historically it has been slow to change. The survey results suggest that previously civil engineering has suffered from the reluctance of senior managers/decision makers to embrace innovation and/or new technologies.

"But fortunately, we have evidence that this attitude is changing," says Fiona Coughlan, sales director, Northern Europe Autodesk Infrastructure Solutions. "Increasingly, civil engineers are taking advantage of new technologies which can both help win new business and complete projects within deadlines and budgets.

Carried out on the show floor at Civils 2006, the survey questioned a sample of attendees - including 57 per cent civil engineering consultants and contractors. Out of these respondents 26 per cent worked for small (1 - 50) organisations, 29 per cent for medium (50 - 500) and 45 for large companies (500+).

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