The problem with spreadsheets...

The problem with spreadsheets is that they can store large amounts of data, have a great selection of functions to draw upon, and can automatically generate graphs that give us a tremendous insight into that data. Why is this a problem? Read More…

Is Apple really sabotaging an open standard?

I read the recent ZDNet article How Apple is sabotaging an open standard for digital books with some interest. Can a company actually sabotage an open standard? Read More…

CEN ‘Core’ Cross Industry Invoice European Message Implementation Guideline

The European Committee for Standardization, CEN, today announced the opening of the Public Review for the ‘Core’ Cross Industry Invoice European Message Implementation Guideline. The guideline is due to be published as a CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) in the autumn. Read More…

Partnering, BIM and all that stuff

In his blog, Partnering, is it working?, Derek Mynott suggests that in a commercial world it will always be the lowest price that wins and that partnering and collaboration isn’t working in construction. He goes on to say everyone is looking after their own business interests and some big barriers are going to have to be broken down to make true partnering a reality. His conclusion is that there will be that cultural change once Building Information Models (BIM) comes into its own.

It is not that BIM is the catalyst to this cultural change. There is more going on. Read More…

PAS91:2010 Is it going to work?

In October 2010 the British Standards Institution (BSI) published a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) to address the requirements for construction related procurement pre-qualification questionnaires. PAS 91:2010 was a joint effort by a number of key construction organisations that have agreed on a common set of questions for pre-qualification documentation in construction tendering. It will enable a consistent approach to the assessment of responses which should ensure a fair evaluation of the capabilities of a supplier.

So what can we expect?
Read More…