Home » About Us » Sheffield Homes News » January & February 2005 » E-system supports housing project
State-of-the-art e-system supports housing project
A state-of-the-art project management system is supporting contractors in Sheffield as they carry out the largest housing investment programme in the country. Worth more than £1 billion, the Decent Homes project will see thousands of council homes get much-needed improvements.
Sheffield Homes has selected Delcam plc’s Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution to support the six-year programme. It comprises Microsoft and the specialised Delcam PS-Team software, which enables the creation of a complete audit trail and allows detailed, real-time communication collaboration with and between the five development partners.
The audit trail, an essential requirement for future government inspections, tracks and logs project progress and allows contractors to remotely update details such as labour, costs and timescales on individual houses. The web-based system allows communication between contractors and Sheffield Homes, dependent only on each having an internet connection. While each contractor’s access to information is limited by relevance, the system gives Sheffield Homes a complete, citywide audit and communication view.
Contractors will collaborate on:
- managing the supply chain
- developing a construction training programme
- sharing good practice and experience to benefit the whole programme
- scheme planning and allocation of schemes between the partners
- developing joint initiatives for community regeneration
Peter Morton, Chief Executive of Sheffield Homes, said: “We are committed to bringing all council-owned houses up to the Government’s Decent Homes Standard and have chosen the Delcam system for the unparalled support it will give this huge programme. As well as working on council properties, the five contractors will create local employment opportunities as part of the agreement. This will be through the development of social enterprises*, the establishment of a training centre for 14 - 19-year-olds and the opportunity to create up to 500 apprenticeships in the first three years.”
Hugh Humphreys, Delcam plc’s Group Managing Director, said: “We are impressed with the commitment that Sheffield Homes has shown to provide the best service to its tenants by collaborating closely with its partners on the investment programme. I am certain that with the help of our Enterprise Project Management solution, Sheffield Homes will not only achieve the Decent Homes Standard by 2010 but will also complete the work within budget.”
Ends
- *Social enterprises are businesses with social objectives, reinvesting profits in the business or the community rather than making a profit for owners or shareholders. Using social enterprises multiplies the value of the programme investment as the funding provides decent homes, jobs and training for local people.
- Sheffield City Council last month appointed the following contractors: Connaught Property Services Ltd, Keepmoat plc, Kier Sheffield LLP, Lovell Partnerships Ltd and Mears Group plc. Sheffield Homes is managing the contractors on behalf of Sheffield City Council.
- Delcam plc is an international software manufacturer with 125 offices supporting customers in more than 80 countries. Its best-in-class products are used by some 8,000 organisations across a variety of sectors.
Contact: Claire Turner, Communications Officer, on 0114 273 6934