Can you give a brief overview of Procore?
Stuart: Procore is a construction management platform that connects all of our crucial site delivery applications such as RFI’s, technical submissions, site diaries, site inspections and permits.
Lee: It’s basically a one-stop-shop that allows us to standardise operations across all of our sites and means we can collaborate with our clients on one easy-to-use platform.
Is it available to everyone and how are we using Procore at Pexhurst?
Lee: Yes, it is available to everyone throughout our supply chain and is free to use for our clients and supply chain partners including subcontractors.
Stuart: The level of involvement is set by our delivery teams using a granular permission system.
How is Procore adding value, both for internal teams and clients?
Stuart: Procore allows for much greater efficiency across the business. We have migrated a huge amount of site-based paperwork, including site manager permits, site inspections and daily diaries to the platform which means we now have immediate access to a suite of reporting. This has saved our Site Managers time and reduced costs for our business.
Lee: And it’s better for the environment!
Stuart: Exactly!
Lee: It also provides a reminder to clients to respond to RFI’s and technical submissions which helps keep information flowing and in turn, maintains progress on site.
Can you talk about some of the projects that have improved as a result?
Lee: Every project where Procore has been utilised has improved thanks to the greater flow of information. For example, our recent project at 2 London Bridge went through a number of design changes, particularly in the toilet areas. All changes were captured in Procore’s technical submittal and RFI modules and helped to ensure that nothing was missed!
Stuart: It’s especially helpful during the current COVID-19 lockdown. With many of our clients now unable to do site visits, they can visit the platform daily and see live photo updates from across the entire site. We can also provide virtual access to building surveyors so they can see all of our site progress photos, usually restricted to internal viewing only. They receive daily updates on the progress of works and can request specific photos of areas of interest. An invaluable tool when working remotely.
How is Procore helping position Pexhurst as an industry leader?
Lee: Many of our clients have commented on Procore’s ease of use and are impressed by how easily they can monitor a project’s progress. This helps us to maintain our professional and organised approach to projects.
Stuart: Apart from that, Procore’s scope is huge. It’s always releasing new and enhanced features which means there’s great potential to increase its application in more day-to-day processes. For example, they just issued a collaboration with Zoom to enable video call integration on the platform.
What are the future plans to build on the use of Procore?
Stuart: We are currently reviewing many of the other facilities which Procore provides, such as its estimating tools and drone surveying.
Lee: There is a huge benefit in using a platform that integrates seamlessly with many of the existing construction software packages we use.
