1 in 10 subcontractors still use paper for tenders

According to a recent survey carried out by Autodesk, one in ten subcontractors are still using paper for their tenders.

Nearly 400 clients were surveyed for the report ‘Connected Procurement: The Foundation of Construction Success’, the findings are in some capacity expected as the sector is one of the slowest at implementing new technologies. Thirteen per cent of those surveyed said most of their tenders were paper-based.

There seems to be a few common themes when discussing the reasoning behind the failure to switch to more digital ways of working. Some are not comfortable enough with technology to use it. One respondent said that their secretary sends their bids via email and that they will help with the costing as they are no good with computers.

A common approach seems to be custom-made Excel spreadsheets, one of the respondents had built a specific one up over 20 years so that they can be sure that it covers everything.

Another contractor said that they hire a surveyor to come into the business twice a week to check over the figures and all the legal bits as well as helping them to put it in the right format.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Despite everything, there is still scope for using technology in procurement. One contractor who was surveyed even persuaded their client to adopt their construction management tool: “Once it was in place, they wanted to use it more and more. It’s got us noticed with them and they see us as more innovative. It’ll hopefully help us win more work.”

There are barriers to adopting new digital tools. The leadership team can also prove to be a difficult hurdle as one business owner said that “directors are stuck in their ways” and that they “wouldn’t be interested.” Digital confidence is also important, those that have persevered have seen the benefits of adopting these new ways of working.

Autodesk’s report concluded that it is time to look at how technology tailored to the construction industry can support vital decisions during preconstruction. Digital tools are available such as networks of construction professionals, they support the tender management process by centralising bids in one place and streamlining administrative tasks whilst built-in data analytics can spot mistakes in tenders and mitigate risks.

View the report here.