Dyer & Butler adopts Gather's record management system for £160 million SID works over CP7

Leading contractor Dyer & Butler has chosen to partner with Gather to capture, manage and analyse construction site records across all their Southern Integrated Delivery (SID) works for Network Rail's Southern Region covering Wessex, Sussex, and Kent routes. The estimated contract value is £160 million for Control Period 7 (CP7).

Positive past experiences, including the recent high-profile Bough Beech emergency landslip project, have given Dyer & Butler the confidence to roll out Gather's site record management system (RMS) across its 160 core employees, as well as future subcontractors and supply chain partners over the next five years. The company expects to create at least 6,000 digital site records per year using Gather.

Gather's RMS brings radical transparency and efficiency to Dyer & Butler's day-to-day operations and communications. Further benefits of using Gather to keep all site records include:

• Rapid mobilisation for reactive works Dyer & Butler has been contracted for
• Data-based, objective communications with all partners within the SID eco-system
• Ability to make swift decisions to safeguard project affordability and profitability
• Clear audit trails of all site activities that foster trust with the client
• Transparent and effective cost assurance to meet NEC4 Option E contractual obligations
• A comprehensive site intelligence database that enables long-term learning to meet the client's goal of making works cleaner and greener

Preparing for works over £160 million

In CP7 alone, Dyer & Butler expects to deliver works worth over £160 million as the appointed partner for lot 5 reactive generalist for civils work under the SID framework for Network Rail's Southern Renewables Enterprise (SRE). The framework has an ambitious, long timeframe, covering both CP7 and CP8, lasting up to 2034.

The scope of Dyer & Butler's responsibilities under the SID is wide. It includes emergency earthworks and elements of planned maintenance in the civils discipline across Network Rail's Southern Region.

Reactive works require rapid deployment of resources and thorough record keeping. These are areas where Gather has proven its worth through the Bough Beech emergency landslip project, in which Dyer & Butler used Gather's RMS to coordinate over 20 suppliers and stakeholders for timely delivery.

Dyer & Butler intends to take a proactive approach to its role as the reactive generalist. By committing to a framework-wide adoption of Gather, Dyer & Butler will have the historical site data and analytical tools to identify patterns and potential issues before they escalate. Such constant improvements not only lead to better efficiency but also align perfectly with the SRE's strategic emphasis on delivering better outcomes for passengers and freight users.

Aligning with client's goals

The SRE is an innovative initiative that vows to do things differently. Laser-focused on the outcomes, it represents a paradigm shift in how Network Rail works with its partners, from traditional contentious, project-by-project client-contractor relationships to a long-term collaboration based on mutual trust and profitability.

Digitalisation, removing duplication of efforts, effective communications, and affordable outcomes are the cornerstones of the SID ecosystem. Dyer & Butler's adoption of Gather is a testament to their commitment to this shared vision with the SRE.

"In the past, we have always seen Gather as our insurance policy. Now, the platform will also propel us to establish best practice in data-driven collaboration," explains Darren Hutchings, Head of Commercial of Dyer & Butler.

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Getting paid under NEC4 Option E contracts

Another key innovation of the SRE framework is the adoption of NEC4 Option E contracts. This new form of contract for Network Rail rewards partners based on their performance against agreed outcomes rather than traditional turnover-based models.

Having consistent, detailed records is essential under this contractual framework. Records are necessary to justify accounts of Defined Cost for payment and their periodic finalisation. This is new under NEC4. Records also help determine what constitutes Disallowed Cost.

Foreseeing the challenges in accounts and records, Dyer & Butler has chosen to leverage Gather's built-in expertise to smooth the transition.

"Gather's structured workflow lets us capture all the small details and changes that are necessary to get paid under the new NEC4 framework," Senior Contracts Manager Jim Dineen elaborates. "If I was setting up my own business, I would build all my systems and processes around Gather."

Gather’s RMS has a proven track record in streamlining projects using NEC4 Option E contracts. It helped Circet UK and CPC achieve an impressive cost reduction of 11% on the Transport for London Four Line Modernisation project.

Ben Walker, a member of the NEC4 drafting team and commercial director at Gather, stresses the potential of records beyond the immediate project: "Gather helps you turn past productivity metrics into future success. Our platform gives you the data that aids programming and forecasts of Defined Cost to Completion. It guides you to plan with greater operational efficiency. In summary, Gather provides control, assurance and insight."

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