NHS Estates Trials Causeway Project Accounting

NHS Estates is to trial Causeway Project Accounting to assist with providing standardisation and consistency of data across the ProCure 21 Programme.

Causeway Technologies, a leading supplier of software solutions to the construction industry, has announced that NHS Estates is to trial Causeway Project Accounting to assist with providing standardisation and consistency of data across the ProCure 21 Programme.

NHS ProCure 21 is an initiative, developed by NHS Estates to promote better capital procurement through a partnering programme.

Its standardised approach to the procurement of healthcare facilities, based upon long-term relationships with carefully selected supply chains, positions the NHS as 'best client', in order to achieve excellence in design and to use benchmarking and continuous improvement to ensure genuine long-term benefits.

A total of 12 Principle Supply Chain Partners (PSCPs) have been selected under a framework agreement which eliminates the need for the trust to go through the OJEC process each time there is a new project.

It is estimated that this process can save up to 12 months on a typical project, compared with traditional procurement methods.

In future, all publicly funded construction projects above £1m will be delivered by NHS ProCure 21, with the programme estimated to have a value of £1.2bn to £1.4bn a year.

Causeway's role as preferred supplier is to provide a single-cost database that will enable NHS Estates to collect consistent cost data from the 12 PSCPs own cost-management software packages.

Crucially, the built-in interoperability of Causeway's solution will deliver management information in a single audible format without demanding costly system change on the part of the PSCPs, and enable the parties involved to use it to the benefit of the ProcCure 21 programme; identifying efficiency gains, potential cost savings and facilitating accurate performance measurement.

"We have evaluated several proposals and feel we are now in the position to commence a trial with Causeway Technologies, our preferred supplier," said Peter Woolliscroft, head of construction, NHS Estates.

"Importantly, the Causeway solution is capable of being integrated with our own account systems and NHS corporate systems, thus providing an end-to-end view of cost data." Causeway's preferred supplier status in this significant procurement initiative, demonstrates its long-standing claim to a prominent position in the area of project cost control and contract partnering tools in particular.

Initially three of the 12 PSCPs will take part in a trial, which, if successful, will see Causeway Project Accounting rolled out across the whole ProCure 21 Programme.

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