Overview

URS Praha, as, currently capitalises on 50 years of experience in the construction industry. The basic activity of the company is services in valuation of building production and distribution of software for creating construction budgets and calculations. Further, in analysing and forecasting developments in construction, regional development and housing issues for both public and private sector.

URS Praha, was established in 1992 as the successor organisation of the Institute of Rationalization in Construction. The company headquarters is in Prague, with branches in Brno, Hradec Králové, Ostrava, Plzen and Czech Budejovice.

Products/Services

• Valuation of construction output – Price formation and distribution system URS SW KROS plus – valuation and construction management, creation of custom databases, construction budgets to order for all participants in construction output.
• Courses and training – valuation of construction work – Training courses and seminars for accountant, building managers, investors, governments, claims adjusters and other.
• Engineering – analysis, charts, studies and forecasts construction – Studies, analysis, development, strategy building, processing top ranking construction companies, classification and grading of construction output.
• Valuation of real estate, buildings and businesses – Creation of expert opinions for courts, insurance companies, ivestory, banks and other.
• Regional Development and Housing Policy – Study population development, population, housing, the conception of housing policy and urban regions, with the keeping of the register of residential units.

Active ICIS Members

• Barbora Pospisilova – (Current ICIS Secretariat)

Contact

URS Praha, as

Prague 18

102 00 Prague 10

Czech Republic

+420 267 219 210

www.urspraha.cz

Overview

Bips is a member-driven non-profit association that is the unifying forum for the development of standards and tools across industries in the construction sector. Bips stands for: Construction – Information Technology – productivity – cooperation.

Bips develop common digital structures and standards for language, concepts, working methods, exchange formats and other tools and supports the implementation and use as de facto standards in building and construction.

Bips develop overall sector and industry standards for the construction and engineering sector, specific practices and tools for member companies and subscribers. Bips aims to streamline building processes and elevate the quality of the construction program for operation and maintenance. It is part of the objective to be achieved productivity gains here-and-now. Bips must simultaneously control for a long-term perspective, and ensure that activities are coordinated with other initiatives in the sector and internationally.

Active ICIS Members

• Gunnar Friborg
• Kim Streuli

Contact

Lyskær 1, 2730

Herlev

Denmark

+45 (70) 12 06 00

www.molio.dk

Overview

At NBS, we are committed to offering distinctive, innovative specification and information solutions to construction industry professionals.

We have produced specification products for over 40 years, including the recognised national standard specification system for the UK. Our NBS specification products cover building construction, engineering services and landscape design.

We also produce a range of information products, including The Construction Information Service, a joint venture with IHS. From 2005 we have been publisher of the Building Regulations Approved Documents for England and Wales. More than 5,000 offices subscribe to our products.

We employ 150 staff, most of which are based in Newcastle upon Tyne. We are part of RIBA Enterprises Ltd, which is wholly owned by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Products/Services

The NBS Construction Desktop is the name for our range of inter-related specification and information products. In bringing together the strengths of the NBS specification systems, their integral product and manufacturer information, links to the Construction Information Service and our NBS information resources, we can provide customers with access to all of their information needs.

Specifications, product information, regulatory and standards documents are now linked, allowing users quick and easy access to all documents.

Specification Products

Specification is an essential part of the design process. A badly written specification can cause major problems for every member of the project team, and can cost the client a great deal of money. A well written specification can enhance project delivery and save money.

• NBS Create – our groundbreaking new specification tool. Authored by our in-house experts to make sure your time specifying is fast and efficient, saving you time and money.
• NBS National BIM Library – the construction industry’s free-to-use resource of NBS standard BIM content, available in industry-neutral IFC format and formats compatible with Autodesk Revit, ArchiCAD, Vectorworks, Tekla and Bentley. Visit the NBS National BIM Library at www.nationalbimlibrary.com.
• NBS Building – our most widely used specification system. It is a library of pre-written specification clauses with extensive guidance, suitable for a wide variety of construction projects. It is available in three levels of service depending upon the size.
• NBS Landscape – the industry standard landscape specification system. It is a library of pre-written specification and contract preliminaries clauses with extensive guidance, suitable for both hard and soft landscape projects.
• NBS Scheduler – a flexible software package for use on projects without bills of quantities. It creates high quality three part documents consisting of preliminaries, an automatically generated specification and priceable schedules of work, for smaller building.
• NBS Domestic Specification – a simple, concise and easy-to-use document for use on small domestic projects. It is divided into elements of work likely to be encountered on a traditional domestic project, whether that is new build, alteration, or extension.
• NBS Plug-ins – used for coordinating the information between your specification model and your CAD model, to produce robust, coordinated project documentation. NBS provides a range of tools to help in this area.

Project Management

Administration of a construction contract is a critical part of the building process. It is potentially high risk, is prone to dispute and litigation and requires detailed knowledge, understanding and experience to be done correctly. Having the right tools for the job will help to reduce the risk of error and save time.

• NBS Contract Administrator – offers support and assistance with the important task of contract administration. It contains all the RIBA Contract Administration Forms and automates many of the aspects of completing these forms.
• RIBA Building Contracts – The RIBA Domestic Building Contract and RIBA Concise Building Contracts are designed to be used in conjunction with RIBA’s Architect’s Appointment Agreements for Small Projects (domestic and concise forms); the new contracts are fully aligned with the RIBA Plan of Work 2013.
• NBS Landscape – the industry standard landscape specification system. It is a library of pre-written specification and contract preliminaries clauses with extensive guidance, suitable for both hard and soft landscape projects.

Information Resources

It is often difficult to keep up to date with the latest regulatory, industry and product information. To assist you, NBS has a comprehensive range of information resources.

• NBS Building Regulations – an online resource that contains the official Approved Documents in an easy-to-use electronic format. It is linked to the guidance in NBS specification software and also includes a practical series of technical guidance – ‘NBS Shortcuts.’
• RIBA Product Selector – the market-leading product directory for specifiers and other construction industry professionals. Designed to assist in searches for products and services, the award winning printed RIBA Product Selector is firmly established as a major reference source for the construction industry.
• The Construction Information Service – an online resource developed by IHS and NBS. This unique knowledge tool delivers instant access to technical information critical to all construction projects in one easy-to-use package.

Active ICIS Members

• Richard Waterhouse – CEO (Past ICIS President)
• Paul Swaddle
• Adrian Malleson
• Sarah Delany

Contact

NBS

The Old Post Office

St Nicholas Street

Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1RH

England

+44 (0)191 244 5500

www.thenbs.com

Overview

Building Information Group is the leading provider of construction information in Finland. The Group consists of the Building Information Foundation RTS, which is the parent company and acts as the R&D unit for the whole group, and Building Information Ltd, which is the publishing house owned by the Foundation.

The Building Information Foundation RTS

The Building Information Foundation RTS is a private, non-profitmaking Foundation whose task is to foster both good planning and building methods and good property management practices. The Foundation and its activities are directed by a Board and an Assembly that represents the entire building and construction industry through 52 associations and organisations.

Projects that the non-profit making Foundation develops into profitable independent businesses are transferred to its operative company, Building Information Ltd. The Foundation participates in the activities of the Group companies both on the personnel level through its representatives and by organising and financing extensive committee work. The Foundation’s own contribution to research remains constant in both personnel and budgetary financing.

The Building Information Group have also building centres abroad: ET-INFOkeskuse AS in Tallinn, Estonia and St. Petersburg Construction Centre Ltd in Russia.

Building Information Ltd.

Building Information Ltd is a publishing house owned by the Building Information Foundation RTS. In its operations company promotes good and sound building and property management practices.

Nearly all Finnish building professionals are clients of Building Information Ltd. The company publishes instructions for building and property management, regulations, contract documents and forms and product information both in printed format, on CD and on the Internet. Also a wide range of books on architecture and construction, as well as magazines include the company’s publishing products.

Building Information Ltd has building bookshops in Helsinki and Kuopio. All available domestic literature in the field of building and architecture as well as Finland’s best selection of building industry-related literature from other countries are available in our bookshops.

Products/Services

Our product and service range covers all information needs of the construction industry, from design to implementation and maintenance, and from interior design to the construction of infrastructure.

The information services; RT Building Information, HEVAC, SIT Interior Decorations, Ratu Construction Productivity, Infrastructure, KH Property Management, the Occupational Safety in Construction and the RT Contract Documents are up-to-date tools for daily use by professionals. We also offer a broad selection of books, software products, magazine and training.

Active ICIS Members

• Matti Rautiola
• Heta Timonen
• Pasi Hulkkonen
• Kari Sirén, Managing Director

Contact

The Building Information Foundation RTS

P.O.B 1004, FI-00101

Helsinki

Finland

+358 207 476 400

www.rakennustieto.fi

Overview

Since 1 January 2005, the German Joint Committee for Electronics in Construction (GAEB) is integrated in the Deutscher Vergabe und Vertragsausschuss für Bauleistungen (DVA). The foundation of GAEB’s work is based on the statues of DVA.

Even though the term “GAEB“ has become an inherent part of the daily construction routine, hardly anyone knows what really hides behind this abbreviation. On the one hand, GAEB stands for the entire organisation; on the other hand it stands for the concept “Data exchange according to GAEB”.

As an interest group of all parties involved in the building process, the GAEB organisation promotes an IT-supported common language in the building industry. For this, GAEB frames rules for the exchange of building data and quantity determination as well as service descriptions and develops standardised texts for the description of construction work (STLB-Bau and STLB-BauZ).

The work of GAEB serves the public benefit and orients itself towards the following basis:

• Textual and product neutrality
• Practicability
• Cost effectiveness
• Recognised technical standards

With this, GAEB provides the prerequisites for an integrated data processing in the carrying out of construction measures based on the VOB.

Experts from all essential parts of the construction process are represented in GAEB and provide their technical knowledge for general practical application in the respective committees and working groups free of charge. Thus, neutrality and the acceptance of the results are guaranteed.

Products/Services

• Standardised texts for the description of construction works for new buildings, renovation and maintenance (STLB-Bau)
• STLB-Bau is a database oriented textual system for the standardised description of construction works for new buildings, renovation and maintenance
• Standardised texts for the description of constructions for term contract work (STLB-BauZ)
• STL-BauZ supports recurring maintenance work in buildings through standardised texts that are specially coordinated with this area
• Rules and standards for the electronic data exchange and the setup of bills of quantities (GAEB DA).

Through the “Aufbau Leistungsverzeichnis” (setup service description) and the “dv-technisches Schema XML” (dv-technical scheme XML), “GAEB DA” provides the normative interface for the exchange of professional information between the parties involved in construction.

Description of the proceedings for the electronic amount and construction invoicing (GAEB-VB). In GAEB-VB, regulations for the invoicing of construction works as well as geometric solutions for typical invoicing task are developed, updated and harmonised. The goal is to get the same results with the same initial data at differing places independently.

The work results of GAEB are published by DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. They are the preconditions for the bid call, award and billing process construction works (Ausschreibung, Vergabe und Abrechnung – AVA).

Active ICIS Members

• Sebastian Goitowski

Contact

GAEB (Gemeinsamer Ausschuss Elektronik im Bauwesen)

Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW

Zentrale am Standort Aachen

Robert-Schumann-Straße 51

52066 Aachen

Germany

+49 (30) 2601 2668

www.gaeb.de

Overview

Norconsult Informasjonssystemer (NIS) is one of Norway’s largest software vendors. We develop and distribute complete IT-solutions for project, building and facility management for both infrastructure and property. NoIS is a leading vendor of software for facility management, geographic information system, solution related to project administration, project management, cost analytics, building construction, CAD and property management. Norconsult Informasjonsssystemer AS is 100 % owned by Norconsult AS. Norconsult is Norway’s largest multidisciplinary consulting company with focus on community planning, transportation, energy and constructions.

Products/Services

NIS offers several solutions for facility management, Specification, costing and project management as well as BIM and structural analysis.

• Calcus: Has become the de-facto standard in Norway for cost estimating in early stages of the project. Calcus use one analytic model for both cost estimating, carbon footprint and life-cycle cost. Advanced – but easy to use.
• Beskrivelse: (Specification) The preferred software for making specification documents with quantities (BoQ) for all trades.
• Norsk Prisbok (Norwegian Pricebook): An updated cost database in booklet, online and mobile version. It contains broad and diverse price information for the cost of a building project, as well as carbon footprint values and life cycle costs per year.

Active ICIS Members

• Geir Johansen, Department Manager

Contact

Norconsult Informasjonssystemer AS

Kjørboveien 29,

N-1338 Sandvika

Norway

+ 47 6757 1500

www.nois.no

Overview

The Swiss Research Centre for Rationalisation in Building and Civil Engineering CRB has served the industry for over 55 years. CRB’s fields of activity includes the development, deployment and distribution of standards and tools for the production of Bills of Quantities, for an efficient and transparent management of construction costs and strive to increase competitiveness and better understanding between developers, planners, contractors and suppliers.

All products of CRB are published in German, French and Italian and they are provided as electronic data or print media. Each language includes more than 35,000 defined construction terms and about 1 million standard building descriptions.

CRB was established in 1959 by BSA (Federation of Swiss Architects). Further supporting bodies – SIA (Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects) and SBV (Swiss Contractors’ Association) – soon joined. Today CRB has got about 5’000 members throughout Switzerland and works together with important public and private builders and many partner organisations of the Swiss construction industry.

Products/Services

For the construction industry in Switzerland the CRB standards are reliable and consistent tools for the entire building lifecycle – from planning through to implementation and management.

• The Catalogue of Standard Descriptions NPK is the main product. It is used for the systematic development of clear and precise descriptions of work and materials in construction. It also functions as a check list during the production of Bills of Quantities and it is linked to the cost planning and cost control activities.
• With the product entries PRD, planners, builders and entrepreneurs can reference available products related to the specific NPK description. With free access to the PRD platform on the Internet they can view the relevant product and manufacturer information.
• Cost plans can be produced in accordance with the Elemental Cost Analysis Building eBKP-H and the Elemental Cost Analysis Civil Engineering eBKP T through the use of building elements. This increases the efficiency in cost planning, quickly showing the items for which the costs are highest and where a potential for optimisation lays. The cost plans contain common definitions for terms, costs and reference variables.
• The Element Catalogue EAK is a collection building elements constructed using the NPK in accordance with the eBKP. The element types are described with the cost-determining positions from the NPK including reference quantities.
• The Building Types Catalogue OAK contains a collection of Swiss residential properties with cost data and parameters based on the eBKP-H and rich illustrations for the individual objects. Information and documentation regarding the areas, volumes, use, building systems and the energy concept of the objects are included.
• Over the last 15 years, various ancillary tools have been developed to cater for building maintenance/refurbishment applications like ProLeMo, process/plan of work model for facility management and pbFM, which means Facility Management that is already part of the planning.
• Since 1981 CRB distributes the Natural Colour System NCS exclusively in Switzerland. The NCS colour system is based on the human colour perception – regardless of products, materials or manufacturing processes. NCS describes the appearance of colours and colour relationships in such a way as to make them clearly visible. To its users include foremost architects, painters, designer, colour and product manufacturers, institutional building owners and trainers in schools and businesses.
• Under the motto «small investment, big profits with a sustainable impact» CRB has developed a comprehensive training program. It is suitable at every level and provides the appropriate training materials to the CRB standards. The training is divided into three levels: basic, practical and extras. Additionally various workshops and half-day crash courses are made available.

Active ICIS Members

• Nicolas Graf
• Thomas Pareth
• Albert Muller
• Jean-Claude Nussbaumer

Contact

CRB

Steinstrasse 21

8036 Zurich

Switzerland

+41 (44) 456 45 45

www.crb.ch