Hong Kong
Highways Department

Through innovative use of technology, Nichols provided effective controls, improving productivity and efficiency for the Highways department of the government of Hong Kong.

Challenge
The Highways Department of the Government of Hong Kong chose Nichols to initiate the project, to select, procure and implement a suitable Project Information Management System (PIMS). This would support two capital-intensive programmes of major expressway construction, drawing on the latest advances in technology.

Experience
As programme manager and technical architect for PIMS development, we led the implementation of the initiative from inception to rollout.

Building on the client’s original requirements, we developed a leading edge PIMS that fully supported the collaborative nature of the contractual arrangements. The system enabled the client, consultants and contractors, to manage in excess of a million documents that are typically generated during the design and construction phases of major works.

The system architecture is designed to cope with a multitude of projects and participating organisations. Use of both intranet and internet services allow thousands of people to operate the system, and connects any number of office buildings and construction sites.

Benefits
PIMS integrates a broad spectrum of office applications, streamlines workflows and through its fundamental enhancement of transparency and quality, significantly reduces the client’s exposure to programme delay and the time-related claims such delays can generate.

Through an innovative use of existing IT systems we were able to offer cost and documentation control that improved productivity on site and efficiency in claims negotiations. The Highways Department of the Government of Hong Kong has now adopted the concept and approach as best practice.