How to get on the web

One of the best-kept secrets about building your own website is that in many ways you really don't need to bother any more! You can now gain many of the benefits by simply taking advantage of the huge investments that have already been made by a new breed of supplier – application service providers (ASPs). You can use them to advertise your products, to manage your supply chain, to run your projects, and even to dispose of surplus assets left at the conclusion of a project.

Introduction to the ASP
What exactly are ASPs? Well, they are companies that create powerful software and then make it available over the internet. For your part, you require only access to the web and a suitable browser - typically Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

The advantages of using an ASP are considerable. You don't have to worry about installing software packages on your own computers. Indeed, providing that your company gives staff general internet access, you really don't have to trouble your in-house IT staff at all. Furthermore, all software support will be undertaken by the supplier. This allows you to concentrate on your core business.

If you are interested in winning new business there is range of online information services that can help. Tenders Direct (www.tendersdirect.co.uk), for example, provides immediate online access to approximately 400 new tender notices from European government and utility companies every day. You can search by any keyword, look at details of each notice and then track the final awards online to see who actually won the business. You can even specify a higher level of service where your research is done for you, and summary reports highlighting opportunities simply arrive by email. Such instant information has obvious advantages, eradicating last-minute preparation of responses and missed chances.

Perhaps you have difficulty in maintaining an up-to-date and reliable database of your own suppliers, an issue addressed by www.buildingwork.com. The company offers to run and maintain your database. It runs its own database of 235,000 companies that is updated every three months and is managed by a team of 50. This is an example of an area where outsourcing information systems becomes a real possibility. After all, does it really matter in principle whether your information resides on a server in your company office or on a secure web server on the other side of the country?

www.asite.com
Of course, you may be ready to move forward into full e-procurement. Property developers Stanhope and Rotch Group are two of the founding partners of Asite.

Its website, www.asite.com, provides one of the fullest descriptions of what the term e-procurement encompasses. The service starts with online catalogue browsing; then you can move through creation and acknowledgement of purchase orders and finish with the logistics support you need to schedule delivery at the optimum time and place. Together with these core services, Asite also offers online tendering and auctioning. The potential for efficiency gains is clear, particularly when all of this is available through a simple browser.

Should your staff need training, you will, of course, no longer send them to a classroom to gain the skills they need. Instead, you will direct them to your web-hosted learning management system from a supplier like www.e2train.com.

There they will find up to the minute knowledge delivered in an interesting and interactive way. With online training on any topic now potentially available both at home and at work, managers and professionals have little need to spend weeks on speculative training courses just in case what they learn might be useful. Far better to wait until certain knowledge or skill is required, then turn to quality online training that is of immediate relevance.

Once a project is under way you will want to ensure that your team has the latest on-line collaboration tools. Here you will find dozens of companies keen to compete for your business, many of them based in the United States. One of the front-runners is a UK company, www.theBIW.com, which operates the Project Information Channel. Called an advanced supply chain integration tool, the site allows team members to share project information including documents, requests for information, minutes, team details and so forth. It also supports the ability to view CAD drawings and comment on them through the browser, obviating the need to own CAD software. Services like the Project Information Channel are already proving themselves by delivering projects faster and more efficiently than traditional methods ever have.

Specialist online service
With your project under way, you might next turn to a specialist online service supporting all of those last minute arrangements - for example, the aptly named www.get-on-site.com. Here you can hire or buy plant, tools and other associated equipment. You can even check on recently reported thefts so that you avoid unwise purchases. Alternatively you may wish to buy surplus equipment left over from previous projects. The sites www.surplex.com and www.goindustry.com are both worth investigating. Surplex, for example, lists a wide range of construction equipment from across Europe complete with online pictures of the items being sold.

All of the services mentioned here are web-based and available from any internet-enabled PC. The advantages of web-based software mean that all organisations who wish to stay competitive will begin to use it for at least a significant part of their operations. The big unknown is the time-frame in which this will occur, the poor availability of fast, reliable and inexpensive internet connections being a key constraint.

In the UK there are signs that the situation is slowly improving, but the delays remain a frustration to those waiting for the e-revolution. For those of you who have not yet started to experiment, however, this time should be used wisely. Soon "www" will signify not the World Wide Wait but the fact that the Web Won't Wait. Do be e-prepared.