QS develops software to combat poor procurement

A QS has developed an online tendering and purchasing system, called Inqizit.

Will Odling, managing director of Inqizit, developed the software due to frustration at current procurement methods.

“I tried to find a simple online system for scheduling and buying building materials and subcontract services using the much favoured tendering method and failed,” Olding said. “So over the past 18 months I have developed Inqizit to meet this need.”

"I believe that procurement administration costs could be reduced by as much as 50% using a system such as Inqizit."

Inqizit allows users build up an electronic bill of materials or schedule of works for any building project and send this out for tender. It also uses its own unique library of standard descriptions.

Tenders are all submitted online in the same format making it straightforward to compare quotes and make buying decisions without having to re-enter details into a spreadsheet for comparison. Purchase orders can then be generated automatically

“There are around 176,000 building companies in the UK with an average of 6 employees. If adopting smarter buying systems saved each one just £50 per week, that’s a potential £450m opportunity each year,” Olding said.

The company is currently offering a free trial of the system at www.inqizit.co.uk