Issu

e 1

2013

THE NEWSLETTER OF

Construction Industry Solutions

This stunning image entitled ‘Bridge demolition over M1 Motorway’ was the grand prize winner in the COINS ‘buildingsights’ Photography Competition. ©Costain Carillion Joint Venture

In this issue

Page 2/3· COINS ERP solution provides integration at Forrest

· Working in partnership with How United Services

· Kensington Developments selects COINS

· GLF Construction live on web-based ERP

Page 4/5· R.H.White makes the leap to web-based ERP

· Wills Bros to implement COINS· Automating training records brings HR efficiencies at Byrne Group

Page 6/7· May Gurney streamlines office supply procurement

· Fairview New Homes raise £15K for COINS Foundation

· BIM Update

Page 8/9· Manage supply chain relationship with COINS iPortal

· One size fits all? Hardly!· COINS Advisory-business

transformation and process improvement

Page 10/11· New faces at COINS· My COINS internship · Getting to know COINS-mobile

Page 12/13· How is the housing sector performing?

· COINS OA 10.26· Hints and Tips: Online Documentation

Page 14/15/16· Take part in the 24 Peaks· The Cookie Bar's first birthday· Larry Sullivan delivers talks in the Middle East

· COINS Foundation supports recovery in Haiti

· First Women Awards · COINS buildingsights winner

Social housing contractorForrest has signed asignificant contract toimplement an 80 userCOINS ERP solution.

From their headquarters in Preston, Herbert T Forrest (www.forrest.co.uk) is a growing organisation with a circa £100m turnover and in excess

of 600 direct employees. Established in 1955, Forrest is a specialist in the social housing market and offers a comprehensive portfolio of services

into the sector. Forrest has become one of the leading service providers in the North West social housing market, providing regeneration,

refurbishment, responsive and renewable services. Within each of these categories Forrest is continuously expanding its service offering by

adding complementary services such as technology and legislation changes.

Forrest is currently implementing the COINS ERP solution including Financials, Payroll, HR, Procurement, Facilities Management, Specialist

Housing modules and CVR, with later phases covering Mobile and e-Procurement. The implementation is going to plan across all sites.

COINS replaced an existing solution which could not cope with the capacity. “It was more suited to a smaller company and lacked integration,”

says Lee Ebbrell, Forrest Head of IT.

The management team chose COINS ERP for its integration capabilities, providing many business benefits including standard reporting from one

source. “The implementation of this solution will enable us to standardise our business processes, eliminate islands of information and provide

transparency. Inevitably it will make us much more efficient,” says Lee.

How United Services WLL (HUS) - a leading provider of management,

contracting, mechanical, electrical, fire protection, interior fit-outs,

facilities management and maintenance services to the construction

market in Qatar since 2000 - has selected the COINS ERP system to

manage its diverse business requirements, starting with a licence for 40

concurrent users.

The decision followed two years of reviewing and documenting its business processes, preparing for an ITT document, and conducting a thorough

evaluation of the organisation’s needs.

HUS also selected COINS-optix, a business transformation platform which provides modelling and walkthroughs, so that HUS can visualise the

improvements to be expected using the COINS solution. Early work on the project will include using COINS-optix models to visualise existing 'As

Is' processes and transformations to “To Be” processes and plan for the required COINS configuration, along with production of a Project Initiation

Document (PID) and Requirements Document (RD).

How United Services (www.howunited.com) was established in 2000 by Interserve UK and Al Darwish United. Since then, HUS has delivered

projects in all spheres of construction including commercial and office buildings, airports, housing, and oil.

It is an exciting and challenging time for Qatar’s construction sector as the country starts a programme of major infrastructure and facilities

building projects for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A new city is essentially being constructed to house 400,000 people, together 9 new stadiums. In

November, HUS was awarded a large contract for the first phase of Qatar Cool diversion and alteration works. This project will lead to future

infrastructure opportunities for HUS, as Qatar prepares to host the 2022 World Cup and moves forward with its Qatar National Vision 2030.

COINS ERP solutionprovides integrationat Forrest

Working in partnership with How United Services

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THE NEWSLETTER OF

Construction Industry Solutions

Kensington Developments Ltdis the latest ResidentialProperty Developer to selectCOINS.

Based in Lytham St Annes, KensingtonDevelopments owns a significant local land bankand was recently awarded planning permissionto build 1,150 homes in the area.

In preparation for this, KensingtonDevelopments is implementing COINS coveringthe majority of the House Building product. Thisincludes Land Appraisal, Procurement, Bills ofQuantities, Valuations and Payments (VAP),Financials, CVR and Payroll. The system usesthe COINS Firstbase model, reducing theimplementation timeframe and cost. Thesystem will also be hosted on the new COINSCloud platform.

Kensington currently use a mixture of spread sheets and software products to manage its financial, costing and payrollprocesses. Kensington’s Finance Director, David Tingle comments “Our current systems and processes have become verytime consuming and this results in the inefficient use of our resources. The introduction of COINS will reduce the need forus to significantly increase the levels of staff required to manage our new volumes of business and will bring greater controland transparency on one fully integrated solution.”

Theintroductionof COINS willbring greatercontrol andtransparencyon one fullyintegratedsolution.

Kensington Developments selects COINS

GLF Construction combed the market to find a web based software solution to meet its growing needs in the US and with itsoffshore projects.

With the distance between its offices and projects, GLF required a web based solution that included multicurrency, that couldbe accessed remotely, and that would also provide the field with ownership of specific operational functions without relianceon the back office accounts team.

COINS OA proved to be the solution. “The system was chosen due to OA’s ease of use, the ability to use multicurrency in asingle company, and the professionalism of the COINS support and delivery teams.” says Craig Davis, IT Manager at GLFConstruction.

Phase 1 of the project included COINS OA Financials, Fixed Assets/Equipment, Human Resources, Payroll, and DocumentManagement. With these systems in place GLF is looking forward to Phase 2 and the introduction of Procurement, BusinessIntelligence/Reporting, and Workflow.

GLF Construction Corporation is located in Miami, Florida and is a subsidiary of Grandi Lavori Fincosit SpA of Rome, Italy. Thisinternational engineering and construction company specialises in the areas of heavy civil, marine works, major bridgestructures, general contracting, design-build and historical renovation. GLF has a tradition of 100 years of constructionexcellence, with experience in over 20 countries worldwide.

GLF Construction live on web-based ERP

three

Based in Foxford inWest Ireland, Wills BrosLtd recently committedto a 3 year agreement toimplement COINS. The

contract is for a 20 user COINS system of Financials,Payroll, Procurement, Human Resources, PlantManager and CVR with access for office-based and allsite-based users from 14 live developments acrossIreland and the UK.

Wills Bros is a diverse Civil Engineering company with

an annual turnover in excess of €50 million. It was

formed in 1972 as a plant hire and civil engineering

business with a joint partnership between James and

Charles Wills. The company has undertaken a vast

number of civil engineering projects throughout Ireland

utilising its extensive fleet of owned plant and

equipment, with all projects being supervised by its

team of long serving staff. Operations have also

expanded more recently into the UK with a couple of

current projects in Scotland.

COINS will replace Wills Bros current Financial &

Payroll systems. The majority of the other in-house

systems are run on spread sheets, so COINS will bring

a number of controls in the areas of Procurement, the

automation of monthly CVRs and the management of

Plant along with other significant benefits that

integration will bring.

Aidan McCaul, Wills Bros Contracts Director comments

“Wills were aware of COINS because of its extensive

client base in Ireland including companies we have

previously partnered with. We have secured a number

of recent projects and having a system like COINS in

place will give us far greater control and visibility of

costs. COINS will allow us to integrate all of our current

processes including linking in all of our sites, providing

Wills with more transparency and one correct version

of project costs.”

Wills Bros toimplementCOINS

R. H. White Companies of Massachusetts, one of New England’s largestcontractors, has selected COINS and COINS OA as its partner and ERPsoftware. The organisation specialises in construction, and alsoprovides comprehensive services for manufacturing and industrialfacility construction.

The R.H. White Companies Inc., (RHW) headquartered in Auburn, havegrown and expanded services over thelast few years. The business required animproved ERP system with additionalfunctionality to support the full range ofoperations and services that RHWdelivers.

Jim McCarthy, COO had this to say on the decision to change systems:“Our current system had served us well for over 13 years, but we realisedthere has been a significant enough cost benefit jump in technology towarrant the replacement of the existing job cost andaccounting software. We need a fully integratedinformation system which is scalable and willallow us to adapt to our future technologyrequirements.

“Key business drivers included a need tostandardise processes across the company, consolidate thenumber of systems being used, major enhancement of theproject management process, provide automation in the area ofHR and Equipment, and to have a web based system that would beeasy to deploy and enable more timely field data capture.”

Gulshan Kumar, Director of IT for the company said: “The COINSOA product is well rounded with an extended footprint thatcovers all of our core business functions, and it will support fieldoperations for the variety of services we deliver. The web basedUI is easy to learn, which will enable faster user adoption – a key to anysuccessful business system implementation. COINS has brought theirteam to the table to ensure project success and we are very pleasedwith the consultants’ product and industry knowledge.”

The R.H. White family of companies has a strong focus on thecommunities in which its customers, vendors, and employees live andwork. The companies participate in many non-profit and charitableefforts, providing funds, labour, equipment, and other resources for awide range of local and national causes and outreach programs. This issomething that COINS is also very involved in and the culture of the twocompanies was a big factor in RHW selecting COINS.

“It is important that we forge business alliances with companies thatshare our core values including integrity, organisational sustainability,and commitment to our family of people, customers and businesspartners.” says McCarthy. “COINS is a company that shares these valuesand, like us, aims to build lasting relationships.”

R. H. White makes the leap to web-based ERP

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THE NEWSLETTER OF

Construction Industry Solutions

two

Byrne Group Plc., one of the UK'smost innovative and forward thinkingcompanies operating in the projectmanagement and constructionservices sector, is the first COINSclient to implement automatedtraining records into COINS HR. As aconsequence, Byrne is now reapingthe benefits of improved efficienciesin its HR processes.

Byrne adheres to a strict “health & safetyat work” policy. To this end, the companyfacilitates a vast number of training eventsto its own workforce and its

subcontractors, administering around 8,000 training certificates each month. Thesecertificates and training details have to be recorded against personnel records inorder to validate a person’s eligibility to execute particular types of work and usespecific tools or equipment. Entering the information manually into the trainingdatabase was an extremely time consuming task for Byrne’s HR department and abacklog of paperwork was piling up.

The COINS solution took a clue from the existing Assettagz/COINS interfaceoriginally set up for managing plant, assets and stock items, for which Byrne won aPlant Services Best Practices Award. Matthew Preston, Group Director of IT &Systems at Byrne, commented “We reasoned that if trainee records were viewed asasset records and training information recorded by means of a handheld device, wecould greatly reduce the manual input issues.”

COINS also developed the application security to provide an external interface fortheir main training provider to input external training information and certificatesdirectly into the system.

The COINS solution establishes a robust platform for training management, H&Scompliance and HR auditing. Automation of the recording process has provided anup to date database by removing the current backlog of data entry, which in turn hasreduced the risk of not fulfilling H&S policies. It has also improved visibility ofinformation, made training and qualification details readily available for checking,and reduced the risk of non-compliance. Similarly, all training records are now fullytraceable, saving the time and expense of unnecessary retraining that used tohappen within the manual records system.

Automatingtrainingrecordsbrings HR efficiencies atByrne Group

f ive

May Gurney streamlines office supply procurementMay Gurney’s decision to streamline its stationery purchasing process across all sites using the COINS ElectronicTrading Community (COINS-etc) provided a significant business opportunity for large commercial stationery supplierUKOS Plc.

May Gurney is a support services company headquartered in Norwich with a further 230 sites nationwide. UKOS Plc, an office stationeryand business supplier carrying over 30,000 product lines, had a single trading agreement with May Gurney's head office. Together MayGurney and UKOS launched an eCatalogue pilot project in 2009 based on COINS-etc, with the goal of rationalising the head office'sprocurement processes. The success of the trial resulted in a roll-out to all regional offices and project sites. According to Becky Earle,Procurement Assistant at May Gurney, "We wanted to ensure that the eTrading supply system was properly embedded into theorganisation before rolling it out to our UK sites, and also ensure that the desktop delivery was successful."

Today, a May Gurney user anywhere in the country can initiate a UKOS order in COINS. Ordering is quick and simple, thanks to templatepurchase orders (PO) and a rationalised eCatalogue of the most requested products and pre-negotiated prices. At check out, the orderlines are written back into COINS and sent as an electronic PO to UKOS, where a sales orderdrives the delivery process. After the sales order is fulfilled, UKOS' electronic invoice isprocessed through COINS-etc and transmitted to May Gurney. From check out toinvoice receipt, the procedure is untouched by human hands.

During 2011, over 19,000 purchase order lines and 5,500 invoices were transactedelectronically between May Gurney and UKOS via the COINS-etc hub. Peter Gowing,IT director for UKOS, says, "Last year we sent 5,500 eInvoices to May Gurney. As aninvoice can cost up to £20 to process manually, this equates to an efficiency saving of£110,000. The figure becomes much larger if you take into account the savings onprinting, postage, queries and remittance advices."

The procurement process enables buyers and suppliers to tradeelectronically whilst providing seamlessintegration into the back office systems of bothparties. Approximately 85% of all May Gurney'sstationery purchase lines now go through the UKOSeCatalogue.

Please email info@coins-global.com for the detailedcase study on the May Gurney/UKOS project.

The COINS Foundation recentlyvisited Fairview New Homes inEnfield to receive a cheque for£15,000. Fairview entered threeteams in the 2012 COINS 3 PeaksChallenge. They began their trainingearly, bonding during weekendwalks in the Chilterns, and all threeteams successfully completed thechallenge. COINS Foundation wouldlike to thank Fairview for theirefforts.

Gerald Malton, Managing Director ofFairview New Homes, presents cheque toCOINS Foundation trustee Jo Franklin

Fairview New Homes raise £15K for COINS Foundation

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THE NEWSLETTER OF

Construction Industry Solutions

seven

The UK Government Construction Strategy’s mandate for “fully collaborative 3D BIM by 2016” hasBuilding Information Modelling (BIM) making itself felt throughout the construction industry. Here isa quick primer on the latest COINS activity relating to BIM.

hallenge of making BIM data more widely available - BIM may end up having even greater value

in the initial after-care period and post-occupancy than during design/build. The challenge is

making the rich information in a BIM module available and useful outside of a project’s design

and preconstruction stages. COINS clients, our service and facility management consultants and the BIM

team are working together to define these requirements through user-led discussion of their next BIM

goals. Many firms are looking for their next BIM level – we are listening.

bject data management - In remarks at the COMIT Projects Ltd annual conference in November

2012, Head of BIM Implementation for the UK Cabinet Office David Philp talked about the

construction industry starting to think about BIM data management. BIM will have a major

influence on managing product data throughout the supply chain, so e-Xact Online (one of the COINS

group of companies) is working with COINS in Dallas on a prototype data facility that combines BIM and

e-Xact data. Mike Shippin, Product Director of e-Xact, says “For building product manufacturers to create

BIM-based libraries for their own product lines is a huge task. But it is vital so that architects and

designers can easily incorporate those products in their building information model.”

ntegration of BIM and project management - COINS is bringing project questions and RFI

management to the BIM interface and bringing BIM to the COINS enterprise system with its “BIM

for Project Management” project.

ew app store success - In November, the COINS Auto-Section Box was the top app on the Autodesk

Exchange for Revit, Autodesk’s BIM solution. The COINS Auto-Section Box tool brings fluidity and

speed to the Revit section box when modifying complex areas of a model. Other COINS apps on

the Autodesk Exchange include the COINS Parameter Report, COINS Translate and COINS

Property Select. Developed by the Dallas office of COINS, these tools are also available for UK

Autodesk users.

erving the BIM movement - At the COMIT conference, David Philp

also asserted that technology is not the problem with BIM,

it is changing behaviour. In part, BIM success and an

industry shift will be down to education and

training. COINS is engaged with leaders in the

BIM arena to discuss, educate, learn and

foster the effective use of BIM

technology and methods.

Congrats to the COINS Dallasteam! On 1st March, the COINSAuto-Section Box app won a RevitAdd-ons Editor's Choice Award forbest free add-in.

C

O

N

S

I

BIMUpdate

Both contractors and vendors (i.e., suppliers andsubcontractors) are under pressure to reduce administrativetime while still ensuring compliance to industry standards likePAS91. By not addressing these pressures, companies openthemselves up to the risks of poor selection and decision makingand losses due to non-compliance.

We have developed the COINS iPortal as a web-based 24/7/365 solution

to help both contractors and vendors gain benefits in managing their

relationships. The iPortal is designed to cover the full life cycle of the

contractor / vendor relationship.

The iPortal supplies a single electronic process that allows vendors to register as potential partners and

also manages the contractor vetting, assessment and approval process with PAS91-compliant and

contractor-specific questionnaires.

Using the iPortal, contractors can create “Supply Chain Groups” that are specific to geography, type of project

or trade. The contractor can use these groups to support the project selection process and manage

communications.

Paperless management of

assessments is integral to the COINS

iPortal. It provides for paperless

Performance Assessments of the

work performed. It also provides 360°

Relationship Assessments, designed

to create transparency in the

contractor/vendor relationship and

enhanced information to support

selection for further work.

Quality of data is central to the

philosophy of the iPortal. COINS links

directly to Constructionline and

Builder’s Profile (and others will be

added) to ensure the data is consistent

across the industry while still allowing

non-members to enter data directly -

all of this co-ordinated with the COINS

Central Repository. This creates a

master view of Vendor Data within the

iPortal that is maintained by the

vendors to improve accuracy.

For example, Insurance and Health & Safety data are kept on the system; expiration dates are monitored

continuously, with automatic alerts as an expiration date nears. This helps minimise the risk to the

contractor and can give all involved confidence that an unexpected claim will not be made.

The positive impact of the iPortal will quickly be felt, bringing real benefits to all involved. The iPortal is

supported by a clear implementation approach from COINS, covering the technical, operational and company

cultural impact of the improvements.

Please contact your COINS Account Manager for more information about the COINS iPortal.

Service Providers

Contractors Vendors

ERP Systems

The positive

impact of theiPortal willquickly be

felt, bringingreal benefits

to all involved

Manage supply chainrelationship with COINS

iPortal

THE NEWSLETTER OF

Construction Industry Solutionseight

COINS understands that when it comes to what our clients need for businessintelligence (BI), reporting and analysis, one size does NOT fit all. That is whywe support a wide variety of options that you can combine to suit yourrequirements – some by COINS, some from other industry leaders.

Please scan the QR code with your smartphone or visit the COINS websiteif you’d like more information on any of these products.

COINS Report Writer is an entry-level reporting tool that enables users to produce

powerful column-based reports across the COINS system. Report Writer can be used

“out of the box” with over 1,200 default queries and is backed with COINS expert

consulting and training.

COINS Business Intelligence is a suite of BI applications and technologies that are

fully integrated with the COINS ERP. The COINS BI toolset includes Designer, Data

Sets, Data Marts and OA Data Server, plus links to COINS Report Writer and Workflow.

Optionally, you can connect third party reporting tools to the BI layer of the native

COINS reporting solution.

COINS ETL with COINS ODS provides more options. COINS ETL (Extract-Transform-

Load) is a COINS software product that provides configurable near-real time

extraction and transformation of COINS data for loading into a dedicated reporting

database. COINS ODS (Operational Data Store) is a target RDBMS (relational

database management system) for receiving data generated by the ETL, and which

can be used for operational and analytical reporting. Typically, the ODS would also

be used as the platform for a data warehouse populated with selected COINS data.

Currently, the ODS can be either Progress or Microsoft SQL Server. However, the

design of the ETL means that there is no technical reason why other DB technologies

cannot be supported in the future.

Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server enable business users to quickly create rich

visualisations and dashboards with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. It can be

used directly with the COINS database or in conjunction with COINS ABR. Gartner

and IDC rank Tableau (www.tableausoftware.com) as the fastest growing business

intelligence software company in the world.

Adding Tagetik (www.tagetik.com) to a COINS ERP solution expands Corporate

Performance Management (CPM) options for clients who have special needs for

Group Reporting such as: medium to large size businesses with multiple operating

companies, some on non-COINS ledger systems; overseas JVs with multiple

currencies; and companies with complex reporting structures, periods, or statutory

requirements.

Over the last few months, the COINS AdvisoryTeam has been working with several COINSclients to assess current business processesand design improved processes and ways ofworking that transform the clients’businesses. Some of the clients want todefine and implement a Target OperatingModel; others want to address knownconcerns and frustrations with their currentprocesses; and others want to benchmarkthem against best practice.

Using our experience in our chosen industry sectors and

knowledge of how our clients operate, we have been able

to benchmark clients’ existing processes against best

practice to determine the level of gain attainable by

moving towards a best practice model. We have found the

benefits to be significant in both financial and non-

financial (e.g. risk management and governance) terms.

To date, our engagements have included Procure to Pay,

Commercial and Financial process reviews because the

clients engaged with us in this initiative have identified

these areas as being their highest priority.

We use recognised business transformation and process

improvement techniques and methodologies. Using the

COINS-optix business transformation platform, we

understand and document business processes efficiently

and enable the delivery of transformational change in a

controlled fashion with clear business cases.

Please visit the COINS website for a

example of a transformed Subcontract

process that produced savings of

£17,000 per annum and time savings of

1,088 hours per annum.

Over the coming months, we will be working with the

clients to implement the improved processes. We will

provide an update (including details of the actual gains

achieved) in a later COINS Newsletter.

If you would like more information on COINS Advisory

Services, please contact your COINS Account Manager.

COINS Advisory-business

transformation and process improvement

One size fits all? Hardly!Expanding your options for analysisand business intelligence

nine

THE NEWSLETTER OF

Construction Industry Solutionsten

MY COINS internship

By Kasey Uhlenhuth,Computer Science major,Harvard University

New faces at COINS

THE NEWSLETTER OF

Construction Industry Solutions

Users of COINS supply chain/procurement solutions including e-Xact and COINS-etc may have noticed two new names and faces atCOINS. The COINS team in the Middle East also continues to grow.

David Hyde joined COINS as an Account Manager, with a focus on e-Xact Online data services and COINS e-procurement solutions such as the COINS Electronic Trading Community (COINS-etc). David has more than15 years of IT sales experience with Causeway Technologies, XKO and Computer Associates and looksforward to building strong relationships with a new set of clients. A resident of Cheshire, David holds anMBA from De Montfort University.

David.Hyde@coins-global.com

David HydeeBusiness Account Manager

Sharika Fernando comes to COINS from COMIT Projects Ltd (Construction Opportunities for Mobile IT) whereshe was responsible for project planning, management and communications for MobileIT projects while wearinga second hat in marketing and event management. Her immediate focus is “product to market” planning forCOINS iPortal and Rebates & Agreements. Sharika resides in London and holds an MBA in Strategic MarketingCommunications and a Master of Research in Internationalisation Strategy.

Sharika.Fernando@coins-global.com

Sharika FernandoeBusiness Account Manager

John Conmy was recently appointed Business Development Manager for COINS in the United Arab Emirates.John has over 16 years of experience in IT Sales & Marketing and channel management, with experience asa quantity surveyor in “a previous life.” He has spent the last 7 years based in Dubai. He takes pride in exceedingcustomer expectations in all dealings and also looks forward to helping to strengthen COINS in the MiddleEast, motivating and encouraging staff and partners to realise their own potential and grow within the business.

John.Conmy@coins-global.com

John ConmyBusiness Development Manager

I met COINS Chairman Larry Sullivan at his “Entrepreneurship as a Force for Good” lecture atHarvard last year. Following the talk, I was pleased to accept an internship with COINS. Over thesummer, I spent four weeks at the COINS Albany office shadowing staff in development, delivery,sales and operations, and then I travelled to England to begin a unique social project.

Supported by Yan Llamas, I took a lead role in creating an iPhone app for The Cookie Bar in Hindhead in just two

weeks. The Cookie Bar is a COINS social enterprise helping children with learning disabilities to engage in business

and achieve social, creative and economic independence. Pupils from Stepping Stones School benefit from work

experience at The Cookie Bar, which provides a safe environment for young people to experience running a

business. Students bake cookies, serve customers and work on the till in an effort to support their school, and the

COINS Foundation. Profits from the Cookie Bar are split 50/50 between Stepping Stones School and COINS

Foundation projects. I had an amazing experience at COINS; one that I will never forget. I had a great overview

of each aspect of a software company as opposed to just working in one sector.

eleven

KenGoulding

An interview with

Getting to Know COINS-mobile

Q. How has life changed since Pervasic was acquired by COINS two years ago?A. It makes a big difference to be part of a larger strategic purpose and objective. When we were owned by a private

equity company, the interest was solely financial. But Larry Sullivan and Nigel Cope wanted to expand the business and

the appeal of the COINS ERP solution by adding a mobile dimension.

Q. What is happening with Mobile Technology and how is COINS-mobile placed to manage futurechanges?A. Many things are happening in the mobile space right now: the commoditisation of IT, “bring your own device” (BYOD),

competing smartphone products, etc. Also, tablet devices are becoming more practical and functional for field users.

We have started to develop “native” mobile applications for Apple iOS and Android. We also have multi-OS software in

trial mode, based on HTML 5, which offers the advantage of a one-time application build that can be deployed across a

range of devices without reconfiguration. And Microsoft is back on the mobile scene with its unifying OS, Windows 8.

To support these new mobile apps, we are extending our platform to an open, scalable message-based model, enabling

us to manage data between the mobile device and COINS and other applications.

Q. What mobile products do you see being delivered in the next 12 months?A. Our first standard COINS app is the mobile Goods Received Note application, mGRN, which

could be used by almost all our customers.

Facilities maintenance (FM) and service management are key sectors for mobile

apps, especially in the USA. Delivery to Herbert T Forrest of our mFM app (Android) is

imminent.

We also have a mobile VAP (Valuations & Payments) app, mVAP, and we are currently

scoping out an inspections app for COINS house builders.

Mobile is on the agenda of every COINS customer, providing efficiencies and innovation

to replace paper-driven processes: time sheets, plant movement, Health & Safety risk

assessments, workflow, etc. We can build mobile solutions to support all

these functions in the “post PC” world.

It is an interesting time to be part of the COINS-mobile business. There

is a growing realisation in the industry that mobile can become

intrinsic to the ERP solution rather than an add-on. I am convinced

that the momentum and demand for mobile apps will accelerate and

become an important element of the COINS value proposition.

Kenneth Goulding isChief Executive of

COINS-mobile, formerlyPervasic, and has alsoheld leadership roles

with global interactivemarketing services

company Acxiom. He is a qualified

chartered accountantfrom Liverpool .

We recently caught upwith Ken for a few

questions.

twelve

THE NEWSLETTER OF

Construction Industry Solutions

The 2012 Housing Market Intelligence Report from Housebuilder magazine waslaunched at the Housing Market Intelligence conference in September. Here are justa few of its findings.*

Based on the latest accounts of the top 75 house builders, turnover rose by about 6% with an underlying operating

profits rise of more than 45%, to almost 11% for the first half of 2012 compared with 9% in the second half of last

year.

Larger firms (the top 25 house builders, many of which are COINS clients) are performing better than the smaller

ones. In comparing turnover, the Top 25 saw growth of almost 8% over the latest year, while the next 50 firms saw

a decline of around 3%. Unit completions rose by 4% for the Top 25 while growth by the next 50 house builders was

nearer 1%.

Larger firms have restructured their business during the financial downturn by restricting site openings, reducing

existing stock and reassessing their product mix. For example, some of the larger house builders are going for the

higher end of the market where potential buyers were equity rich or shifting business geographically to the more

affluent south. The shift in product mix has been quite dramatic. NHBC data shows that whereas homes of three

bedrooms or more accounted for about 50% of new homes before the credit crunch, they now account for 70%.

Average selling price of the major firms (the Top 4) has increased from a low of £164,000 in mid-2009 to above

£190,000. This has been partly due to the market and partly due to the product mix. A more modest rise from

£175,000 to £181,000 is reported for the Top 25.

The latest set of results suggests that major housebuilders have built themselves a platform for expansion, albeit

controlled expansion. However, there does seem to be pressure on the smaller firms with many reducing their

open market sales, shifting into contracting or calling it a day.

The supply base seems capable of expanding at a moderately fast pace. The landbanks are in place to

accommodation expansion, and profitability has returned to levels more acceptable to shareholders. Ultimately,

however, expansion will rest on there being enough buyers. Without them we will not see any expansion of any great

note in the numbers of new homes built.

COINS is a sponsor ofthe HMI Conference2013. Watch our websitefor more information.

How is the housing sector performing?

*The Housing Market

Intelligence (HMI) Report is

published by Housebuilder

magazine. This summary

was extracted from the

October 2012 issue. You

may order the full report at

www.house-builder.co.uk

or by calling

020 7960 1646.

thirteen

Version 10.26 of COINS was released in early January 2013. Please visit the “Software Releases” sectionof the COINS website Client Area for a feature overview for the v10.26 release and detailed lists ofenhancements and corrections. Here are some significant features included in COINS 10.26:

• Ability to share tax jurisdictions, codes and rates across multiple companies.

• Compatibility with a 30-character cost analysis throughout COINS OA.

• Option to apply House Sales specification in bulk to associated house

types/plots.

• Improved integration between Customer Care and Outlook.

• Intercompany allocations of receipts and payments.

• Better management of contra charges (back charges).

• Subcontract Liabilities, added by cost code on the subcontract.

• Subcontract Certification process enhanced and added to Subcontract Ledger.

• Transport Manager to handle requests to transport people, equipment and materials.

• Depot security for the Plant Control, Fixed Asset and Stock modules.

• Payroll system enhancements for UK employers: real time submissions of payroll

information (RTI) and Pension Auto Enrolment.

• Payroll system enhancements for the Middle East: processing of leave and final

settlements, Wages Protection System, and personal accounts.

• Additional payroll calculation functionality that can be used in all regions.

• Modifications to support BACS file with the correct format for child support

payments.

• Web services to allow entry of GRN information into COINS via a mobile device.

• Ability to email documents with attachments.

• Ability for COINS Workflow to call, manage and update documents stored in COINS.

Upgrade policies and guidelines to assist with the steps and processes needed for a

successful upgrade are also on the website.

COINS OA 10.26

You can quickly answer many questions about using COINS by referring

to its online help and documentation. Both styles of documentation are

opened by clicking an icon at the bottom of your COINS OA screen.

Side frame help gives detailed information at the field and

function level for the function you are running.

Online documentation provides information about features of

COINS, process instructions, and setup and configuration details,

with links to assorted “How To” documents.

Managers and “super users” can modify both side frame help and online

documentation to help your users and reflect the way your company uses

COINS: add configuration information, annotate existing text or even add

your own topics to the online documentation menu.

Check the online documentation for instructions on customising text in

the side frame help, modifying online documentation topics, inserting

hyperlinks to your own documents and more.

Hints and Tips:Online Documentation

fourteen

THE NEWSLETTER OF

Construction Industry Solutions

After 10 successful years of running the COINS 3 PeaksChallenge (and raising over £2.5 million) we are invitingcompanies from the construction industry to join us on anew challenge.

The COINS 24 Peaks Challenge involves scaling 24 Peaks in the Lake District

on 8th-9th June 2013. The route follows the Lake District’s best mountain

ridge walks, including Scafell Pike, Helvellyn and Great Gable. Teams will

cover 33 miles and 13,000 feet all in 24 hours, spread over two days.

As well as providing an excellent team-building challenge, running these

events allows us to raise awareness of and raise funds for COINS Foundation.

COINS covers all event costs, allowing 100% of money raised by teams to go

to social projects in the UK and in Africa. For more information, please contact

Pauline Sargent on 01753 501000 or email info@coins-global.com.

To mark the one-year anniversary of The Cookie Bar, the COINS Foundation held a

special birthday event in Hindhead, Surrey. The morning started with a reception at

Stepping Stones School, with a welcome from Neil Clark, Headmaster, and a

presentation from Larry Sullivan, followed by a speech from the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt

MP and Patron of COINS Foundation. Guests then made the short walk to the Cookie

Bar where they were treated to coffee, cupcakes, smoothies, and the Cookie Bar’s

newest cookie flavour – Black Forest Crunch.

On the same day, the Cookie Bar also launched its new website

www.thecookiebar.co.uk and a free mobile Cookie Bar App. The App was designed

and developed by a Harvard student during her internship with COINS this summer,

to help supporters to keep in touch with Cookie Bar news, events and menu. You can

download the App directly from iTunes by searching “Cookie Bar”.

The Cookie Bar's first birthday

Stepping Stones students atThe Cookie Bar in Hindshead

Take part in the

f ifteen

Richard Vale and Michael James travelled to Haitiin November and spent a week participating inthe Habitat for Humanity 29th annual Jimmy andRosalynn Carter Work Project.

The COINS representatives were in Haiti for the second year as part

of COINS’ commitment to strengthen and support Habitat for

Humanity’s work there.

Richard and Michael worked alongside President Carter, other

volunteers and locals helping to build new homes in Léogâne, the

epicentre of the January 2010 earthquake and more recently

affected by Hurricane Sandy. This week’s building work contributed

to a wider Habitat shelter programme to construct much needed

housing in Léogâne.

Larry had a busy schedule while visiting the UnitedArab Emirates in November to continue hisEntrepreneurship as a Force for Good series. Thevisit included talks at a number of top businessschools including the American University ofSharjah, Hult International Business School andZayed University, Abu Dhabi. His talk formed partof the Distinguished Speaker Lecture Series at theUniversity of Sharjah.

Larry also spoke at an awareness and fundraising event for theAfrican Graduate Entrepreneurship Institute held at the RotaractClub of Jumeriah. The AGE Institute empowers and trains youngsocial entrepreneurs in Uganda. By delivering these talks, Larryaims to influence young people and business majors to establishsocial enterprises.

In 2012, COINS established a company in the UAE, based inSharjah.

Larry Sullivan delivers talks in the Middle East

COINSFoundationsupportsrecovery in Haiti

The new home owners and construction team pose in front of thecompleted house

Larry at event for the African Graduate Entrepreneurship Instituteheld at the Rotaract Club of Jumeriah.

The American University of Sharjah, U.A.E.

sixteen

The nominations for the First Women Awards 2013 are now closed, and Realbusiness reports that manyoutstanding businesswomen are in contention for the awards.

The FWA awards, created by the CBI and Real Business magazine, serve to recognise outstanding businesswomenwithin their particular field of expertise. The Built Environment Award is one of a dozenprestigious categories of the First Women Awards, and COINS is proud to besponsoring the category for the second year running. Nominations are opento women in all areas of construction and the built environment,including architects, lawyers, consultants, engineers, quantitysurveyors, project managers and others working both directly inthe industry and providing services to the industry.

Judges will be looking for women who have achieved career orlife breakthroughs, ways in which women have broken newground or realised their success by doing things differentlyfrom the established norms of their organisation or industrysector. Similarly, they may have helped to remove barriers oropened up opportunities for others, or set out new pathwaysfor the future.

A shortlist will be selected in May and the winners announced atan Oscar style gala dinner at the Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square,London on June 12th hosted by sports personality and presenter,Clare Balding.

For further details, visit the First Women Awards website(http://fwa.realbusiness.co.uk/) or contact COINS by phone on 01753 501000.

Entry deadline: 5 April 2013Judging: May 2013Awards ceremony: 12 June 2013 at the Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London

First Women Award

Online voting for the £1000 grand prize winner of the COINS buildingsights photocompetition closed on the 31st of March. The winners are Terry Higginson andDarren Ruane for their photo of the demolition of the original A5120 bridge over theM1 Motorway at Junction 12 (©Costain Carillion Joint Venture).

The winning image is on the front cover of this issue of Insite.

You can see a gallery of some of the other entries at www.coins-global.com/buildingsights.

COINS buildingsights winner

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