Do you want to take control of your materials procurement this year? Now is the perfect opportunity to refresh your supplier list, review pricing agreements and ensure you’re getting the best deals
With reports suggesting it might be a tough year for the construction industry, procurement teams need to ensure they’re working more efficiently, quickly finding suitable suppliers and ensuring they’re receiving a fair price.
Having a solid materials procurement process is a key contributor to project success.
What is The Build Chain?
The Build Chain is an online procurement platform. In just four simple steps, the process of buying materials becomes more efficient:
- Submit one simple enquiry form for the materials you need.
- Connect instantly with suppliers local to site.
- Compare quotes based on price and location in one centralised dashboard.
- Buy direct from the supplier of choice.
The solution also includes reports so users can accurately assess things like which suppliers are used most often, how quickly they respond to enquiries, and the typical distance of suppliers from site.
Why was The Build Chain created?
The Build Chain was created in response to the issues facing the construction industry, including price inflation, poor product availability, and slow uptake of new digital solutions.
The founders’ experience in both construction and digital meant they recognised there was a huge opportunity to utilise technology to tackle these challenges.
The goal was to build a solution that would enable procurement teams to work more efficiently and reduce costs, allowing construction projects to keep moving during uncertain times.
In addition to this, the construction industry is facing increasing pressure to operate more sustainably. With its emphasis on suppliers local to site, the platform helps contractors
reduce the emissions associated with transporting materials to site by reducing the distance materials need to travel.
How does The Build Chain address the issues facing the construction industry?
Using The Build Chain for materials procurement can reduce the cost of materials and significantly speed up the time it takes to find and buy what is needed.
It does this by removing the need for buyers to spend large amounts of time seeking suitable suppliers through manual, repetitive tasks like trawling search engines and calling multiple suppliers individually.
Instead, users of the platform only need to submit one enquiry form and suppliers will reach out to them directly. The efficiency of this process means it’s easy to expand supply chains and removes the reliance on existing suppliers and pre-agreed rates which may no longer be competitive.
“The Build Chain was created in response to the issues facing the construction industry, including price inflation, poor product availability, and slow uptake of new digital solutions.”
Because quotes from suppliers are received in a single dashboard, it’s easy to compare quotes at a glance. This, alongside the option to add existing suppliers to the platform, makes it simple to benchmark pricing and ensure any agreements with suppliers are competitive.
Users of The Build Chain report that using the platform saves hours per project and ensures they’re getting the best price for materials.
As well as reducing the distance materials need to travel to site, The Build Chain also allows manufacturers who have worked hard to create sustainable products and packaging to showcase their brand to contractors and merchants using the platform.
This increases awareness of more sustainable products and enables contractors and merchants to make more informed decisions about the impact of the materials they choose to purchase, ultimately increasing the sustainability of each project.
What does The Build Chain have planned for 2024 and beyond?
Following the successful pilot and nationwide rollout in 2023, The Build Chain is looking to expand quickly in 2024. With over 500 merchant branches, the platform is well-equipped to assist contractors across the UK.
User feedback is being used to drive improvements to the solution to ensure it is meeting the needs of contractors. One key area of focus in the coming months is the reports provided via the platform: these will be updated in direct response to what users of the platform have said will provide the most value to them.
The Supply and Fit side of the platform is also being expanded to allow subcontractors to offer works packages via the system alongside the core materials procurement functionality.
To ensure contractors have access to the products they need, new manufacturers, particularly those with a strong focus on sustainable products, are being onboarded on to the platform.
This will help both the contractor and merchant user bases make informed decisions about the materials they purchase through Virtual Exhibitions hosted by the manufacturers on The Build Chain and increase awareness of potential alternatives to the materials and products they already use so projects won’t be disrupted by product availability issues.
The Build Chain is also being expanded to other user groups. A new branch of the platform designed to support architects is in development. This will bring The Build Chain into the construction cycle at an earlier process, ultimately delivering more transparency of the procurement process to key project stakeholders.
This increased visibility of who is ordering what materials will mitigate issues like under- or over-ordering certain materials and deliver more cohesion across different project teams.
The team at The Build Chain is looking forward to an exciting year ahead, continuing to support the construction industry to deliver long-lasting positive changes in materials procurement.
Neil Sheldon
CEO
The Build Chain
Tel: +44 3300 532 193
*Please note that this is a commercial profile.
