Rubbing shoulders with the top names exhibiting at Highways Management 2016, Pillar Software will be promoting a new product whose story demonstrates the greater emphasis on collaboration in the sector that the conference embodies.
The Profess Roads Cost Manager software includes capture and analysis for all costs and was developed over three years in partnership with a working group of councils comprising the Ayrshire Roads Alliance, Falkirk, East Renfrewshire and North Ayrshire councils and Leeds City Council.
This working group met four to six times a year during the development of the software and continues to do so to help drive continuous improvements to the product as well as each other.
A senior manager at North Ayrshire Council said: ‘Our working group sought to establish a best practice approach to monitor and control costs attributed across all of the roads infrastructure assets.’
A representative from Ayrshire Roads Alliance added: ‘We were delighted to be working with other authorities and Pillar Software on the development of Profess Roads Cost Manager - a very flexible cost management system, which can be easily adapt to meet any future needs. The user-friendly screens, report and export process allows access to the most up to date expenditure and income at the click of a button.’
The software system has functionality to cover labour, materials, stock, direct-to-site deliveries, fleet and plant as well as overheads and income. It also stock and stores, day/job sheets, purchase orders and payments and links to Profess Time Manager – a back-office costing product from Pillar.
Carl Spiby, executive director at Pillar Software, said: ‘We’ve been delivering costing solutions in local government for over 20 years. But this new product – Roads Cost Manager – has looked beyond staff costs and presented a dashboard-driven view of all costs for works departments. It’s been so successful Falkirk Council have already rolled it out beyond their roads setting and now use it their estates section.
‘I’ve never worked with such a dynamic group of people. Together we’re building mutual success, which is really vibrant approach to austerity, while embracing change and looking to the future. Each council attend with both management and key admin and finance staff – together they represent years of knowledge. Our part is to translate those needs into a low-admin, easy to use and data-rich solution.’
Surveyor's Highways Management 2016 conference in Coventry on 20-21 September will examine the key challenges facing the UK highways sector, both local and national, by addressing the legislative, economic and environmental factors that will influence the delivery of local highways management.
For the full programme and to register click here.
