CICE EngD Student wins CIOB Award

Steve Phillips MCIOB, a final year EngD student and Jim Martin FRICS of Martin Associates Chartered Surveyors have won the CIOB Faculty of Architecture and Surveying Premier Innovation Award for 'The Development of a Tender Support Tool OVID-BV' which was developed as part of Steve's EngD research at the Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering at Loughborough University.

The movement away from the traditional culture of acceptance of the lowest monetary bid tenders towards value based procurement, has presented the UK social housing sector with a number of challenges. Their innovation addresses some of the challenges that need to be overcome. OVID-BV, which is an acronym for Optimising Value In Decision-making using Best Value, has been developed into a software package that enables Registered Social Landlords to analyse both the quality attributes and whole life costing
element of contractors tender bid submissions to ensure that the tender decision making process is both transparent and auditable. The software can be used for a variety of social housing projects ranging from repair and maintenance works through to multi-million pound estate regeneration contracts.

Steve will receive £600 and a commemorative medal at the award ceremony which takes place in May.