The former chairman and chief executive of design, engineering and project management consultant Atkins, Mike Jeffries, has taken up the role of non-executive chairman at TenderSpace, a new digital procurement platform for construction projects that launched last week.
Jeffries has also become an investor in the digital start-up, which aims to connect clients in the public and private sectors with construction supply chain companies.
Since leaving Atkins in 2008, Jeffries has been chairman of mental healthcare provider Priory Group, car parking company NCP, Wembley National Stadium and consultant Mouchel. He is currently chairman of telecoms provider Wyless.
TenderSpace has been founded by surveyors David Stapleton and Emma Stapleton with the aim of simplifying and improving procurement processes in the property and construction industries.
"Any platform that potentially improves communication and transparency can only help businesses work better together. In an industry that thrives on relationships, TenderSpace creates an opportunity to manage existing relationships and to develop new ones."
Mike Jeffries, TenderSpace
Before setting up TenderSpace, the Stapletons ran Sherborne Land, a private property development and investment company concentrating on the south and south west of England, which specialised in retail park, leisure and office development.
The TenderSpace website contains a suite of tools that aim to connect, analyse and manage the workflows and processes involved in tendering and procuring construction projects.
The site allows contractors, suppliers, specialist contractors, tradespeople and professionals to directly pitch to clients for jobs, and also to source quotes and products.
It also allows suppliers to register via a simplified version of the industry standard PAS 91 Pre-Qualification Questionnaire.
Commenting on his investment, Jeffries added: “I have been involved in the construction industry for my entire working career. It is an industry built on trust and relationships but in recent years there has been an increasing need for those involved in the industry to broaden their relationships, in order to keep pace with change, much of which has been driven by technology.
“Any platform that potentially improves communication and transparency such as TenderSpace can only help businesses work better together. In an industry that thrives on relationships, TenderSpace creates an opportunity to manage existing relationships and develop new ones.”
In addition, David Stapleton told Construction Manager: “Developing and building can be a very complex process with so many stakeholders. With this site we are trying to simplify the processes and put everything in one place.”
