Case Study: NCC achieves a paperless, efficient procurement workflow with Cobuilder

NCC introduces a new data management process

NCC, one of the leading construction and property development companies in the Nordics (nearly SEK 57 billion in sales and 17,000 employees), needed a paperless, standardised workflow for specifying and procuring building elements. Inconsistent terminology, differing data models and fragmented systems made it time-consuming to secure data quality and exchange information across architects, manufacturers and contractors. To address this, NCC partnered with Cobuilder, using Data Templates and a prototype tool called Specify to introduce a common data structure and technical language.

Cobuilder implemented the Specify prototype and Data Templates, and used IFC as a neutral exchange format to enable a seamless, staged procurement workflow from architects to manufacturers and back. As a result, NCC achieved a more efficient, paperless process, maintained the “golden thread” of information, enriched its Construction Elements Database (CEDB) for historical analysis, and reported improvements in forecasting and cost estimation, with clearer prospects for further automation and database integrations.

NCC

Egil Berg

Digital Business Development Manager