Duane McCreadie FCIOB, vice-chair of the the CIOB NI hub and construction director for Sacyr UK & Ireland, has developed his own software focused on improving quality.
QualiT, an AI and human-in-the-loop platform, is designed to improve quality across the construction lifecycle, helping teams prevent defects, reduce rework and deliver projects to the highest standard every time, first time. It “brings together practical site experience and smart technology to create a simple, repeatable way to drive zero‑error performance”, according to McCreadie.
With his technology partner Myth Digital, he has spent 18 months developing this platform. It has been tested on two large construction projects with data showing positive results.
At Sacyr, McCreadie has been involved in delivering several major projects in Belfast, including Grand Central Station, Ulster University’s Belfast campus, the Grand Central Hotel and the Ulster rugby stadium. He will maintain his role at Sacyr.
Turn losses into measurable gains
McCreadie said: “Delivering a high level of quality on construction projects is of critical importance, and yet it remains one of the industry’s biggest and most costly challenges. I want to make sure that our teams have the information they need, in an easy-to-access way when they need it.
“The idea for QualiT came from wanting to build a tool that would support the industry in turning those losses into measurable gains. Based on our early deployment modelling, our tool has the potential to save the industry £2.4m every hour [savings estimate based on modelling and sector-wide error cost research by GIRI – ed] by preventing avoidable errors and by capturing learnings so teams don’t repeat the same mistakes.”
He added: “QualiT allows contractors to store essential project-specific information to document how decisions were made, which is necessary to keep the golden thread of information and remain compliant with the Building Safety Act.
“We have worked with a trusted and experienced group of contributors, who are experts in their fields, to build step-by-step best practice guides to support teams on construction sites. We have added to this functionality with the power of AI software to empower organisations to plan with clarity, build with confidence, deliver excellence and get it right the first time.”
