The UK’s Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, RICS, has today launched a range of survey templates for mobile devices, exclusively delivered by the integrated surveying and asset management software vendor Kykloud.
Since its launch in early 2012, the north-east England-based business has attracted considerable attention for its time- and cost-saving asset management (post) and surveying (post) capabilities, delivered using a combination of iPad and Software-as-a-Service. Last week it was lauded for its achievements by government minister Chloe Smith at a London BIM conference.
The new RICS approved templates will enable building surveyors and other members of the profession to use mobile technology safe in the knowledge that the reports they produce meet RICS standards. The Kykloud template range includes:
- dilapidation surveys
- commercial building surveys
- stock condition surveys
- planned maintenance surveys
- energy and carbon audits
- housing surveys, and
- valuation surveys.
Kykloud CEO Ed Bartlett says:
“Over the past 12 months, the benefits of mobile technology to the surveying industry have been proven repeatedly, with surveyors using iPad technology reducing surveying time by up to 50%, increasing accuracy and consistency across portfolio-wide schemes and increasing their competitiveness, resulting in more successful tenders.
“… The RICS approved template surveys will offer reassurance to individuals and organisations who are at present slightly hesitant about using mobile technology.”
The announcement coincides with a RICS conference on building surveying in London, where Kykloud is a sponsor and will be demonstrating the technology. I believe this is the first time RICS has partnered with a software vendor to deliver construction technology services; it previously developed its own online tools – eg: for e-tendering (post) and for JCT contract management (soon to be discontinued; post).
The RICS endorsement of Kykloud echoes similar arrangements elsewhere in the SaaS sector. For example, NEC contract guidelines and flowcharts have been officially licensed to SaaS construction collaboration vendors 4Projects and Conject since December 2010 (post).
Kykloud Mobile Building Surveying from kykloud on Vimeo.
Update (4.30pm, 25 April 2013) – At the invitation of Kykloud, I attended part of the RICS conference mentioned above. In between the refreshment breaks (the Kykloud stand appeared to attract a lot of interest), Ed told me that Kykloud is planning to make its application available across other mobile operating systems later this year – we talked about both Android and Microsoft Surface devices.
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Hello
You have raised some very interesting points here. We use this technology in Australia, and have been for some time now. It’s great!
Seeya
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