Technology

CivilShare: Bringing the market together

By Regan Burke, operations manager, ICB

WE WORK IN AN industry that’s under the pump, especially now. Additional infrastructure and housing is urgently needed, there’s a shortage of labour, a strain on resources and we’re incredibly time poor.

I reckon as an industry we need to make better use of the resources that are available to us. Too frequently equipment lies idle or material is wasted or unused. I also know this is real tough to solve when there isn’t an easy way to do it. There’s not only a financial cost to all this, but environmental issues also come into play.

That’s why we created CivilShare, a new app for any and all workers in the construction industry, because we live in a society that has vast knowledge and experience but no real platform or area to be able to share those resources or ideas.

We connect people.

How to download it

Shoot to your app store (Apple or Android) and search CivilShare. It’ll pop straight up. Download.

If you want to use it on your computer, just go to 
http://app.civilshare.co.nz.

After logging in users register their contact details and list areas of interest, whether they’re buyers or sellers.

Sellers can add a listing and buyers can browse and search for materials and equipment. Then CivilShare connects the buyers with sellers so they can make the transaction. If a buyer can’t find what they want immediately, CivilShare will register their interest and then send a location-based alert when the item becomes available.

For more information go to www.civilshare.co.nz or email us on civilshare@civilshare.co.nz.

CivilShare brings people together who normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to talk to each other. We believe this is because people in our industry enjoy the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas.

It is a marketplace that puts people directly in touch with each other without anything or anyone else getting in the way.

Let’s face it, we’re our most scarce resource. We all have too many demands and too little time. This app is designed to make things happen quickly. And you only need to go to one place for a sale, a purchase or an answer to a question.

It is also easy to use.

Making it easy to use meant reducing the number of steps to do anything, removing complexity and making the best use of technology.

CivilShare is uncomplicated and intuitive. Downloading the app and registering takes two minutes. And then three minutes to add a listing and upload some images.

The examples of when people could use it vary in scale and type, but what’s common is the opportunity to make a transaction quickly and simply, while bearing in mind that some will be more urgent than others.

Here are some typical examples.

You’re on-site and two cubic metres of reinforcing steel is left over and needs to be gone by the end of the next week. Simply open the app, hit ‘Create Listing’ and fill in the blanks, take a photo and hit ‘Post’ – all on your phone, right then and there. Maybe you require a specialist excavator for tomorrow – jump onto the app and search ‘excavator’. All excavators and/or excavator operators will appear showing what’s close by. Simply hit ‘enquire’ or ‘shake’ and your done!

You may have an urgent cancellation – post it on the site and anyone who has been asked to be notified about that type of sale will get an instant push notification. Easy advertising.

Using CivilShare will lower costs, enable more efficient deployment of internal resources and will have a positive impact on the environment. This app is open to everyone in the civil construction industry. It provides a platform for people to talk and trade. It gives members choice, immediacy and transparency.

The impact of CivilShare will grow exponentially as new members join. It will create a broader marketplace, more opportunities to talk and trade, and an increase in the benefits to the industry and it is free to use.

This article first appeared in Contractor August 2017.

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