ThirdWay Contracts Digitises Project Efficiency

The Challenge

The Challenge ThirdWay Contracts was relying on slow, paper-based processes which was not only time-consuming, but it also meant teams risked using out-of-date drawings. This hindered communication and resulted in more rework.

The Solution

Go to Work Faster: Teams no longer spent time digging through emails and folders for documents. Everything was consolidated in one easily accessible location.

Data Where You Need It: Instead of making trips between the site and office or working after hours, mobile access gave teams information in the palm of their hands.

Get it Right the First Time: With automated workflows, ThirdWay Contracts no longer had to rely on slow manual processes, helping improve efficiency, accuracy, and reducing rework.

Ditching Paper Processes

Before partnering with Procore, ThirdWay Contracts had a similar story to many office fit out contractors: they were largely relying on paper-based processes. They managed projects with Excel and Microsoft Word, and sharing documents meant downloading copies from the server and emailing them to various team members. This made it difficult to keep track of revisions and caused employees to work from out-of-date drawings. 

When Contracts Manager Steve Hopkins joined the team, he saw an opportunity to simplify and streamline. ‘Projects are becoming more complex, but the timeframes are getting shorter’, he explains. ‘So it has become more important than ever to get processes correct—you have to make sure you’re using the correct drawings and information at all times. We can’t afford to make mistakes. It’s important to deliver high-quality projects with minimal snags’. 

He notes that this high-quality delivery and a clean, efficient handover is imperative for client satisfaction and to grow repeat business—while also keeping profit margins high. Having had prior Procore experience, Hopkins decided to set up a meeting between his team and Procore to see how it could minimise rework and maximise profits. 

‘We had 12 people in the room—mostly directors or owners—and we asked some pretty tough questions to see what Procore was really capable of. From the minute they finished the presentation, we were sold’, he says. 

ThirdWay Contracts partnered with Procore soon after, and a smooth implementation followed. In fact, within just four weeks, the team had their first project up and running thanks in part to Procore’s London-based UK & Ireland Customer Success Team. Plus, with an intuitive interface and an entire suite of training videos and certifications, employees found the software easy to adopt and use. They also had access to friendly and knowledgeable support reps with an average response time of 30 seconds or less.

‘All of Procore’s support tools really help with a smooth implementation across projects’, says Hopkins. ‘The more our own staff and also the client teams use Procore, the more they realise how much time it saves them and how it covers them from a contractual perspective. They are then eager to implement it across more projects, and with Procore’s feedback strategy, the more people that use it, the better it gets. It’s like a snowball effect for everyone—from site managers to architects. We are now finding that client teams ask us in tender interviews if Procore will be implemented on their project’

Saving Time and Gaining a Work-Life Balance

Hopkins says that once on an £2m project, the team spent £1,500k on drawings that were obsolete in a week. He decided to use Procore on a 55 inch touch screen for the rest of the project, which provided digital drawings and eliminated the need for printed copies—saving thousands of pounds. He says that now with Procore, ThirdWay aims to get to a paperless site. 

The team didn’t just save hard costs. They found that they were able to better document project changes in an efficient way, and it was all in one place—accessible to them whenever they needed it. Plus, they saved hours with automated workflows. 

‘With Procore, it’s all about simplicity. You can do everything in a fraction of the time. Instead of doing administrative work, project managers can get back to focusing on what they’re actually employed to do, which is deliver high quality projects’, says Hopkins. 

With an on-site multimedia touch screen and iPads for all project managers on site, collaborators are working off of the same set of drawings, helping reduce rework. ‘When you see information on that screen, operatives are advised at their first site induction that this information is current and accurate, and you can build from it. There’s no out-of-date documentation. It takes away the risk that people are using the wrong documents and building incorrectly’, says Hopkins. 

But Procore didn’t just save time for project managers. Senior Technical Services Manager James Neame explains, ‘When I’m on site, any observations or issues go straight into Procore, and it gets sent out to the right people at the right time. This gives me more time to step back and look at the bigger picture, rather than being caught up in the day-to-day running of projects’. 

In fact, Neame says that Procore’s mobile functionality has reduced administrative work so much, that he doesn’t have a desk on site anymore. ‘I just turn up for an hour, meet the guys, walk around and check on things, and it’s all done either on my tablet or phone. Procore really streamlines everything’. He continues, ‘I can snag one floor in half an hour, whereas previously it would have taken the best part of an afternoon. We don’t have to do that anymore because it’s in my pocket, and we can all look at up-to-date information’. 

What’s more, using one system across all projects helped standardise processes which also improved productivity. ‘Procore has enabled me to take on more work throughout the day and throughout the week’, says Neame. ‘That means more projects and more tenders because the information is managed in a much more streamlined fashion’. 

Ultimately, saving time not only meant greater efficiency but also that teams could maintain a better work-life balance. At ThirdWay Contracts, fostering a good company culture and supporting employee wellness is key to their success.

The ThirdWay Recipe for Success

At its core, ThirdWay Contracts has one main principle that drives the company: ‘It all started with a few guys saying, "Why go down the traditional route when we can do things a little differently”? That’s where the company name came from: ThirdWay, or a third way of project delivery’, explains Hopkins. 

Unlike other solutions, Procore aligned well with this philosophy; it was customisable and allowed them to choose only the tools that fit their business needs. Director Rupert Shaw explains, ‘The fact that we can tailor the solution is good for us, and it’s a differentiator. We don’t want to adopt just any system. That wouldn’t be a third way—that would be the original way. We like to tailor things to our own design’. 

This ‘third way’ approach—never settling for the status quo and continually finding creative solutions—has become the hallmark of the company’s success. This means leveraging Procore not only to make employees’ jobs easier and boost client satisfaction, but also to help them attract top talent. 

‘It’s important that we offer young talent a system that they can adopt quickly. We don’t want to be seen as archaic— it’s important we have the right technology, especially for the younger generation. Procore has very much helped us attract the right people’, says Shaw. 

But attracting talent is only half of the equation; the other half is retaining those employees. Procore has helped ThirdWay Contracts do this by supporting more efficient processes, simplified workflows, and less rework— ultimately making their jobs easier. It also fosters seamless communication by giving collaborators greater visibility into the project. Hopkins says, ‘With Procore, we have an instant snapshot of the project that anyone can look at—from on site staff to director level’. 

While ThirdWay Contracts experienced a successful rollout internally, they also received great feedback from subcontractors and clients. ‘They love the simplicity. It doesn’t take them long to comment on drawings or reply to RFIs. They can do it straight from their phone. It makes the whole experience easy and stress free’, Hopkins says. 

He adds, ‘Moving to a different office is like buying a new house—it’s a stressful time. If we can make that journey easy and straightforward, they’re going to call for the next move. We get a lot of repeat business because of that. Procore makes it easy to maintain our contract obligations with regard to timing, information, and approvals. That makes everything a lot more stress-free from the client’s perspective’. 

This is a key part of the team’s approach to maintaining a healthy business. As Hopkins says, ‘It’s about working smarter, rather than longer. When you do, quality goes up and mistakes go down’. 

While ThirdWay Contracts’ commitment to clients ensures high quality, their dedication to employees ensures they have the tools and technology they need to build projects successfully. In doing so, they have bolstered their reputation and significantly grown their business. 

‘When people use Procore, they get it and they see that it works’, says Shaw. ‘It’s easy to use, and it definitely helps us win and secure business’.