Finding a Middleware ICT Solution for the Irish Construction SME Sector

A key feature of the Irish construction industry is its fragmented structure. Some 16,000 businesses list their main activity as construction, yet no company has more than 3% of the total Irish output. The top 20 companies have less than 15% of total output. There is a very high number of Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SME‟s) in the sector. However, most software products which address the specific needs of the construction industry are designed for larger companies. It is felt that the needs of the large number of SME‟s in the sector are underserved. The Construction IT Alliance (CITA) under is Enterprise Innovation Network (EIN) programme has launched a programme of meetings and discussions with SME‟S, and their representative bodies in the industry to identify their particular information technology needs and their usage of currently available software products. It is proposed to undertake a programme designed to develop a viable product/services solution to address agreed information technology needs of the construction industry. This paper will report on the status of a strategy adopted by CITA to progressively evaluate and refine ideas, and ultimately identify the Information Communication Technology (ICT) product offering for its SME members