Media Release
Perth Startup Works to Save the Government & Construction Industry Millions
Perth’s BuildSort is currently developing a solution based on blockchain technology that can help avoid many supply chain issues that contributed to the Perth Children’s Hospital delay.
PERTH, WA, 23 April 2018 – BuildSort, a Perth startup, is working to solve major issues in the building supply chain using blockchain and smart contract technologies, that if implemented can prevent similar troubles faced by the severely delayed Perth Children’s Hospital.
Negligence early in the supply chain of the $1.2b Perth Children’s Hospital project led to issues such as lead leaching tap fittings, asbestos in roof panels, and 900 substandard fire doors. These issues resulted in an almost three year delay in the project and cost $115 million.
The solution being built by BuildSort will allow government agencies, regulatory authorities, building professionals and contractors better manage the planning and building approvals process.
Being built on blockchain and smart contract technologies, the system will facilitate openness, transparency and trust amongst all stakeholders in the supply chain.
As a decentralised and incorruptible database, information stored on a blockchain system can be moved and stored securely and privately. Combined with Smart Contracts, defined as a self-executing contract with its terms written in computer code, administrative and bureaucratic components of the approvals process will be automated.
BuildSort’s use of these technologies will dramatically streamline processes, and assure record immutability and provenance, creating a supply chain with less risk.
Structural Engineer, Co-Founder and CEO of BuildSort, Chris Dorian states that: “If deployed appropriately, the solution can inject increased accountability, privacy, trust and efficiency into the construction supply chain, profoundly impacting the entire industry.
Most importantly, it will help deter such issues that could harm the very people the building was built for.
Driving by the Perth’s Children’s Hospital, it's easy to admire the building’s beauty, but it has embarrassed the WA Government and the contractors associated with the project.
We hope that BuildSort can alleviate many of the problems that cost project stakeholders, governments and end-users dearly.”
Currently, BuildSort is taking part in the Block Engine Incubator in Melbourne, where operation manager, Karen Cohen believes the BuildSort team will ‘’... spearhead the construction industry, making approvals faster and automated using its decentralised technology. They are paving the way for the future of the industry.’’
BuildSort has already attracted significant interest from large public and private organisations and is currently developing a prototype.
BuildSort is not the first startup led by CEO, Chris Dorian. His first technology venture, Builders E-Commerce, is a web application that uses geospatial data and satellite imagery to expedite the planning check and preparation process, allowing builders to qualify and generate plans for their customers in minutes. It is currently scaling up and about to enter into eastern states market.