Fulton Hogan embraces digital tools, reduces administrative burden

In the world of infrastructure contracts, change isn't always welcome. When you have a skilled team and established processes, the introduction of a new, mandatory software platform by a client can feel more like a disruption than a solution. This was the situation facing Fulton Hogan Southland. Introduced to CONQA by their client, Invercargill City Council, they were initially skeptical about adding a new digital tool to their belt. Yet, by embracing the change, they not only met their client's needs but also discovered a powerful new way to save administrative time, streamline their workflows, and strengthen stakeholder trust.

Overcoming apprehension

The local team had never used the platform before and, critically, had just invested time and effort into improving their own internal ITP documents. This created a roadblock: how could they justify adopting a new system when their existing one was familiar and recently upgraded?

That initial scepticism quickly faded. The CONQA onboarding team didn't arrive with a rigid, one-size-fits-all product. Instead, they took the ITP documents Fulton Hogan had already perfected and simply digitised them into the platform. This collaborative approach was the turning point, showing that the goal wasn't to replace Fulton Hogan's proven process, but to enhance it.

"Our concerns were short lived following introductory discussions and training with CONQA who then used the ITP we had generated to digitise it into their platform"

No more paper chase

Once implemented, the benefits of a single, real-time platform enabled real efficiency gains across the entire project. An immediate impact was the reduced administrative burden on the site teams. The classic, time-consuming process of transporting pieces of paper from worksite into office, to be scanned or filed and images manually sent from one person to another and filed against paper ITPs. 

"The platform also enables site foremen to load crucial photographs and documents against the respective sign off items, saving time compared to the usual method of having the foremen come into the office, upload their photos to a manager’s computer who would then have to file them to an ITP folder."

This simple change meant managers no longer had to file photos or chase down information, freeing up both site staff and the client to focus on more productive work.

Greater efficiency increases client trust

This newfound efficiency on site had a direct and immediate impact on stakeholder collaboration. With a single source of truth available to all parties, weekly client meetings are no longer administrative hurdles, spent debating whether a physical piece of paper has been signed off yet. With CONQA's digital interface and single source of truth, meetings are now product forward-looking discussions.

"With CONQA, there is the ability to sign off portions of the ITP during weekly client meetings... there are no longer any debates about signing off a physical sheet of paper, and no fear of forgetting to bring it to a meeting."

For Fulton Hogan Southland, the greatest benefit is the confidence that coms from a seamless, reliable system. The intuitive design enabled rapid adoption, and has resulted with a clear return on investment. As Joe concludes, the implementation of CONQA “has saved hours of administration that often gets left too long or forgotten about.”