Automating tendering processes with web services: A case study on building construction tendering in Hong Kong

Abstract

With the recent advancements and adoption of Web Service technologies, improvements can be made for tendering processes to solve B2B interoperability and integration problems. In this paper, we detail our Tendering Process Meta-model (TPM) to improve inefficient manual or semi-automated tendering process. We further demonstrate our approach in a case study of the building and construction industries, where contracting authority invite tenderers to submit an estimate of prices, detailing the costs associated with completing a building. In this way, the contracting authority can base their decision on the tender submissions to select the most suitable contractor. Currently in Hong Kong, many of such tendering processes are still mainly manual and paper based. The tenderers need to collect the tender's booklet, price it, and bring it back to the contracting authority's office before the deadline. In this paper, we present a design and implementation of an e-tendering system (ETS) based on our TPM by using Web services for the automation of such tendering processes. We also show how e-tendering reduces the problems that occur in the manual process and helps decision making.