Fit-outs of the 21st century: How Nexvia has helped Datum take fit-outs to the next level

When you work on as many fit-out projects as we do, staying efficient is key. Whether it’s pricing up a new job, organising sub-contractors, managing costs, or communicating progress, there’s a lot involved – and a lot of people who have to coordinate their activities. But keeping efficient is what allows us to pass on those efficiencies to clients – so we’re always looking for ways to improve.

That’s why a few years ago we decided to invest in technology that would centralise all our operations. We wanted something that would help us keep on top of budgets, give us greater visibility over our site progress, allow us to do health and safety audits, and enable better collaboration between the team. We chose Nexvia – a software designed and built for the fit-out industry.

“Nexvia was really created for and tested for fit-outs,” shares Tim de Groot, Nexvia’s General Manager. “We developed the product for one of the biggest fit-out companies in Australia. Anything they couldn’t find on the market is what this software does. 

“We’re finding that the industry is watching a lot more closely the actual costs of their projects. It’s always been what it was designed for, but being able to quote in different ways, stay on top of the costs of materials as those costs go through the roof, visibility over how delays in getting materials affect them – that visibility is the biggest reason most fit-out providers use Nexvia.”

We’ve found that visibility incredibly valuable, giving us live updates on how many hours have been used, what we’ve billed, how we’re tracking against budgets, and whether any variations are needed. That ensures we can keep clients updated with where their budgets and timelines are at and ensure they’re prepared for any changes. 

“One of our clients gets their fixtures from China,” shares Michelle Parkinson, our Client Relationship Manager. “The fixtures got delayed and we had to put in a huge amount of work into finding a solution, but because of the system, we could track all the time, logistics, courier fees etc. – basically any cost associated with the job. That meant there were no surprises for either us or the client.”

Not only has it increased visibility, but it’s also made us far more efficient – significantly reducing the time our project managers spend on paperwork, finding information, and reporting (while also saving a few more trees thanks to less paper running around the office!). That’s ensured we can pass on those efficiencies to clients.

Soon, our clients will also be able to take advantage of Nexvia, with a client portal allowing them access to programming, progress photos, variations, reports, status updates, and more. This will make it even easier to get up-to-the-minute information – especially useful if you’ve got an urgent query and your project manager isn’t available to answer their phone straight away.