Article written for Council of Educational Facility Planners International ~In the wake of heightened environmental consciousness, paperless bid services are being adopted by school districts in different parts of the country. The author says that by using new technological developments in this area, school districts will save valuable time and money.

2. TECHNOLOGY
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paperless Bid Services:
How Can Planners Benefit?
By Kelly Lawrence Maupin
In the wake of heightened environmental consciousness, paperless bid services are being adopted by school
districts in different parts of the country. The author says that by using new technological developments in this
area, school districts could save time and money.
W
hen the Federal 1997-98, first with CD distribution paperless distribution for their
Government adopted and finally with Internet-based members. Both McGraw Hill and Reed
paperless bid distribution distribution. The Corps became Construction Data, two major
in 1997 it was seen as a committed convinced to adopt the model when it businesses in this sector, closed or
step towards reducing paper waste. calculated that in the first full year of consolidated their nationwide physical
How has paperless bid distribution their pilot paperless bid distribution plan rooms and improved their online
evolved since then and what benefits program, the reduction achieved a plans and specs subscription services.
have been provided to those who use stack of paper that exceeded the They began scanning existing printed
a paperless method, besides the height of the Washington Monument! documents for distribution using
obvious reduction in paper waste? electronic formats. Soon, major growth
What is the environmental impact of Evolution of New Technology was driven by demand for electronic
using this paper bid distribution Speeds Up The Process services from recipients and most
method and are there downsides to service providers included at least
converting to a green paperless bid • Commercial Plan Rooms & some form of electronic distribution in
distribution method? Local Builders Exchanges soon their product offerings. The launch of
Interestingly, several individuals offered their own versions of Internet websites and software
involved in educational facilities
planning, acting independently in Example of Paper-Based Bid Distribution Process
widely different locations of the
country, played a significant role in
Project Owners
proving-out the technological
innovation that closes the critical gap
Architect
in an end-to-end electronic highway
used for document distribution in the
bidding of construction projects. In Print Shop
the process, they became
environmental stewards eager to shed
Plan Room General Contractor Sub-Contractor Supplier
a wasteful habit of unnecessary paper
consumption.
Example of Electronic Bid Distribution Process
The Evolution of Paperless Bidding
The trend towards paperless bid
distribution has been a progression Project Owner/
that has taken several years and Architect
numerous increments to arrive. Its
benefits are now demonstrated by
World Wide Web
thousands of users throughout the US.
Early Adopters
•Plan Room
• Federal Government •General Contractor
•Sub-Contractor
Agencies like the US Army Corps of •Supplier
Engineers and US Air Force adopted •Print Shop
paperless bid distribution as early as •Etc. . .
Educational Facility Planner / Volume 43: Issue 1 2
Reprinted with permission from CEFPI - Publisher

3. Statistical Environmental Impact of Paper Usage
improvements including electronic
takeoff and estimating; coupled with Paper production is one of the world’s largest consumers and polluters of fresh water
incremental increases in PC If the United States cut office paper use by just 10% it would prevent the emission of 1.6
processing power, storage capacities million tons of greenhouse gases -- the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road.
and communications speeds soon
Forests store 50% of the world's terrestrial carbon and are very important carbon dioxide
offered different options to distribute
sinks that hold onto pollution that would otherwise lead to global warming.
documents.
Half the world's forests have already been cleared or burned, and 80% of what's left has
Commercial Market Still Remains been seriously degraded.
Paper-Friendly 42% of the industrial wood harvest is used to make paper.
• Even though the paperless The paper industry is the 4th largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions among
movement derived its original United States manufacturing industries, and contributes 9% of the manufacturing sector's
carbon emissions.
momentum from major federal
agencies, the commercial market has software that was closely integrated green facility. The environmental
not substantially moved beyond paper with a Web site allowing design impact of an inefficient paper-based
as its main source of bid documents. professionals or project owners to process cannot be ignored. The average
Today, over 80 percent of distribute electronic bid packages that cost of paper bid distribution is about
commercial projects in the US still are freely accessible by anyone. The one percent of the value of the
are distributed via paper because site also functioned as a construction project, and includes
although printing of paper documents clearinghouse from which existing faxing, scanning, shipping/courier, and
(that were originally produced commercial re-distributors may of course... printing.
electronically) only to scan them back obtain projects for listing on their According to the U.S. Census
into an electronic form for own sites. By creating this single Bureau News, May 1, 2008, “During
distribution, is obviously very point of control for the document the first 3 months of this year,
inefficient and wasteful, it is a originator, the service makes it even construction spending amounted to
problem that has not been easy to more convenient than paper for them $241.6 billion”. This means that in the
solve. to issue a bid and in the process it first quarter of 2008 that almost two
During 2002-03 the Louisiana eliminates paper entirely. and a half billion dollars was spent on
component of the American Institute
the business of distributing primarily
of Architects (AIA), a non-profit
Is Paper Being Wasted? paper bid packages. With the average
professional association, undertook a There are still many local bid package weighing in at around 20
study of its member’s document planrooms and print shops that lbs and the average 30 bid packages
distribution practices. This study continue to scan paper plans from distributed per project, that’s
clearly revealed that their architects architects and owners. Obtaining the approximately 600 lbs. of paper per
had come to rely on print shops to paper plans means printing them first project. And while most of us can
distribute documents to as many as 30 (ironically, from their electronic agree that $2.5 billion is a lot of
or more different plan rooms and source program) then shipping them, money, the far-reaching, negative
select local contractors in the course sometimes clear across the country, environmental impact of the paper
of a bid. A similar service simply did which with the rising cost of fuel and industry is of greater importance.
not exist for electronic distribution the subsequent environmental impact, The Environmental Paper
and the absence of a suitable is not desirable. Shipping companies, Network, an alliance of environmental
electronic method, by default, meant such as FedEx have created whole groups that aims to minimize paper
that paper distribution continued to be industries based in part on the consumption, published an online
the norm. shipment of these documents report with startling statistics (see
Sensing that they had a unique worldwide. This leaves a very big insert).
opportunity to advance a solution that footprint that with today's access to
would benefit their industry, the AIA computers and the Internet can easily • Over half of the worlds’ forests
component went on to raise funds be avoided. have already been cleared and burned
from its membership to create a Individuals who pride and 80 percent of what’s left is serious
national Internet service to themselves on LEED certification degraded.
specifically address the issue, which should also focus on how they can • 42 percent of the industrial
was developed and put into use. The include a paperless distribution wood harvest is used to make paper.
key technology that this service offers service in the process of creating their
included electronic bid creation
Educational Facility Planner / Volume 43: Issue 1 3
Reprinted with permission from CEFPI - Publisher

4. • The paper industry is the 4th
largest contributor of greenhouse gas Recent Case Studies
and by cutting office paper
StruXture Architects, a 24 member firm in Iowa specializes in pre-school
consumption by just 10 percent could through university level design in the Upper Midwest. Geof Grimes, AIA,
prevent emissions of 1.6 million tons REFP (and Principal at StruXture) took an early lead incorporating
of greenhouse gases. electronic document distribution services in bidding their design projects.
He explains, "We first looked at a way to save paper as we were throwing
Source: Environmental Paper away a number of plan sets after the bid award. By using a digital
Network document distribution provider, we reduced the number of printed sets by
two-thirds, and we got even wider distribution of our bid documents. The
method is wonderful for suppliers as it eliminates that added cost in
Using the Green Bid Methodology postage to send out paper sets and they can access the information
The green bid methodology is immediately. Owners love this method as it is less expensive, yet there is
usable by any school district no reduction in the number of bids they receive.” Besides, “We are able to
regardless of location. As evidenced instantaneously send out addenda to the project which saves time and
by the experiences of these money and again significantly reduces paper, our original goal."
educational planners it doesn't matter Rick Dallman, Director of Facilities and Maintenance for the South West
if your school or college is in the Region School District in Alaska, recently utilized this method commented:
remotest part of Alaska, the heartland “We would have expected to pay $20,000 – $25,000 providing paper sets.
Posting electronically saved about $16,000.” Not only did the district save
of America, the most southern parish on their printing costs but the rural school project in Alaska had an
of Louisiana or an inner city school in awarded bid that was more than $4 million below budget due to the
New York; free national access to the competitive bid environment provided by an open Internet site, where all
project plans and specifications to all interested parties from across the nation were able to freely access the bid
interested parties means you will get documents.
greater participation with guaranteed Thus, paperless documentation services offer:
more competitive bids, including • A green approach that has minimal environmental impact
suppliers of the specialty items you • The ability to reach a wider audience, no geographical boundaries
are looking for to build a healthy, safe • Substantial cost savings with reduced printing
and green facility. • Full control of bid process
You Need Resolve to Adopt A
Greener Workflow Process to receive electronic documents, over downloaded the project files, who has
There are a few hurdles 80 percent of commercial projects in added their company to the prime
regarding using a paperless bid the US are still distributed via paper. bidders list, who has received the
distribution service, whether it is With the final key technology now addenda via download, and all of this
changing an internal workflow available that completes the trend information is readily accessible 24/7
process or overcoming a small towards full paperless, electronic bid with real time statistics.
technology learning curve. However, distribution, there is no longer any _______________________________
there is really only ONE major need to print or scan documents. Kelly Lawrence Maupin, is vice-
roadblock to adopting a more Today, the design professional president of MaxView Corporation, a
environmentally friendly green bid creates his/her plans and specs Seattle-based electronic bid
distribution method and it involves electronically (as most already do), distribution and estimating software.
ones own internal resolve. How do then instead of printing out paper bid She is also vice-president of AEPlans,
you stop smoking, quit biting your sets for pick up by a local print shop an electronic clearinghouse for project
nails, lose that extra weight that is who will then scan the documents and bid documents. She has spoken at
adversely affecting your health? Any print and ship them to a plan holders Federal, State, and local municipalities
change of habit comes from within, list, the architect will create his as well as regional AIA conferences
your own desire to change, to commit electronic bid package and manage regarding the processes of paperless
to taking whatever steps are necessary the whole project upload process bid distribution.
to achieve the goal. To commit to directly from his workstation in his
using a different, more efficient, more office and distribute the plans and The service and methodology
environmentally friendly bidding specs electronically via the Internet. discussed in this article is provided
process, you need the resolve to He or she will then have the ability to by AEPlans Ltd, and is commended
overcome any issues that arise. track their own project bid response by various AIA Components around
Even though current available with access to project statistic reports the nation.
technology provides for the recipients over the Internet to see who has
AEPlans Ltd 5208 South 2nd Ave, Everett, WA 98203 · Tel: (800) 220-1298· Fax: (425) 423-0568
Educational Facility Planner / Volume 43: Issue 1 4
Reprinted with permission from CEFPI - Publisher