Founded in 1946, Ridge and Partners LLP is a leading multi-disciplinary property and construction consultancy with offices across the UK. With a strong reputation for delivering high-quality projects, Ridge supports clients in both the public and private sectors, offering tailored solutions to complex building and infrastructure challenges.
Recently, the firm undertook a large-scale global stock condition survey, assessing 750 buildings across 34 countries in just six months. Faced with tight deadlines and extensive data collection requirements, the team turned to GoReport to enhance efficiency, improve accuracy, and streamline reporting.
In this interview, George Williams, Associate Building Surveyor at Ridge and Partners LLP, discusses the challenges of the project, the benefits of digital data capture, and how GoReport played a pivotal role in its success.
Ridge and Partners LLP employs a diverse range of property specialists, including building surveyors, engineers, and sustainability consultants. George’s role in the building surveying team is focused on advising on existing buildings, where he and his team play a crucial role in supporting project delivery.
“We lead on supporting our projects with delivery,” George explains. “Our focus is on existing buildings rather than new-build projects, apart from development monitoring services.”
His recent project, an international asset maintenance survey, required an innovative approach to data collection and reporting. Initially attempting to deliver the surveys manually, the team quickly realised that the scale of the task was greater than anticipated, necessitating a shift to digital solutions.
Leveraging GoReport for a Global Surveying Challenge
The project covered 750 buildings across 34 countries, with a team of 16 surveyors working within a highly compressed six-month timeline. The goal was to conduct condition surveys and planned maintenance assessments while ensuring consistency and accuracy across the extensive portfolio.
“We initially tried to deliver the surveys manually, but it quickly became apparent that it was way more of a task than we anticipated,” says George. “One of the consultants we worked with engaged GoReport to develop an app for data capture, and we decided to share the app development with them. That allowed us to standardise our reporting process and ensure efficiency across the entire project.”
The ability to collect data swiftly and consistently while on-site was essential, given the limited time available at each location.
“The GoReport app allowed us to pre-populate fields, use drop-down options, and tag photographs directly to specific elements,” George says. “This significantly reduced desktop time, allowing us to focus on quality control rather than manual data entry.”
As the project involved working in multiple time zones, GoReport’s cloud-based functionality enabled real-time data uploads, which proved invaluable.
“We were flying into countries with very limited time on-site,” George explains. “The ability to capture data in real-time and upload it immediately meant that our UK-based team could begin reviewing and processing it before we had even left the site.”
Key Benefits of GoReport for the Project
One of the standout benefits for George was GoReport’s ability to enforce standardised survey inputs, reducing errors and inconsistencies in reporting.
“When you allow free typing, every surveyor might phrase things differently – like ‘paint,’ ‘redecorate,’ or ‘prepare and paint,’ which causes issues with standardisation,” he notes. “With GoReport, we could limit free type and rely on structured inputs, ensuring consistency across all reports.”
Beyond data consistency, the time-saving benefits were invaluable.
“The survey covered over a million data entry points,” George recalls. “Without an effective digital solution, manually handling that level of data would have been unmanageable.”
While using the app initially increased time on-site due to direct data entry, the post-survey time savings were significant.
“Typically, iPad data capture takes longer on-site, but where you really save time is back at the desk. Instead of transferring handwritten notes into a report template, the data is already structured and ready for review,” he explains. “It turned a process that previously took five days into one.”
Another major advantage was improved collaboration across the team.
“Surveyors could upload data before leaving the country, allowing the UK team to review it in real-time,” says George. “This immediate access streamlined quality assurance and made project oversight much more efficient.”
The responsiveness of GoReport’s team was also a significant benefit.
“GoReport was very good when we needed something quickly,” George adds. “They delivered the tools we needed fast, allowing us to rethink how we approached the surveying process.”
Customisation and Onboarding with GoReport
GoReport’s flexibility allowed the Ridge team to customise the system to fit their workflow.
“We could pre-populate cost rates and rearrange the data entry layout to suit our workflow,” George notes. “Unlike rigid off-the-shelf software, GoReport allowed us to configure it to match the specific needs of the project.”
When it came to onboarding, George emphasised the importance of hands-on experience.
“The only real way to learn the app is to use it,” he says. “We didn’t rely on manuals; surveyors just needed to get familiar with the tool in real-world conditions. There was a learning curve at first, but once we got past the initial phase, the efficiency gains were obvious.”
The structured data input also streamlined administrative tasks.
“The ability to structure and streamline the data input process made a huge difference,” George explains. “It meant we were focusing on actual surveying rather than spending time on unnecessary admin.”
GoReport also provided strong technical support, particularly for quality assurance during data review.
“When we had queries, there was always someone available to help us,” he says. “The support with the desktop application, in particular, was really useful.”
Long-Term Improvements and Future Use
The experience of using GoReport has led Ridge to rethink its approach to large-scale data capture, and standardisation has become a key focus for Ridge’s future projects.
“We’re learning how to structure our templates so surveyors don’t need to free type,” George explains. “This not only speeds up the process but also eliminates inconsistencies in how data is recorded.”
When asked whether he would use GoReport again, George is unequivocal.
“Definitely. We’re already looking at other opportunities where it can add value,” he says. “Where we can, we absolutely will.”
The efficiency of real-time data uploads has also had a lasting impact.
“We were able to upload survey data even before leaving the country, which meant the UK team could begin reviewing immediately,” George adds. “That level of efficiency was a game-changer.”
GoReport has proven to be an essential tool for Ridge, helping the firm deliver complex surveys within tight timeframes while ensuring high-quality data capture and reporting.
“The efficiency, accuracy, and time savings are undeniable,” George says. “When you’re dealing with hundreds of buildings and millions of data points, you need a structured, reliable system – and GoReport has delivered exactly that.”