Kier Group plc, a leading infrastructure, construction and developments group, has equipped its workforce with AI-powered assistant Microsoft 365 Copilot. With hundreds of projects across the UK, this is the latest digital tool to support productivity, collaboration and access to information across the organisation.
As part of the Group’s new three-year agreement with Microsoft, it is investing in rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot to thousands of colleagues as well as Microsoft Teams Premium licences for its 10,000 strong workforce, spanning site and office-based roles.
Supporting rollout and adoption, its learning and development teams have created training programmes for colleagues, which are already showing that confidence in using AI has increased to 87%, ensuring the Group’s technology and talent are working effectively together.
This latest access to digital and AI builds on Kier’s range of tools that support its leading approach to digital integration in the built environment. Adopting a whole-project lifecycle to digital integration, the Group has won various awards, including digital construction excellence at the Construction News awards for its pioneering approach on HMP Five Wells, its use of building information modelling (BIM) and digital delivery with its component tracking in complex supply chains at HMP Millsike, as well as completing phase 1 of the UK’s first public sector Digital Twinning Project with the Ministry of Justice.
The Group was the first in construction to offer a digital apprenticeship and now offers this role as part of its annual apprenticeship intake. As well as using drones, robotics and automation in its daily operations, Kier’s also been carrying out vital health and safety training for its people and supply chain through a unique virtual reality experience.
Stuart Togwell, chief executive of Kier, states:
Building on our collaboration with Microsoft, we’ve integrated Copilot into our everyday working environment which is fuelling our productivity and further strengthening our ability to provide a standout service for our customers. Our ambition is about being Naturally Digital, which means bringing together our people, platforms and ways of working so we can work smarter and deliver better outcomes. Through this partnership with Microsoft, we’re even closer to realising our ambitions.
Theo Michalopoulos, General Manager, Enterprise Commercial, Microsoft UK & Ireland, said:
Kier’s focus on frontier transformation is a perfect example of the momentum we’re seeing across the UK to adopt secure, AI-powered tools at scale. Kier is empowering its people from knowledge workers through to field-based roles with technology that can enhance decision-making, strengthen collaboration and support more efficient delivery across its projects, placing AI at the heart of their growth strategy. We’re excited to see how Kier continues to drive impact for its colleagues, customers and the communities it serves.
Earlier this year, the Group also announced a trio of leadership appointments in digital, data and enterprise applications.