Interlock was a subsidiary of Causeway, but it provided CITE, an independent organisation, with administrative support and technical back-up. As part of the deal, Tim Cole, managing director of Interlock and community manager of CITE, is stepping down from both posts. He remains a director of Causeway.
Cole said: "I will maintain my support for CITE's work, but my day-to-day responsibility is to Causeway. There was a perception that there could be a conflict of interest for Interlock and myself, so rather than let that become a problem, CITE decided to buy Interlock.
This will also allow CITE to develop on its own basis."
He added: "I became involved with Causeway originally to push the CITE standards in a web-based application, which I will continue to do."
IT consultant Peter Vice, formerly with Laing and a founder member of CITE, will take over Cole's position. However, an industry insider questioned whether CITE would be any more independent because of Cole's resignation. "It's just an attempt to put some distance between Causeway and CITE. In my opinion it won't make CITE anymore independent," he said. "Tim Cole has spent years building up CITE; I can't see him giving it all away. I'm sure he will still have a say in what goes on."
The insider added that many in the industry perceived CITE as not independent previously, because of its links with Causeway.
Causeway has continued its policy of acquisitions with the purchase of software company Cornix, which makes the visual brick database Brickfinder. It will be integrated into Causeway's Specnet product selection service.
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Construction Manager