The Forum, staged last week, agreed that the industry must begin to prepare actively for the introduction of HIPs early in January 2007.
Speaking at the Forum, Cathy Cant, HIPs programme manager at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), said everything was running to schedule for launch around that time, though she would not be drawn on a specific date.
She stressed the need for information standards to enable the industry to meet the challenge and confirmed that her department was 'working with PISCES' to bring this about.
She said: “We need to get HIPs delivered and we need to set out a standard.”
PISCES director-general, Roger de Boehmler, said government involvement would 'bring about the private and public sector co-operation this needs, and make the work groups genuinely representative of our industry'.
The PISCES HIP Workgroup will liaise closely with the ODPM, following its invitation to participate in key meetings prior to finalising HIP implementation policy.
Visualfiles chairman, Neil Ewin, a PISCES director who is leading the HIPs work group initiative, outlined the initial work group timetable.
He said: “We need to gather a representative community of interested stakeholders who can commit the necessary time and effort to fully contribute to the development of the high level process map and identification of the appropriate vocabulary.
The initial meetings will identify communication interface points and start to establish a common exchange standard for the whole industry.”
The Forum attracted 125 delegates including a broad range of commercial and residential market leaders.
