The first edition of the CIS Report was published on the 19th May 1972, a date lodged in the memory of the company's founder Paddy Hayes. He saw a business opportunity in creating a report of pipelined construction projects, by obtaining key information from Planning Office files and creating a hardcopy Report to sell to top construction companies at the time at just IR£19 for a 3-month subscription. The first customer of the CIS Report was John Paul Construction Limited, based in Windy Arbour, Dublin, who remain a valued customer to this day.
CIS has well outperformed the average business life expectancy for an SME. It has witnessed much change over this period in both the industry and business environments. The major reason for CIS's continued success is its ability to adapt to change, to innovate and take advantage of the many opportunities it encountered on its journey thus far.
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In 2007, following a strategic review of our business and the needs of our customers, CIS invested in new technologies and data gathering processes to enable us to deliver our project opportunity information Online to meet our customers’ requirements for Real-Time Data. This investment decision proved to be the catalyst which enabled CIS to trade through the recessionary period.
Today, through continuous investment in our Online Service providing Real-Time advance information on activity in the Construction Industry on an All-Ireland basis, we are also developing new channels and links for distributing our factual and verified information. We have recently launched a number of exciting new developments including 'Mapping', which plots the GPS co-ordinates of each project and 'Company Connections', which allows you to identify who your competitors and potential customers are working with. Last year we opened our office in Banbridge and are now the only company to have researchers on the ground in Northern Ireland. We are also in the process of re-developing our Website, which will utilise the latest technologies in order to enhance our customer experience.
As part of our ongoing strategy we have a new service called CIS Insights, which currently provides bespoke research for various companies, government departments and organisations including the Construction Industry Federation on construction activity analysis and project monitoring.
In 2012, CIS acquired its main competitor in Northern Ireland and in 2015 opened its Northern Ireland office in Banbridge, Co. Down. Tom continues to explore and develop the technological functionality and platforms, and CIS will be launching a number of new exciting developments imminently.
Today the company's head office is in Beacon Court, Sandyford. It now has customers from over 100 business categories including Professionals, Contractors, Sub-contractors, Financial Services and Suppliers of goods and services. CIS now employs over 20 people and is commonly referred to as the 'The Bible of the Industry'.
This milestone provides CIS with the opportunity to thank its many valued and loyal customers, both present and past, and we look forward to continuing our journey delivering quality, comprehensive and timely information for the Irish Construction Sector.
