Construction Sector Deal – Implementing the Constructing Excellence Vision

Constructing Excellence was delighted to see the announcement of the Construction Sector Deal earlier this month.  The deal clearly reflects the important role that the sector plays in underpinning economic growth across the entire economy.  After all the delays in getting it published we need to now get on with the implementing the deal.

The three strategic areas of the deal have clear alignment with our own Vision of digital, offsite manufacturing and whole life performance, driven by clients.  Better procurement, fairer payment, digital and manufacturing technologies are areas that we as a movement have been promoting for some time and this deal provides us with the opportunity to make change happen at a wide scale.

With £170 million R&D funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund there is serious money on offer for firms and projects who want to try something different and better.  However, this is predicated on £250 million of directly aligned investment from the industry.  We need to ensure that leading industry firms and bigger projects step up to the opportunity.

The deal is not just about the major players, the focus on fairer payment terms and standardised procurement methods is excellent news for SMEs and we are sure will be welcomed by the many SMEs that make up our regional and club network.

The focus on people, specifically around attracting new skillsets and diverse workforce into the industry is very much aligned with Generation4Change, with its focus on the image of the industry.

Benchmarking performance is a key element of the deal and over the coming weeks and months Constructing Excellence will be ramping up its activities around KPIs and benchmarking.  Expect some news on this soon!

In short, we very much welcome the Construction Sector Deal, however we now need to work collectively to make sure it is implemented effectively.  As Constructing Excellence members, we encourage you to take up the baton and make sure we are at the forefront of delivering the deal.