Category: Opinion
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Government housing targets are a bitter lemon
Angela Rayner may have dodged a bullet by leaving her housing post, writes Gleeds’ Richard Steer. (Image: Peter Cox via Dreamstime.com) Sometimes when life delivers you lemons, you just need to make lemonade. Not the great wisdom of Cicero or a towering political luminary like Winston Churchill. No, this homespun advice came from Beyoncé after…
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As a trainee cost manager, I’m shocked by construction’s complacency
Although construction has the tools and frameworks to make the industry more collaborative and safer, collective willingness to change is still missing, argues Sabrina Abdullaahi. Image: Kalman89 | Dreamstime.com As a trainee cost manager, I’ve spent the last year exploring how construction projects are shaped by budgets, deadlines and the constant push to deliver more…
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‘Construction cannot cope with requirements of 1.5m new homes target’
A selection of readers’ comments about news and issues in the industry from across the CIOB community and social media. The government has pledged to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2029. Image: Roger Utting | Dreamstime.com ‘1.5 million homes is completely achievable – but they must be good quality’ Former Mace director Mike Reader…
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Why climate and nature literacy must be the new baseline for construction
As chair of the Construction Industry Council’s (CIC) Climate Change Committee, I have seen how good intentions falter without a shared foundation of knowledge. Architects, engineers, contractors and clients face mounting expectations, from evolving UK sustainability standards to investor-driven ESG requirements. Yet the sector still faces a significant knowledge and skills gap. We are often…
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What can construction take from the party conference season?
CIOB policy chief Eddie Tuttle reflects on the key messages from Labour and the Conservatives during the autumn conferences Sir Keir Starmer. Image: Dreamstime As in previous years, our planning led us to meetings with politicians, stakeholders and organisations where we felt we could have the greatest impact. As members expect, we aim to deploy…
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Inflation indices: one size does not fit all
Figure 1 shows CPI and CPIH to be stable compared to construction indices, suggesting practicality in benchmarking and financial planning. Meanwhile, BCIS’s All-in TPI saw high inflation early on, but since 2021, the Infrastructure Output Price Index and Civil Engineering TPI have been more volatile. Civil Engineering TPI had nine quarters of year-on-year changes over…
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Building performance verification is construction’s next competitive battleground
Ahead of World Sustainability Day on 29 October, Willmott Dixon’s Doug Drewniak says it’s time to time to address the industry’s broken green promises on building performance. Image: Dreamstime Despite decades of innovation in sustainable design and net-zero commitments, the uncomfortable truth is that new buildings routinely consume more energy than promised. This performance gap…
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Why are we letting net zero be sabotaged?
For too long, industry’s argument for renewables has been rooted in the need to reach net zero. Rightly or wrongly, that narrative doesn’t chime with the public. There is space to make this case, but it must be grounded in real life, every-day benefits. View the original article and our Inspiration here
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Five steps to mitigating the domino effect of supply chain insolvency
A fractured supply chain can unhinge projects, particularly those operating without a contingency plan. Chris Bristow shares tips to mitigate potential damage. Supply chain insolvency in construction can trigger a wave of disruption and shake up project timelines on a grand scale. The ripple effect can decelerate progress, with repercussions that can impact more than…
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Five steps to mitigating the domino effect of supply chain insolvency
A fractured supply chain can unhinge projects, particularly those operating without a contingency plan. Chris Bristow shares tips to mitigate potential damage. Supply chain insolvency in construction can trigger a wave of disruption and shake up project timelines on a grand scale. The ripple effect can decelerate progress, with repercussions that can impact more than…