Five contractors have become founding members of a new Centre for Construction Best Practice (CCBP), in a coordinated drive to address long-standing problems in project delivery.
Bam, Kier, Morgan Sindall, Stepnell and Wates have joined the CCBP as Gold Corporate Partners.
The group aims to improve standards by fostering earlier collaboration between clients and delivery teams, and by encouraging academic and industry engagement on procurement, sustainability and competency.
The CCBP was established to tackle sector-wide issues including skills shortages, supply chain fragility and fragmented risk allocation.
Its model brings together contractors and researchers through academic advisory boards and corporate partner networks to ensure two-way learning and the development of practical solutions.
Speaking after the centre’s first industry roundtable, CCBP chair Robbie Blackhurst said partners had agreed to focus on improving the UK’s delivery model by promoting early contractor involvement, transparent risk-sharing, and a shift to quality-led procurement.
“Joined-up, research-led action is needed to meet the challenges facing the industry. This is not about creating another talking shop but about driving measurable improvement,” he said.
As part of the partnership, each contractor will share data and best practice from live projects to help shape future research and whitepapers.
The centre’s engagement programme will also include industry-wide working groups and events linking academics and practitioners.
CCBP is targeting improvement in project outcomes by creating feedback loops between sites and research bodies.
It has already drawn interest from policymakers and is expected to play a role in shaping future government guidance on construction delivery.
The group’s founding contractors said the partnership offers a platform to drive sector-wide change.
Kier managing director for clients and markets Rebecca Boundy said the move would help the firm combine academic and practical knowledge to “raise standards and create lasting impact”.
Adrian Blackie, Bam’spre-construction director, said it would “promote innovation and make our vision possible”.
The centre’s work will also examine the use of role-based competency frameworks and how procurement can better reflect whole-life value.
Source: CCBP
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Ben Vogel