The Construction Leadership Council’s Innovation in Buildings workstream has published a new report which sets out key actions designed to unlock the supply and demand conundrum affecting the provision of additional housing adopting smart construction.
Produced in collaboration with government, the report “Demand creation, investment and volume surety” sets out a compelling proposition for housing clients to increase demand for smart construction and provide volume surety to enable greater investment in industrialisation.
The proposed strategy seeks to focus on where additional capacity is most needed and is underserved through existing supply chains and where government has most influence to affect the adoption of smarter methods. This is through the housing programmes of city and regional administrations, the Homes and Communities Agency [HCA], and also the Private Rental Sector. [PRS]. The strategy has three key aspects:
- Aggregate demand within city regions and HCA programmes to provide visibility to the supply chain of future volume requirements.
- Move to long term (three to five year plus) strategic partnerships and contracts to progressively improve performance and capacity managed collaboratively between client and supply chain stakeholders.
- These longer term arrangements support initial investments in products, processes, and people that can be recouped over a longer period managing affordability for all stakeholders.
- Standardisation of requirements/specifications including space/pattern books – development of industry level guidance, and common standards supporting enhanced quality, and pre-manufactured value in delivery through-out the supply chain.
- Procurement – enabling achievement of this strategy through revised procurement guidance and model forms of contract, with appropriate measures to manage risk investment and reward collaboratively and transparently.
The strategy aims to unlock private sector investment through coordination of public sector requirements. This will support the Industrial Strategy and Construction 2025, both meeting national housing needs as well as putting the UK at the forefront of housing industrialisation creating jobs, wealth and export potential.
To read the report click here
