Time machine | Features

Table of average construction durations
To produce the CD, BCIS analysed more than 1500 buildings completed between 1998 and 2002. The relationship between contract duration in weeks and the total construction cost was analysed for each variable for all projects. A summary of the results for all 1500 buildings is given in the table below. The data reveals some interesting results …
	Typical construction duration (weeks)
Expected construction costs*	£250,000	£1,000,000	£2,500,000	£5,000,000
Project sector
Whether for public or private sector clients, housing projects tend to take longer than others of the same value. The BCIS puts this down to the phased delivery of homes and the high level of infrastructure work that accompanies housing schemes.
private housing	33	49	60	68
private non-housing	22	33	41	47
public housing	34	52	63	72
public non-housing	21	41	54	64
Procurement
Smaller projects – up to £550,000 – let on a lump-sum basis, and design-and-build projects more than £1.3m, tend to be completed more quickly than other projects.
management contracting	14	35	49	59
construction management	28	42	51	59
design and build	32	43	50	56
design manage and construct	31	44	52	59
other procurement methods	30	39	45	49
traditional lump sum	26	43	55	63
Contractor selection
There does not appear to be any relationship with the method of contractor selection and the speed of construction.
two stage	–	39	52	61
negotiated	32	43	50	56
partnered	29	40	47	53
single stage	27	42	51	59
Client type
Private sector non-housing projects worth more than £750,000 tend to be completed faster than those for public sector client.
local government	23	43	57	67
other public sector	22	41	53	62
housing association	36	52	63	71
private sector housing	34	51	62	70
private sector (non-housing)	22	33	41	47
Building function
Industrial building projects, including factories, cold stores and warehouses, are the real thoroughbreds when it comes to the race to complete, no doubt because they are relatively simple. The figures confirm that housing schemes are the slowest. The BCIS says that the figures show that the more complex the design the longer it takes to build.
utilities and civil engineering facilities	17	31	41	48
industrial facilities	17	28	35	40
administrative and commercial facilities	26	39	47	53
health and welfare	19	43	59	71
recreational facilities	17	39	53	64
religious facilities	27	38	n/a	n/a
educational and scientific facilities	22	39	50	59
residential facilities	37	51	61	68
common facilities	26	37	45	51
Region
The regional analysis is likely to be influenced by the types of project carried out in each region with London perhaps having more complex offices and the Midlands perhaps having more industrial buildings.
East Anglia	28	41	50	56
London	35	51	62	70
Midlands	29	38	45	49
Northern Ireland	17	41	56	68
North	20	34	43	50
North-west	26	40	49	56
Scotland	32	45	53	59
South-east	28	44	54	62
South-west	29	42	51	58
Yorkshire and Humberside	27	36	41	46
All data	28	42	52	59
*adjusted to 2nd quarter 2003 and UK mean location