Coronavirus update for construction: 5 June

Following the publication of the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC’s) Roadmap to Recovery, Build UK met with Andrew Stephenson, Minister of State at the Department for Transport, to discuss its pipeline of projects and accelerating their delivery where appropriate.

Both the Prime Minister and Business Secretary have been clear that infrastructure is a key component of the recovery. The dynamic approach taken by the industry over the last few months, which has ‘kept the wheels of the economy moving’, has shown that there is an opportunity to address some of the long-standing frustrations with current procurement processes.

With responsibility for HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Transpennine Upgrade, Minister Stephenson confirmed that the Government is focussed on the delivery of major projects and is keen to work with the industry to understand how the UK can deliver infrastructure more efficiently and support the ‘levelling up’ of the regions.

The Roadmap to Recovery, which is the industry’s three-phase plan to ‘restart, reset, and reinvent’ the sector, includes something for everyone, wherever they are in the supply chain. It will require a combination of ’big ticket’ items and ‘quick wins‘, all of which will need the whole industry to pull together, bringing to mind Jonny Wilkinson, the fly-half for the England Rugby World Cup team in 2003, who said “I only get the points because I have team-mates who do the work and put me in the position to get them”. By building on the trust that has been developed between the CLC, Government and industry, combining our efforts, and getting behind ‘Team Construction’, we can achieve the better industry we all want to see.

Build UK Chief Executive Suzannah Nichol will be discussing the Roadmap to Recovery as part of a webinar hosted by Building magazine next Tuesday 9 June from 2:00pm – 3:00pm. It will also feature fellow CLC members, Andy Mitchell (Co-Chair) and Fergus Harradence (BEIS Deputy Director for Construction) and you can register online now.

Build UK members continue to share examples and information on how they are implementing the Site Operating Procedures and Government guidance on Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19). Any queries on the information should be directed to the relevant member and, if you have similar examples you would like to share, please contact Build UK.

• Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) – Guidance for Managing On-Site Working

• ISG – COVID-19: Working Within the New Normal

• Finishes and Interior Sector (FIS) – Task Assessment Tool

• National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) – Working Safely in People’s Homes.

Don’t forget that today is your last chance to complete the CLC People Survey! If you haven’t already done so, please help us to understand the implications of a reduced workload on the construction workforce by submitting a response by 4:00pm.

Businesses should continue to follow the most up-to-date Government guidance and for the latest updates please follow Build UK on Twitter and LinkedIn.