Teamwork at Wembley

Wembley Stadium is a funny old venue for a conference looking at greater efficiency on construction projects. Beset by contractual disputes, delays and cost overruns, Wembley is famous for getting it spectacularly wrong. Perhaps the m&e industry was using the stadium to focus the mind as it gathered for the ECA/HVCA Building Services Summit.

One failure at Wembley was the lack of an integrated team. The project was procured along old-school adversarial lines and the outcome was a far cry from that achieved a few miles away at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

Conference chairman Rudi Klein, chief executive of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group, was in no doubt that more action needs to be taken to encourage supply chain integration.

“There’s a lack of teamwork, especially at the design stage of the project. Only by insisting on the early involvement of the entire supply chain can you get everyone to take collective ownership of the design, cost and risk.

“Too often the design is left to the consultants, with no input from the m&e contractor. They’re a critical part of the team, especially when you consider almost half the budget of any building relates to building services installations,” said Klein.

He called for the government to take the lead. “Every government client should have to demonstrate a clear commitment to engaging the supply chain before works commence, otherwise they don’t get the cash for the project. We need a stick to get things moving.”

Much of this will be familiar to keynote speaker Sir Michael Latham. His 1994 report into the industry’s ills, Constructing the team, led to a raft of initiatives and subsequent legislation, and set the agenda for change later followed up by Sir John Egan in his 1998 review Rethinking construction.

We need a clear message from the government, not scatter-gun initiatives

John Moore, Balfour Kilpatrick

While much has changed since Latham’s report, it’s hard not to concur with former construction minister Nick Raynsford who, in his recent submission to a Trade and Industry Select Committee inquiry into construction, said that there was a “feeling across the industry that the momentum has to some extent been lost”.

Industry targets post-Egan included 50% (by value) of all projects to be delivered by integrated teams by 2007. I’m not sticking my neck out to predict that this will be missed by a country mile.

Change is happening, though. Vaughan Burnand, chief executive of Shepherd Construction, was evangelical about the revolution instigated at his business following the Latham era. What pointers could he give the audience? “If you're not careful, Latham issues can only address the top slice of the industry, but it has to feed down to the people on the floor,” said Burnand.

Lean design and lean construction is the name of the game at Shepherd. The company now focuses on ensuring a high percentage of turnover comes from repeat business, eradicating loss-making jobs and ensuring that employers are switched on at all levels.

Burnand complained that, for an audience that was clamouring for integrated teams, “you guys don’t know what to do when you do get involved early”. He wanted subcontractors to get together before pricing for a job to find out more about the project.

The change agenda is not just about integrated teams. Sustainability is top of the ‘to do’ list for many at the moment, but John Moore, managing director at m&e contractor Balfour Kilpatrick, argued for greater clarity and consistency.

“What are the correct levels of renewable energy – 10% or 20%? Are we going to invest in nuclear energy or not? We need a clear message from the government, not scatter-gun initiatives.”

With the growth of dc power generation, why not use dc motor drives?

Neil Pennell, Land Securities

Moore recognises that clients are increasingly demanding green m&e solutions. He thought that firms should gear up to meet clients’ needs. “The momentum is building. Those who tackle it will be leading the industry, those who don’t will be left behind.”

One company definitely leading the pack is developer Land Securities. Neil Pennell, director of project engineering, is looking for intelligent and energy-efficient services solutions for mixed-use schemes in retail, commercial and domestic installation.

“We are employing intelligent building control, passive and night-time cooling strategies, mixed-mode solutions and increased user comfort, with demand-led, not continuous, ventilation,” said Pennell.

He saw increased use of technologies such as desiccant cooling, air-to-air and ground-source heat pumps and biofuel and biomass technologies.

“With the growth of dc power generation, why not use dc motor drives?” he asked.

Rudi Klein neatly linked the discussion about new energy sources to the earlier debate about integrated teams.

“What’s clear is that if we are to achieve our sustainable goals, we need the engagement of the whole supply chain and the early involvement of specialist contractors and manufacturers.”

The Building Services Summit was hosted by the ECA and the HVCA, sponsored by Hilti and supported by Constructing Excellence, BSRIA and the SEC Group.