Consultants need to catch up with contractors if the industry is to become more efficient, according to the new chairman of Constructing Excellence in the Built Environment, Bob White.

“In the last eight years certain parts of the industry have improved,” said White. “Contractors have taken up the continuous improvement agenda because it suits their business case of long-term working with the right clients. Now we need to get the message to consultants and SMEs who have not engaged.”

White, who is chairman of Mace, takes over from Peter Rogers, construction director at Stanhope, who has stepped down after four years. Don Ward, formerly chief operating officer of Constructing Excellence, steps up to take on White’s former position of CEO.

White acknowledged that the original hope that good practice would spread from the leaders down to smaller players had not materialised. He plans to get to the SMEs and consultants via the regional network. Constructing Excellence has 47 clubs around the country.

Constructing excellence: an evolution

1993 Reading Construction Forum formed

1994 Michael Latham’s Constructing the Team report published

1997 Design Build Foundation founded

1997 Construction Best Practice Programme
set up

1998 John Egan’s Rethinking Construction report published

1998 Movement for Innovation (M4I) born

2002 BE (Collaborating in the Built Environment) formed by the merger of the Reading Construction Forum and the Design Build Foundation.

2003 Rethinking Construction and Construction Best Practice Programme join to become Constructing Excellence

2005 Constructing Excellence, BE and Construction Clients Group merge

Source

Construction Manager

Postscript

See CM’s interview with Bob White in October 2005 by searching the archive.