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CIC Cascade7 December 2007
1. CIC Launch the CIC Consultants’ Contract and Scope of Services On 10th December, the Construction Industry Council (CIC) will publish the CIC Consultants’ Contract and Scope of Services. The contract is a major new multi-disciplinary form for use across the UK by experienced clients (employers or design and build contractors) appointing teams of consultants on major building projects. It allows professional services firms to be engaged on the same terms. The CIC Scope of Services sets out the tasks to be undertaken by all members of the project team undertaking the design and definition process (design, cost, programme, health & safety etc) – not just the consultants. No longer is the design work undertaken by consultants separated from design work undertaken by others. The Services can therefore be used for the appointment of consultants on the CIC Conditions or for the appointment of specialists and contractors on other forms of contract. The tasks, set out in a series of tables, are allocated to whoever is to undertake them – consultants, specialists or contractors – depending upon the contractual arrangements and responsibilities. The result is a set of services that are fully integrated across all disciplines and roles, where participants know what they are to do and what is expected of others as well. The Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP, Chairman of CIC, said, “I’m delighted that this new contract for the appointment of those providing professional services is to be launched during my chairmanship of the Construction Industry Council. The contract, taken with the integrated Services, is a significant development in the industry; it facilitates the full co-ordination and integration of the activities of all participants on a project. The approach is unique in that it looks at the services undertaken by the whole project team – not only consultants, but specialists and contractors as well. I commend its adoption as a significant contribution to the Strategic Forum for Construction’s integration agenda.” “The construction professions have long needed a joined up approach to the services they offer. The CIC Scopes of Services will be a boon in defining the tasks which clients and project teams undertake, whilst the Conditions will offer clients seamless appointments amongst their consultants. As a lifelong champion of integrated practice, I welcome the potential for all practice to become more integrated,” commented Richard Saxon CBE, RIBA Vice President and former chairman of BDP. CIC Consultants’ Contract Package-Conditions, Services and Handbook can be purchased together or individually from CIC: www.cicshop.co.uk For further information please contact the CIC marketing team on 020 7399 7400 or email publications@cic.org.uk 2. Quality and numbers of professional recruits in decline warns Construction Industry Council The Construction Industry Council (CIC) launched their Professional Services Survey on the 4 December at One Whitehall Place. CIC Chief Executive Graham Watts introduced the event which was followed by presentations on the research findings and methodology; the event was attended by key industry stakeholders. The UK Construction Professional Services (CPS) sector – which includes professions such as engineering, architecture and surveying - currently employs 270,000 people, and requires 12,000 competent new professionals to enter the industry every year to meet demand as major projects such as the Olympics gather speed. Added pressure is being put on the industry because 20% of current CPS professionals could retire in the next 10 years. Parallel research by CIC revealed that that 70% of CPS firms believe that a shortage of recruits is the biggest problem facing the £13.9 billion industry. A worrying 74% of CPS firms have found that job applicants are likely to be lacking the necessary technical skills. Over 50% of all CPS firms anticipate recruitment difficulties over the next year and with student numbers on Built Environment courses having dropped by 28% since 2003/4, the industry is struggling to attract high caliber young professionals into the sector. The CIC research also found that:
The skills gap is most pronounced in Building Services Engineering firms Mark Way, Director of Skills, CIC, commented: “This research demonstrates the value of the contribution made to the UK economy by Professional Services and emphasises the scale of the professional input necessary to support the current levels of UK construction activity. The lack of a whole range of key skills in recruits is of real concern; a problem compounded by a future shortage of potential recruits.” The research and the methodology is available to purchase via the CIC shop, www.cicshop.co.uk and the Executive Summary is available to download free of charge from the CIC home page, www.cic.org.uk. Discounts are available for CIC members.
The DQI Manager, William Hawkins was invited to present the DQI methodology, approach and findings at the ‘Revaluing Construction 2007’ conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. William presented alongside speakers from France and Denmark addressing how to engage stakeholders in the briefing and design processes. DQI was well received by the audience, which was made up of construction professionals, clients and academic organisations from Europe and further afield. There was a lot of positive feedback about the rigor of the approach and how this can help ensure projects deliver what users and clients need and want. There was particular interest in how the process can help bridge the gap between brief and design in public sector projects where the design is part of competitive tendering, such as PFI. It is apparent that this is a real problem shared by European countries following EU procurement rules. If you would like to know more about the issues raised please email whawkins@cic.org.uk. 4. CIC discuss Construction with Japanese Delegates CIC hosted an eleven strong party of very senior Japanese construction professionals from firms such as Kajima and Taisei corporations on 31st October. Richard Biggs, with the help of slides and an interpreter, attempted to convey something of the way construction operates in the UK, including our professional institutions and our various umbrella bodies.
For more information contact Richard Biggs, rbiggs@cic.org.uk 5. CIC host visit from Chinese construction officials Richard Biggs, Operations Director and Registrar at CIC, and Greg Brown, Deputy Chairman of our Heath & Safety Committee, were hosts to a 14 strong delegation of construction professionals from the Guangdong Province in China, on the 9th of November. Richard and Greg, with the help of slides and an interpreter, talked about construction in the UK, with a particular emphasis on Health & Safety, which had been requested. The visitors showed great interest in the CSCS cards held by Richard and Greg and took a great many photographs!
For more information contact Richard Biggs, rbiggs@cic.org.uk 6. CIOB challenges UK Government to build a green vision with substance In response to a recent government consultation ‘Strategy for Sustainable Construction’, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has called for a greater emphasis on the ‘big picture’. Stephen Wielebski a CIOB Ambassador said, “There is a prodigious, and urgent opportunity for us to develop a Strategy for Sustainable Construction that has real direction and some teeth. But sadly the strategy in its current form does not adequately consider the UK construction industry’s role in delivering sustainability objectives within a national or international context. The lingering debate over the definition of ‘waste’ coupled with the present impasse concerning soil guideline values (SGV’s), are just two of many frustrating issues that prevent us from making meaningful progress. The strategy has a strong focus on delivering zero-carbon housing, but simply setting targets for building zero-carbon homes, fails to acknowledge a more significant issue – decarbonisation of the industry’s energy supply at source. Energy produced from non-renewable sources and consumed in building services accounts for approximately half of UK CO2 emissions. This proposed strategy has good intentions but a lack of co-ordination involving all key stakeholder interests does much to undermine the importance of an issue that needs urgent and planned action worldwide.” The CIOB supports an outcome based strategy with clear priorities. Any targets that are set should be challenging enough to deliver the desired outcome and not simply the minimum requirement. The CIOB believes the proposed strategy is unclear about organisational roles and responsibilities, and it does not define overall accountability for delivering the strategy. Whilst it is important for all relevant government departments and industry bodies to sign-up to an agreed proactive strategy; the CIOB believes it is even more important for their roles and responsibilities to be clearly defined within any future strategy. It is also essential that quality data is produced from which to benchmark and measure progress to achieve success. There must also be consistent and workable definitions across the industry. To view the full CIOB submission please go to http://www.ciob.org/about/ciobpolicies 7. Events The events page of the CIC website is frequently updated visit the events page for details. |
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