CIC Cascade

29 June 2005

1. DQI Upgrades
2. Strategic Forum for Construction Annual Report
3. Paul Everall CBE appointed to the DSA and LABC Services
4. Construction Industry Forecasts
5. Women in Construction – the Current & Future Debate
6. CIOB Accreditation Of Masters’ Degrees
7. Events

1. DQI upgrades  

CIC has completed some significant upgrades to the Design Quality Indicator (DQI) toolkit.  The main change is the implementation of a new briefing tool which allows stakeholders in a building project to define what is fundamental for the building to achieve in order to fulfil its purpose - what would add value and enhance the building’s usefulness; what is excellent and would help to create a building of distinction?  This process, called FAVE, gives clients, users and other stakeholders a structured way to shape quality at this key stage.  These results can then be compared with traditional DQI data where a building or design is assessed to see how well it is delivering its original intent.

This new development is backwards compatible and can therefore be applied to existing data submitted to the tool.  This update to the DQI has been made possible with assistance from the DTI.  For more information, and a chance to use the DQI please see www.dqi.org.uk or contact CIC on 020 7399 7424

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2. Strategic Forum for Construction Annual Report

The Strategic Forum for Construction (SFfC) has just published its Annual Report, which covers 2004 and the beginning of 2005. This interesting overview of the SFfC activities over the last year or so also reports back on the interim targets for 2004.

The SFfC’s findings suggest that progress in the industry, as covered by the SFfC headline targets, has been encouraging. Too often we hear negative stories about the industry but the SFfC findings demonstrate that we are becoming an increasingly competent industry, with registrations for CSCS and other schemes taking off, and an industry that many young people want to be a part of; the success of the ConstructionSkills led ‘Positive Image’ campaign has undoubtedly played a major role in attracting new people to construction in record numbers. The much reported lack of work placements for apprentices is also being tackled by new schemes beginning this autumn.

And there is a keen interest in making our industry safer. Over the past few months the SFfC has been active in developing a Code of Health and Safety Good Working Practices which was launched at the HSE/Industry sponsored Summit in February. Since then a large number of organisations have signed up to the Code of Practice.

More information about the Code and the signing up procedure can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/codeofpractice/index.htm and via the SFfC web site.

Adoption of the Design Quality Indicator, which is managed by CIC , has exceeded the SFfC interim target. Variants of the DQI have been launched by NHS Estates and Defence Estates. The DQI team is currently working with DfES to develop a version for schools and with CABE on a tool that can be applied to public spaces. More information on the DQI can be found at http://www.dqi.org.uk/

So on the whole the SFfC Report shows that a lot of positive change is happening. However a major fly in the ointment is the feedback from the survey charting the level of integration across the industry, which was carried out at the end of 2004. The survey found that only 13% of projects were being undertaken in an integrated way, which is below the level the SFfC set the industry for 2004 of 20% of projects (by value). This is disappointing because evidence suggests that integrated projects are generally safer and more productive. It seems that this is not the end of the story though as more recent data points to a greater level of integration and a more optimistic prognosis of the industry as a whole. The SFfC will be providing an update on this later in the year.

A pdf of the Report can be downloaded from the SFfC web site at http://www.strategicforum.org.uk.

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3. Paul Everall CBE appointed to the DSA & LABC Services

The DSA and LABC Services are pleased to announce the following appointment, which took effect from 1st June 2005 . Paul Everall CBE has been appointed Chief Executive of the DSA, and will also manage the commercial arm of the Association known as LABC Services.

On his appointment, Paul commented “I am delighted to join the organisation and to be actively involved in the promotion and development of its products and services. These are exciting times for the Construction Industry and I feel this is a wonderful opportunity for me to me to make a significant contribution in steering the planned development of the DSA and LABC Services”.

Paul Everall was the longest serving head of the Buildings (previously Building Regulations) Division in what is now the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Commencing his duties in 1991 he has covered all aspects of building control, a remit that has expanded significantly during the last decade. Graduating from Cambridge University in 1966 with first class honours in Mechanical Sciences, Paul held numerous appointments in the Civil Service, which included heading

Divisions responsible for Planning Control over Mineral Working, New Towns and Housing Renewal Policy, and finally his appointment as head of the Building Regulations Division, a post he held until earlier this year. Members of the Association look forward to working with Paul. There is no doubt that his experience will provide a valuable contribution to the Association in developing and delivering essential services to its members.

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4. Construction Industry Forecasts

The Construction Products Association has published its latest Construction Industry Forecast.

The overview suggests that after strong growth over the last three years the construction industry now faces a more uncertain global economic outlook, weaker private sector demand and the turbulence of rising energy and raw material costs. Overall the construction industry is forecast to avoid recession, but with output rising less than 1% per annum in 2005 and 2006, continued growth will be critically dependent upon the delivery of promised government investment.

Read the full forecasts synopsis

Full copies of the Construction Industry Forecasts are available from the Construction Products Association at a cost of £200. For further details and availability please contact Maren Baldauf on 020 7323 3770 or email mbaldauf@constprod.org.uk

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5. Women in Construction – the Current & Future Debate

Recent articles and letters in the construction press have raised the debate about the capabilities of females in the construction environment.

Currently, 5% members of the Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES) are women. John Barr, Vice Chairman of ICES Education, Training and Membership Committee commented: “Women have had various roles within the construction industry for many years, from secretarial support staff to Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors and Manual Operatives. The debate seems to generally rotate about the suitability of women to carry out heavy manual work to time off for sickness, pregnancy and child care.

In our industry it is recognised that there are elements of manual work that may not be suitable for operatives of either sex to handle manually, this being a requirement under current Health and Safety legislation. There is no logical reason why women cannot carry out any work that they are physically capable of doing and no barriers should be put in their way if they wish to be engaged in that work.

Women now fill many roles in construction management and they can be found on many construction sites filling the roles of Site Manager, Site Engineers, Quantity surveyors and Land surveyors, working for the Client, Contractor or Consultant.

We need to acknowledge that pregnancy does occur amongst our female colleagues and yes they may need to work occasionally shorter hours so that child care can be managed. We need to fill the skills gap in our industry and to take down actual and perceived barriers to women employees and to have clear strategies that cover the above issues. Employers already have a significant burden of payments for sick leave and maternity leave and the Government should be pressed to provide sufficient funding for these benefits. Employers will be more willing to take on young mothers or women of child bearing age if they can see a lessening of the cost burden and women may seek to take up employment if they are protected from the risk of substantial loss of income during maternity or childcare. State assistance for day-care nurseries at the work place may well be of significant help in overcoming some of these problems.”

ICES calls for state assistance to employers in order to provide more employment opportunities for women in construction.

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6. CIOB Accreditation of Masters’ Degrees

The CIOB (chartered Institute of Building ) continues to expand its qualification routes to membership. The new CIOB Education Framework recognises Masters degrees and postgraduate qualifications as leading to the requisite academic requirements for obtaining Chartered status.

The accreditation procedure will examine submissions for Masters level courses, Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates. The revised process will challenge teaching institutions to design courses that ensure graduates have a broad understanding of the core learning outcomes of the Education Framework combined with a focus on higher level skills and knowledge. A flexible remit will be provided to Teaching Institutions where demonstrable achievement of core learning outcomes may be set as either an entry requirement of the course or embedded as part of the subject delivery. Teaching Institutions should submit documentation as per undergraduate degrees.

For further details contact the CIOB http:// www.ciob.org.uk

7. Events
The events page of the CIC website is frequently updated visit the events page for details.

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