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CIC Cascade8 September 2005
1. Construction Umbrella Bodies (CUB) at the Labour party conference The Rt Hon Alun Michael MP will be the guest speaker at the CUB fringe meeting at this years Labour Party Conference which will focus on Delivering Better Public Services. CIC, together with the Construction Products Association and the Construction Confederation will be hosting the event on Weds 28 September at 12.30pm. Other speakers will include Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians; Peter Commins, Chairman of the Construction Confederation, Tim Stokes, UK Communications Director of Cemex, and Graham Watts, Chief Executive of CIC. Please note that this event will be held inside the secure area and that attendees will therefore require the relevant security pass, which can be obtained from http://www.labour.org.uk/brighton2005 2. Design Quality Indicator (DQI) at Cityscape Conference CIC’s Design Quality Indicator Tool (DQI) www.dqi.org.uk will be exhibiting at Cityscape Conference and Exhibition – The future of Britain ’s Cities, Towns & Suburbs on 20 and 21 September 2005. This two day conference at the Business Design Centre, London , will debate the hot issues of the future of our cities, towns and suburbs and discuss the latest issues in policy, delivery, design and construction. It will bring together professionals working in all aspects of urban design and development. The exhibition is free of charge for visitors and to register simply go to www.cityscapeonline.com 3. Course and funding search added to BConstructive website The BConstructive website continues to grow with the addition of a new area which allows users to search for courses and sources of funding. Developed with UCAS partners, hotcourses, the course search allows users to browse or search specifically amongst all the construction and built environment courses at every college and university in the UK. The finance search encompasses features such as budget planner, loan repayment calculator, wage predictor and a comprehensive funding search which covers scholarships, bursaries and sponsorship. http://www.bconstructive.co.uk 4. Action Plan aims to reduce cost of poor logistics in construction industry Poor logistics is costing the construction industry at least £3 bn a year according to a report – ‘Improving Construction Logistics’ – published by the Strategic Forum for Construction. Additional costs arise as a result of operatives waiting for materials, secondary working of products on site, and skilled craftsmen being used for unskilled jobs. Poor logistics also has an adverse effect on quality, causes delays to projects, and adds to the health and safety risks on site. The report, which was prepared for the Strategic Forum by the Construction Products Association under the guidance of the Task Force chaired by Mike Eberlin, Commercial Director of Castle Cement, also highlights the benefits of good logistics on projects. From these it concludes that reduction in transport movements, less money tied up in stock, less waste, and the more efficient use of skilled craftsmen will reduce the cost of projects, reduce construction time, improve quality, reduce risks to health and safety, and generally improve the image of the industry. As a means of achieving these benefits, the report sets out an Action Plan for improving logistics in construction. The plan focuses on the benefits to be achieved through integrated project teams and supply chains and the increased adoption of information technology including electronic communications, bar coding, and electronic tagging for tracing products. The Action Plan also sets a specific role for each part of the industry in helping to improve logistics. Amongst the specific actions the report would like to see is the preparation of a Process Map and a Logistics Plan for each project. Commenting on the report’s findings and recommendations, the Chairman of the Strategic Forum for Construction, Peter Rogers said: ‘There is a lot of opportunity for change. Construction has been slower than other industries to realise the benefits that the application of good logistics can provide. The good news is that we do not have to make large changes in order to obtain considerable benefit’. ‘This Action Plan provides an excellent framework for the whole industry to respond to this challenge and Constructing Excellence will be working with the industry to follow up the various recommendations in the report. The Strategic Forum will be reviewing the progress that has been made in the spring of next year’. Kate Dunne 5. ACE State of Business survey paints a healthy picture for consultancy and engineering sector Consultancy and engineering businesses working in the built and natural environment are performing well and are optimistic about future growth according to a State of Business report published today by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE). The report, Consultancy and Engineering State of Business Summer 2005, reveals a healthy picture for the sector, with 60% of firms expecting their workload to grow over the next three years. The private housing sector is a particularly fruitful area of UK activity for consultancy firms, as is the private office market. The strongest performing areas in 2005 will be the oil, steel and coal sector, rail and telecoms. In rail and telecoms 60% of firms expect growth this year. The report details the markets in which the UK consultancy and engineering profession works, broken down by business size; how business is procured and won; and how services are provided in the UK and internationally. Trends in workloads and performance in specific sectors are analysed and the expansion of the UK business into overseas markets is detailed. Respondents were also given the opportunity to express the areas of greatest concern to them. Significant highlights from the report include the following:
Commenting on the report ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin said: “The results show how successfully our business is performing and, significantly, express great optimism for growth over the next two years. The overall position is encouraging for our industry and for investors in terms of future workload and return on investment.” While the background position remains relatively rosy, there are some areas for concern. Responses from the survey indicate that consultancy and engineering firms are currently operating at an average utilisation rate of 77%. This allows for little flexibility and is an indicator of the wider resource shortages currently occurring within the sector. Worryingly, the report predicts that utilisation rates will increase even further, with four out of ten firms expecting rates to rise over the next two years. The results of the research for the State of Business report, conducted in May this year, are based on the responses of 92 firms, both ACE members and non-members, representing a UK turnover of over £1bn and with a combined employment of 14,000 staff. The survey will be undertaken twice a year and ACE will publish the results and circulate them within the industry. View the State of Business report. Copies of the report can also be obtained by contacting ACE on 020 7227 1892 or from the policy area of the ACE website at www.acenet.co.uk 6. Free help to cut the cost of construction waste Government-funded programme Envirowise has launched a free service to help construction companies reduce waste and improve their environmental efficiency to become more competitive. Envirowise is offering construction businesses access to free, impartial, confidential advice on waste reduction via the free Environment & Energy Helpline and a wealth of online information at www.envirowise.gov.uk Companies can also take advantage of a free FastTrack on-site visit from an independent consultant who can help identify ways of reducing waste during the build process. The new money-saving initiative is being offered at a time when the construction industry is facing a sharp increase in waste costs; with landfill taxes rising and some wastes being reclassified as hazardous. The Environment Agency estimates that the construction industry produces over 72 million tonnes of waste each year and that last year it spent over £193 million on landfill tax alone. Martin Gibson of Envirowise said: “We are all aware of the vast quantities of waste that are removed from construction sites – from demolition waste, contaminated soil, excavation waste and packaging through to ‘value’ items including goods damaged on site and excess materials. Typically, all this waste will end up in a site skip for disposal. “Envirowise advisors will help businesses take a holistic view of their performance – reviewing purchasing policies, site practice during construction and protocols for disposing of waste. “With landfill tax set to increase annually by £3 per tonne, reducing waste through careful planning, design and the development of site waste and management plans can mean serious savings.” To find out more about how to reduce waste or to arrange a free Construction FastTrack visit, companies can contact Envirowise at www.envirowise.gov.uk or by calling the Environment & Energy Helpline on 0800 585 794. 7. Improve the efficiency of air conditioning systems AudiTAC is a new research project that aims to improve the energy efficiency of existing air-conditioning systems across Europe. It will provide tools and information that enable air-conditioning system owners and operators to confidently identify actions that will save them money and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. This two-year project, part-funded by the European Commission through its Intelligent Energy – Europe programme, has participants from France , UK , Slovenia , Austria , Belgium , Portugal and Italy. The main UK participant is the Welsh School of Architecture, supported by the BRE and the Association of Building Engineers. This project will produce information that will benefit policy-makers and governments by increasing the proportion of theoretically worthwhile savings that is actually taken up. Substantial potential savings have been identified, but it has proved difficult to persuade owners and operators to invest in improvements. The project offers a means to build on the regulatory requirements of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive to inspect systems, into diagnosis that is likely to result in appropriate action. For building owners and operators – including Energy Service Companies–the benefit is increased confidence that they are investing in measures that will reduce costs. The first stage of auditing (beyond the regulatory requirement for inspection) is to identify possible improvements but, before investing, an engineering assessment of the expected costs and savings – taking note of previous practical experience – is necessary. The project aims to provide reliable tools and procedures to do this, along with a database of case studies to underline practical credibility. Manufacturers and installers will benefit through the identification of genuine customer needs that are likely to lead to new business and greater customer satisfaction. Energy auditors and surveyors gain the use of standardised, reliable tools and procedures that engender customer confidence and support the provision of effective advice. • Further information from Ian Knight, Welsh School of Architecture. E-mail: knight@cardiff.ac.uk Roger Hitchin, BRE. E-mail: hitchinr@bre.co.uk or Gavin Dunn at the Association of Building Engineers. E-mail: gavin.dunn@abe.org.uk Or visit the projects webpage 8. Events
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