2012 Construction Commitments

The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games offer a unique opportunity to showcase the very best of Britain. The construction industry expects to make an outstanding contribution that delivers sustainable, exemplary projects with long-term benefits for the local community and the nation.

The Construction Commitments bring together the six key areas vital to delivering the Games’ vision in time, safely and to budget. They represent the principles by which we will endeavour to achieve a better industry and exceed current best practice. The Commitments will be developed by the client and the industry in a practical and realistic way to suit the needs of the Olympic delivery programme and projects and to provide for relevant targets.

Over the past eight 8 months the Task Group has conducted a wide consultation, involving Government bodies, DCMS, DTI, NAO, OGC, HSE and Treasury and the industry at large, to ensure all subject areas have been covered and a strong consensus on the content has been achieved.

The document is structured under six key headings, with six to eight sub headings to be actioned by all. Industry and client organisation are now asked to absorb these principles into the approach and activities of their organisations.

The Strategic Forum for Construction is urging more businesses to sign up for the industry’s 2012 committments.

Some 220 organisations have already backed the initiative but with 4,000 companies having registered an interest in Olympic work, the Forum says there is still some way to go.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is taking a firm stand that any contractor winning work on the Olympic programmes will be expected to sign up to the commitments which are aimed at ensuring that industry and clients work together in an integrated way within an ethos of a good working culture.

And now the Forum is hoping to extend the principles to other public sector work and has been greatly encouraged by the Housing Corporation which is already launching its own social housing version (See Note 7). 

The 2012 Construction Commitments identify 6 key areas in the construction process that relate to the performance and behaviour of the industry: client leadership, procurement and integration, design, sustainability, commitment to people and health & safety  – a programme that suggests the commitments are the natural successor to the Latham and Egan reports.

The Forum believes with the right principles and preparation in place, the UK construction industry can build exemplar projects for an unforgettable three weeks in 2012 and a robust legancy to follow.

Maintaining a watching brief to ensure that commitments are being met by both the industry and the ODA, the Forum aims to highlight best practice as well as point out shortcomings in an informal way. The ODA is already subject to an eight-layered auditing process and the intention is not to add to this.

Peter Rogers, who chairs the Forum’s 2012 Task Group, said: “We want as much of the industry as possible to sign up. Companies should not be discouraged if they can’t meet every commitment down to the last letter. We are looking for commitment to the principles and for companies to show an earnest intent to engage.”

Strategic Forum chairman James Wates added: “We are hoping to extend the commitments to other public sector projects – and we are delighted that the Housing Corporation is already launching its own social housing version. We will be looking to other government clients to adopt the principles of the commitments through the Public Sector Construction Clients Forum.”

Construction Minister the Rt Hon Margaret Hodge said: “One of my first acts on becoming construction Minister was to sign the 2012 Construction Commitments. At that time I said I wanted them to be widely adopted across the public sector and throughout the construction industry. I am delighted that the Housing Corporation has followed the Olympic Delivery Authority in adopting the Commitments. It shows a real focus on getting value for money from construction supply chains and helping the industry to deliver its best.”

1. The Strategic Forum comprises of six members: Construction Industry Council, Construction Clients Group, Construction Confederation, the Construction Products Association, NSCC/SEC Group and the TUC. Key themes for the Forum’s work are health & safety, sustainability, integration and conservation, repair and maintenance.
2. The Forum’s Vision is for the UK construction industry to realise maximum value for all clients, end users and stakeholders and exceed their expectations through the consistent delivery of world-class products.
3. The four key areas that the Strategic Forum for Construction (SFfC) is focusing on are: client engagement; integrating teams and supply chains; people issues; and enhancing the value of the product.
4. Six headline targets have been developed to address the key areas of focus. The targets were distilled from the recommendations made in Accelerating Change. The principal role of the SFfC is to coordinate, monitor, measure and report on progress under the headline targets. Where it is felt that sufficient progress is not being made under a particular target new initiatives are being considered. 
5.  The SFfC does not act as an operational body. Its strategy is being implemented via the Construction Umbrella Bodies, ConstructionSkills, Constructing Excellence, new CRISP and other implementation bodies together with the wider stakeholders in the construction industry where appropriate.
6. The Strategic Forum for Construction established the 2012 Task Group to act as a focal point for liaison between the industry, the Government and London 2012 Olympic authorities (the ODA and LOCOG) to help ensure the successful delivery of the London Olympic facilities and infrastructure.
7. The Housing Corporation will expect all bidders to its 2008 National Affordable Housing Programme to sign up to a set of 2012 Construction Commitments adapted for affordable housing providers. The Commitments will replace the Housing Corporation’s existing Clients Charter as a requirement for bidders. This will result in a reduction of bureaucracy for affordable housing providers as well as a clear industry-supported focus on best practice across this multi-billion construction sector.
8. The 2012 Commitments can be downloaded below

Further information:

Kurt Calder

Construction Confederation Director of Communications

020 7227 4508 or kurt.calder@thecc.org.uk

www.strategicforum.org.uk

Organisations signed up to the 2012 Construction Commitments

Last updated 08/05/07