Technical or Cultural Issues: Why is the Construction Sector So Slow to Change?

The construction sector needs to improve productivity and build faster. It’s widely recognised that offsite construction can deliver the step change in performance that is needed. Yet, as the recently published House of Lords report identifies, the pace of change within the industry is still a problem.

Part of the reason seems to be the practical reality that buyers are judged on how low they can get the cost. The need to shift the focus from construction cost to lifetime value is an ongoing discussion, but ever tightening budgets for public sector bodies who commission the work make it unlikely that this cultural blocker will disappear any time soon.

The House of Lords is urging the construction industry to achieve higher state of productivity and predictability through the pace and quality of manufactured construction. If the Government is serious about making progress they need to lead by example in their procurement and set the private sector a challenge to follow suit.

All the time buyers are being measured by cost, whether it is how much they can save, or how little they can build something for, the freedom to change tack, look at innovative methods or consider true value across the lifetime of the project will be hard to implement.

The relentless shift towards short-termism in business, government and society seems to undermine one of the fundamental pillars of the argument for changing to offsite. There is a reality gap between theory, for people looking upon an industry from the outside, and practice, by those whose personal careers and incomes depend on a different set of goals.

Where is the Risk?

Offsite is talked about as a recent innovation. In fact it’s been around for many years.  In over 10 years Innovaré has delivered more than 600 successful projects. Instead of focusing on reasons why it cannot be adopted, buyers need to judge offsite by how it helps them deliver their current key objectives, as well as some that may come in to play in future.

Lifetime value is often enhanced through the adoption of offsite techniques. But this doesn’t mean that construction costs cannot also equal, or beat, those of traditional construction. The benefits can be short term AND long term.

Innovaré is already very active across the housing, education and healthcare markets. We welcome the House of Lords report as a key stage in the emergence of offsite as a recognised alternative for creating high quality, highly energy efficient, highly flexible building projects. To compete in the current market we recognise it needs to be a viable option for buyers looking for the best construction method, as well as lifetime value. We believe we have structured our services to deliver this key objective for our clients.

It is vital to look forward but we also know how critical it is to provide an effective solution for procurement professionals in the here and now. Contact us today on 0845 to find out more information on how new methods of construction are delivering the model for tomorrow, today.