The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) is a cross-industry voluntary organisation and the primary body that acts as the bridge between the construction industry and Government. It works across the whole construction ecosystem to provide sector leadership and to promote industry initiatives that meet the UK’s targets around improving the performance of construction in terms of cost, time, carbon and trade.
In February, the CLC published its annual review and set out its four priorities to deliver a better UK construction sector in 2022. These plans are important to note, as they clearly spell out policy initiatives that could impact on all parts of the construction supply chain for this year and beyond.
The CLC has picked four key issues where there is the greatest need for collaborative industry action, and the greatest opportunity to deliver positive change. The four priorities for 2022 are:
- Net Zero Carbon
- Building Safety
- Meeting the Skills Challenge
- Implementing the Construction Playbook
Net Zero Carbon
CO2nstructZero is the CLC’s change programme designed to accelerate the industry’s actions towards Net Zero. Launched in March 2021, it sets out a suite of milestones, metrics and targets which businesses and the industry as a collective can use to monitor their progress, it celebrates champion businesses, and it delivers strong engagement, advice materials and events.
This year, the CLC has committed to publishing a quantitative quarterly performance reporting of progress against the nine priorities within the CO2nstructZero framework, covering transport, buildings and construction activity and based on data from across the sector. It will also conduct sprints to accelerate action in areas requiring cross-sector collaboration, such as the sustainable supply of HVO fuels and consistent standards for the measurement of carbon, as well as continued promotion of the Business Champions.
Building safety
On building safety, the CLC will be increasing activity in 2022 to drive the culture change needed across the industry to meet the demands of the new legislation and regulations that will ensure building safety. The forthcoming Building Safety Act will be a major new piece of legislation this year.
The CLC will drive forward the implementation of competence frameworks across all twelve sectors identified by the Competency Steering Group set up after the Grenfell Tower tragedy. There are also major new initiatives including the Code for Construction Product Information, Building a Safer Future Charter and deployment of digitalisation through BSI Identify and LEXiCON, which will provide clarity, certainty and openness of product performance. A second Professional Indemnity Insurance survey is planned, along with an industry awareness building safety communications campaign and progress measurement framework.
People and skills
In March 2021, the CLC's People and Skills Network published the first sector-wide industry skills plan for the UK construction sector, covering all aspects around education, recruitment and retention, culture of employment, competence and the future skills of the industry.
With a particular focus this year on boosting the flow of new entrants into the industry, the CLC is targeting efforts to get apprenticeship start rates back up to pre-Covid (2018/19) levels and to increase achievement rates to 65% using funding, collaboration, influence and policy. It will also improve alignment between the further and higher education sector and industry, while ensuring courses reflect the needs of a modernising industry.
The Construction Playbook
The Construction Playbook is an essential read for any business involved or interested in public sector work. It sets out key policies and guidance for how public works projects and programmes are assessed, procured and delivered.
Published in December 2020, the Construction Playbook captures commercial best practices and specific sector reforms outlining the government’s expectations of how contracting authorities and suppliers, including the supply chain, should engage with each other.
These are set out in 14 key policies for how the government should assess, procure and deliver public works projects and programmes which all central government departments and their arm’s length bodies are expected to follow on a ‘comply or explain’ basis.
The CLC’s focus for 2022 is to continue to provide training for industry to ensure that it is up to speed on the requirements of the Construction Playbook, while also working with the Infrastructure & Projects Authority to ensure the sector’s views are incorporated into any future revisions of the document.
To read the CLC’s Annual Review and detailed plans for 2022 in full go to: https://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/CLC-Annual-Review-2021-Plan-2022.pdf
