Appendix: The Construction Commitments
Procurement and integration
A successful procurement policy requires ethical
sourcing, enables best value to be achieved and encourages the
early involvement of the supply chain. An integrated project team
works together to achieve the best possible solution in terms
of design, buildability, environmental performance and sustainable
development.
- Procurement decisions will
be transparent, made on best value rather than lower cost, use
evaluation criteria and where appropriate, specialist advisors,
whilst encouraging the contribution of smaller organisations;
- All members of the construction
team will be identified and involved at an early stage, particularly
during the design process and encouraged to work collaboratively;
- Supply chain partners will
be required to demonstrate their competency, their commitment
to integrated working, innovation, sustainability and to a culture
of trust and transparency;
- To ensure effective and equitable
cash-flow for all those involved, all contracts will incorporate
fair payment practices, such as payment periods of 30 days, no
unfair withholding of retentions, project bank accounts where
practicable and cost effective and will include mechanisms to
encourage defects-free construction;
- The duties of each project
team member will be identified and shared at the outset of the
project and appropriate insurance policies, such as project insurance,
put in place;
- Risks will be clearly identified,
financially quantified and allocated in line with each party's
ownership and ability to manage the risk;
- All contracts will have an
informal and non-confrontational mechanism to manage-out disputes;
and
- The employment practices of
all organisations, including sub-contractors and the self-employed,
will be scrutinised by the client and the supply-chain to avoid
abuses.
Commitment to people
Valuing people leads to a more productive and engaged
workforce, facilitates recruitment and retention of staff and
engages local communities positively in construction projects.
- Local employment projects and
local training initiatives will be utilised in order to create
sustainable communities;
- Local communities will be fully
involved and engaged from the outset of all projects;
- Training and development will
be offered to all staff, including the client, to meet individual,
project and company needs;
- Opportunities for apprenticeships
and work experience will be offered;
- A policy of equal opportunities
will be adopted to encourage a diverse workforce;
- Project specific agreements
will be established between unions and employers to encourage
better employment practices, including training as well as health
and safety;
- Construction sites will be
clean, tidy and provide good quality facilities, including catering,
appropriate to the diverse needs of the workforce; and
- Sites will be run considerately
without causing nuisance to local communities.
Client leadership
Client leadership is vital to the success of any
project and enables the construction industry to perform at its
best.
- The client structure and responsibilities
will be clearly identified and adequately resourced to ensure
continuity in leadership for the duration of the project;
- There will be client commitment
to best practice guidelines and engendering cooperation with all
organisations involved in the project;
- A clearly expressed and well
researched vision and business case for the construction project
will be developed by the client;
- A detailed brief with clear
financial objectives, programme and definition of what is meant
by success will be developed by the client before the design stage
for all projects and this will be shared at the outset with all
those involved;
- The client will champion best
practice in design, teamworking, innovation, health and safety
and sustainability and demand an appropriately trained and qualified
workforce;
- A clear, collaborative and
flexible procurement policy will be developed by the client, together
with a clearly expressed industrial relations' framework;
- The client will work within
the project team from the outset of the project to identify and
manage project risks; and
- Projects will be properly commissioned
before handover.
Sustainability
Sustainability lies at the heart of design and construction.
A sustainable approach will bring full and lasting environmental,
social and economic benefits.
- The overarching government
and industry Strategy for Sustainable Construction provides
the framework for future construction projects;
- Each project will develop a
specific Sustainability Action Plan which will address environmental,
social and economic aspects and aim to exceed the highest levels
within relevant standards and include all aspects of the supply
chain;
- Targets, including the business
case, will be set within all contracts and performance will be
monitored and appraised regularly;
- Projects will incorporate best
practice approaches to resource use, waste minimisation, low-carbon
performance, employment, training and community engagement;
- Development plans will seek
to enhance, create and protect the local natural environment;
- Projects will actively aim
to enhance the vitality and viability of local communities.
Design quality
The design should be creative, imaginative, sustainable
and capable of meeting delivery objectives. Quality in design
and construction utilising the best of modern methods will ensure
that the project meets the needs of all stakeholders, both functionally
and architecturally.
- The client will produce a clear
brief before design commences;
- Designers will be selected
according to ability and quality, together with other criteria
appropriate to the scale and complexity of the project;
- Every opportunity will be taken
to encourage visionary designs, including art sculpture and to
provide opportunities for emerging designers and artists;
- The design must suit the practical,
functional and operational requirements of the building and meet
both the client's and users' needs, to ensure that whole-life
value is delivered by addressing buildability, maintainability
and usability, whilst driving health and safety throughout;
- Project briefs will specify
performance criteria to encourage innovation in order to deliver
cost-effective solutions, taking advantage of opportunities for
standardisation, prefabrication, off-site manufacture and adopting
modern logistics principles;
- The design will be tested using
third party design reviews and other tools for assessing design
quality; and
- IT-based collaborative tools
and communication technologies will be exploited.
Health and safety
Health and safety is integral to the success of any
project, from design and construction to subsequent operation
and maintenance
- All designs will address health
and safety issues and all projects will have a risk register;
- Construction projects will
aspire to be injury and incident-free;
- Every project will have a strategy
to deal with occupational health and provide full-time qualified
medical staff on site;
- All health and safety risks,
including those relating to occupational health, will be assessed,
managed, action taken and communicated from inception to design;
- Companies will sign up to and
implement the Strategic Forum Health and Safety Code; and
- All professional and site staff
will hold Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards
or equivalent.
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