11^th hr Industry

I have been reminded, on a number of occasions, when talking with Clients of all descriptions across the industry, how we still operate as an 11^th hour industry. It has become the norm and we achieve relative success, but just think how much success we could have if we all had more time. Why I needed to be reminded is testament to how much we accept the status quo, but when hearing it said from a major client recently it stopped me in my tracks.  Has the industry not moved forward in this respect? In all my time in the industry we all know we need more time to deliver real value. We are all responsible for allowing this to continue as it takes place at every level of the chain of command, from Government to recruitment and through the supply chain.

In this ever demanding industry where it’s no longer just about Safety, Customer Service and Commercial performance, we are now rightly addressing many other areas across the industry. Clients are demanding a Fully Integrated Supply Chain, Collaborative Working, Innovation, Risk Management, Asset Management, Skills Shortage, Lean Efficiencies, Local Economy, Green Agenda, BIM, aligning ourselves to specific client requirements. The list stretches long into the future, all in the name of best value or added value, but this means many different things to clients. The industry is asked to deliver on this against the backcloth of an 11^th hour industry.

We are still working to short tender periods, with documents that tell only part of the story, because the client is up against the wall. Additional funding has been found and must be spent in the same financial year. Government cannot agree on a strategic delivery plan with guaranteed funding over a fixed period of time. The DfT is given funding at the last minute and told to spend it, but spend it wisely. Local Authorities are fighting for their lives with funding restrictions and pressure from local politicians. Documents are released that are not fit for purpose, with tender and pre-qualification deadlines over holiday periods and clients wanting added value.

Tier one contractors are unable to be too strategic and information to the supply chain is sketchy – bang goes collaboration. It’s all reactive and not proactively planned. When will we learn from our mistakes and give everyone the time and finance to deliver. Do the pockets of excellence keep us blinded to the truth and cover over the non-performance or standard performance? We have to ask ourselves exactly what do we want for our money, give it the respect it deserves and in return you will get the desired results.

We are coming out from a very difficult time in our industry, resources are short on the ground but the future gives us all more confidence. We must take the time to get the procurement and contractual arrangements in place, with the correct documentation and allow the industry to respond in good time to deliver real added value. We all know it’s not right and we can all quote good examples, but its not common place – frameworks need funding with certainty.

We can then deliver on all those industry requirements time and time again with measurement of performance that drives continuous improvement. The world is not perfect, but we could collectively improve our chances of delivering more great projects, time and time again where we all come out happy. Remember, “If we always do, what we always did, we will always get, what we always got”.