Spec Finish

www.thefis.org 3 Voice of the industry LET’S TALK ABOUT MODERN METHODS OF PROCUREMENT I can’t be the only one that gets frustrated with the term ‘Modern Methods of Construction’ (MMC). I am not a luddite or a purist who wants to return to the days of wattle and daub, to be honest, I am pretty tech savvy, I know how to programme the video recorder, but MMC seems to have become a stick to beat construction rather than a concept to inspire us. The allegation in so much of the MMC seems to be that construction isn’t modernising, it isn’t innovative and we are stuck in the dark ages. I don’t believe this – this industry is perhaps the most innovative and flexible out there. Construction is a £200 bn industry, it is a sector blessed with flexible, dynamic and driven people and great business minds. The truth is that rapid modernisation is inevitable if we create the right environment, if we adopt Modern Methods of Procurement. The fact is that our innovative powers tend to be expended in all the wrong places. We excel at innovating within the project. This is led by necessity because the design or construction process is letting us down. All too often we find ourselves on site working around flawed or missing drawings and adapting unbuildable solutions. Imagine if we could take all of this wasted energy, time and money and re-invest it in the process. Construction Playbook The Construction Playbook is supporting change, the intent is clear – ‘Building on the presumption in favour of offsite construction, we are committed to creating a dynamic market for innovative technologies in the UK.”’ The technology solutions shine through, Platform Approaches, Digital Twins, BIM, a Presumption in Favour of Offsite etc. Vitally it recognises procurement has a role to play. The Value Led Toolkit has been developed to support the Playbook in leading a shift away from ‘cost is all that matters’ procurement. It is all very encouraging, but I can’t help wonder if at times we are in danger of over-complicating the solution without fully understanding the problem. It feels a bit ironic, that whilst the Construction Playbook emphasises the importance of data in construction, we are basing much of this transformation agenda on opinion, anecdote and shiny new things. I question whether, when it comes to design, specification and procurement we doing the basics well. Offsite etc all has a huge role to play, but let’s not kid ourselves it is modern – the first ‘kit homes’ were being sold in the UK by Sears Roebuck and Company in 1895. A quicker win in swathes of the sector will be more of the same, but better. We should be talking about modernising methods of construction, something we can do, something we can be part of instead of banging on about modern methods of construction, which seems often to be about pouring scorn on the sector and making many of us obsolete. Adequate design information At FIS we have started to become a bit more research focused and a number that caused me to raise an eyebrow was presented at our recent Drylining Group meeting drawn from some work we were doing to support the update of our Drylining Site Guide. I hasten to say these are interim findings, but a number jumped out at me. Only 3% of drylining contractors are confident they are given adequate design information to detail the construction before they are expected to crack on. The Construction Playbook notes that ‘MMC provides alternatives to traditional methods and has the potential to deliver significant improvements in productivity, efficiency and quality for both the construction industry and public sector.’ More research to be done, but I am fairly confident that finishing designing the building before we start building it would have a similar effect. Simpler wins For me, transformation has to focus not just on the shiny and new, but, analysing programmes carefully and starting to interrogate what has become normal against what should be normal. We need to look at the tender process, how orders are placed and when and work is called off. We need to focus first on modernising methods of construction. New technology will reshape construction, but there are simpler wins – start with Modern Methods of Procurement, and Modern Methods of Construction are inevitable. IAIN MCILWEE Chief executive Finishes and Interiors Sector 16% In the majority of cases 3%Never 22% Infrequently 59%Frequently How often are you asked to commence with construction without sufficient design information to adequately detail the construction?