Rethinking Construction 10 years on – what has changed? Chris George Director of Property Services

Background Introduced first partnering arrangement in Gosport Borough Council in 1999 Done as a pilot and measured against a “traditional” contract Some clear and measured benefits of the partnered approach

Background Some clear targets from the trial Reduced defects Improved Quality Improved customer satisfaction

Key features of the “Trial” A selection process that did not include tenders Costs established through benchmarking Joint specification and scheduling A bespoke form of contract Jointly agreed key performance indicators to monitor the contract Focus on the customer with tenant packs, high levels of communication and tenants involved in all aspects of the project

Background The Gosport “trial” became a Housing Forum demonstration project Lessons learnt shared through a wide range of forums, workshops and conferences Forms the basis for my view on Rethinking Construction – what has changed?

Do I think things have changed? A definite Maybe!

What’s Changed? Some areas I believe have definitely improved Resident Involvement General approach to working together Use of local labour and creating training opportunities Forms of contract IT

What’s Changed? Some areas I think have stayed about the same KPI’s Communication Involvement of supply chain Procurement

What’s Changed? Some areas I don’t think have moved forward at all Open book Contractor flexibility Genuine willingness to do things differently Still hard work

Overall Overall I would say things are more positive than negative I would change my future approach based on the lessons learnt Different organisations have different experiences – links to expectations There is no one standard model that is partnering – which is good

Overall Ultimately it is down to people If partnering is taken as a philosophy or attitude, the way that is then implemented or applied needs to be tailored to suit an organisations own goals and objectives – it is not a “one size fits all” process.

Conclusion In conclusion, some progress made, but more to be done BUT Like many commentators I would ask whether the current economic climate will change attitudes and approaches

I would also ask, Is the purist, the theoretical, the Egan model of partnering ever achievable on a wholesale basis? Will partnering ever really deliver what we thought it would in 1998? Is it time for a new model?

Thank You