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The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has called for the creation of a National Construction Research Institute in response to the investigation by Infrastructure UK (IUK) of the cost of civil engineering construction in the UK compared to continental Europe. ACE welcomes the investigation as an important contribution to the debate on the cost of such projects.
The new research centre would support the drive to greater efficiency by coordinating the collection of national and international scale comparative information on the construction process. Such an initiative need not be a new organisation, but could be a “virtual” body formed by sharing resources between key industry, academic and government bodies.
Nelson Ogunshakin, ACE chief executive, said: “It is important to understand why certain projects cost more than others. ACE believes that a National Construction Research Institute could play a significant role in helping reduce cost to civil engineering construction projects.”
ACE believes the most effective way of doing this is to look at the standards of project management, procurement process, workforce capacity, the regulatory framework and the speed and quality of decision making in government.
Nelson Ogunshakin added: “The investigation by IUK may well show that there are good reasons why some projects require a greater spend. However, there will also be lessons to learn from how we run our procurement process and planning system in the UK. The reform of both may well reduce cost.”
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For press information please contact Simon Goldie on 020 7227 1892 or 07905 279328 – sgoldie@acenet.co.uk
Notes to editors
To read the briefing paper, please click here.
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