好色先生TV

A new government construction strategy focused on improving client skills, tackling industry skills shortages and further adoption of BIM will be published within weeks, 好色先生TV can reveal.

Speaking to 好色先生TV, chief construction adviser Peter Hansford (pictured) said the new strategy will be launched 鈥渟hortly before or after鈥� chancellor George Osborne鈥檚 Spending Review next Wednesday (25 November).

Hansford said the new strategy will also focus on whole-life costing and whole-life carbon reduction, and improving procurement by encouraging earlier contractor involvement in projects.

Hansford told 好色先生TV the strategy 鈥渃ontinues in the direction鈥� of the previous one launched at the start of the last parliament, but 鈥渞eally takes it to the next level鈥�.

A source close to the process said Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock will take over responsibility for delivering the strategy when Hansford steps down later this month, as a result of his role being discontinued.

When asked to confirm Hancock鈥檚 role, Hansford said: 鈥淚t needs a ministerial sign off, so yes there is an involvement there.鈥�

The source also said improving client procurement capability will be a key focus, and one proposal is to draw on the expertise of the government鈥檚 cross-department Complex Transactions Team - which has focused on other areas of procurement, including IT services - on major construction projects.

The new strategy will follow on from the government鈥檚 previous strategy published in May 2011 by then-construction adviser Paul Morrell, in which it committed to make savings of 20% across public sector construction projects by 2016 and to procure using BIM Level 2.

Morrell told 好色先生TV: 鈥淚 would certainly hope there is a reasoned basis for [any proposed measures], rather than another attempt to reinvent the wheel.

鈥淎bove all, though, let鈥檚 have no more damn-fool targets which are there presumably just to catch the eye of politicians and the media.鈥�

Commenting on the planned new strategy, Graham Watts, chief executive of the Construction Industry Council, said he supported the Cabinet Office鈥檚 鈥済reat work鈥� through the previous strategy, but said he expected the new one to be 鈥渕uch of the same.鈥�

It emerged this week as 好色先生TV went to press that seven more government departments have agreed to cut spending by about a third.