Dec 2010 - Andrew Carpenter speaks

Aquarian Cladding will be inviting associates to write an article for us, giving their thoughts on the industry. In the first of our Speakers' Corner pieces, Andrew Carpenter of Constructing Excellence outlines his views on the need for further change in the industry

"As an active member of Constructing Excellence for over ten years, I realise that now, more than any other time, the key principles of 'collaborative working' and the 'integration of the supply chain' are more important than ever. Only through total integration and collaboration, can the two big issues facing the construction industry be addressed - ‘achieving low carbon emissions’ and ‘getting more for less’.

Whilst we have seen other industries respond to crises, forcing them to make changes to the way they operate, until now we haven't seen the same imperatives in the construction industry. However with increasing pressures on clients and their supply chains to achieve the utopia of ‘low carbon’ and ‘more for less’, our time has now well and truly arrived. There is a real opportunity for those that have been pursuing ‘best practice’ since the Egan Report of 1998 to make sure that the business case is now properly set out to allow this to happen.

If you or your organisation would like to get involved with Constructing Excellence through membership of a local club, please get in touch with me at and I will put you in touch with the most appropriate Membership Manager. Regional clubs (such as the one I run in Bristol) run a series of events and activities that allow you to be at the forefront of ‘best practice’ and to give you a real business edge. For more information, take a look at our web site: http://bristol.constructingexcellence.org.uk."

Please contact Andrew or ourselves if you'd like to comment on Andrew's article. Alternatively, if you' like to contribute an article of your own (on any subject although preferably related in some way to the industry) then please use our contact form to let us know.