Men at work: boss needed to supervise government builds
Wanted: Top-ranking individual to make the building industry more efficient, help the public sector get its money's worth from construction projects and explain to the government the effect of the regulations it devises on the building sector.
Requirements: Construction industry experience, strength of personality (and probably GSOH) preferred.
The hunt is on. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) has announced plans to recruit a chief adviser to Government on Construction and the recruitment process has started. While the construction industry has broadly welcomed the news, there is scepticism as to whether the role will achieve what is intended. The success of the role will be largely dependent on the quality of the individual selected.
The new 'adviser' – originally the government was contemplating creating a chief construction officer – will have a wide-ranging job description addressing issues on both sides of the fence that divides the construction industry from its clients, particularly those in the public sector.
The role is intended to "equip the UK construction industry with the skills and knowledge to become competitive in the 21st century," says the brief.
It is also meant to ensure the government gets value for money from construction, while promoting innovation and sustainability in the industry itself. The incumbent will also be responsible for ensuring government takes full account of the effects of the regulatory regime on the construction industry.
Although the role will be independent, the appointed person will report to both BIS and treasury ministers.
The stakes are high and the Construction Industry Council says that the value of improved efficiency in public sector procurement was put at £2.5bn in 2005.
Ian Lucas, business minister with responsibility for construction, said that he wants to see "a high quality individual" in place by November.
Stephen Ratcliffe, director of the UK Contractors Group (UKCG), describes that aim as "slightly pie in the sky", and describes the recruitment process as "bizarre" – no headhunters are being used - and is also disappointed that the role will be a part-time one.
Nevertheless, the UKCG, which represents around 26 of the top construction companies, is very supportive of the idea of cutting out the wastage in government construction projects and securing better value for money in the bidding process.
But doing that is clearly not for a novice. "It's got to be someone with a clear understanding of the construction process – either someone with a contractor or a client such as a BAA or Tesco," says Ratcliffe.
The UKCG has already written to its members to alert them to the opportunity, which is more of a secondment than a full appointment.
Ratcliffe also says that the government needs to clarify that the person appointed will have the teeth to intervene in situations where things have started to go wrong.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), whose membership extends to both sides of the private/public divide, has also welcomed the creation of the new role.
RICS director of external affairs Gillian Charlesworth said that in order to be effective though, the person appointed must have the respect of those involved in construction as well as government. She said that one of the key challenges will be ensuring the efficiency of procurement processes, "The relationship with the Office of Government Commerce will be of vital importance to the success of the role."
