Last month the CITB (The Construction Industry Training Board) the CIOB and ONS published their overview of the UK construction industry in 2026 and it didn’t make for very encouraging reading. The CITB is of course at the sharp end as far as skills and training is concerned. The reports didn’t pull punches describing construction as a sector that has remained largely unchanged for decades and telling a story of an industry at a crossroads.

About 20 years ago I wrote a book called Procurement of Built Assets which involved interviewing a variety of people and organisations advocating greater collaboration in the procurement of buildings. This was only a few years after the publication of the Latham Report which urged construction to adopt a more collaborative approach to construction procurement.

A long running dispute revolving around late payment when using the JCT(16) Design and Build Standard Form of contract has now finally been settled by the Supreme Court.

Traditionally a contingency sum was included to allow for unforseen additional costs but clients have always asked questions as why this allowance is necessary.