Balfour Beatty has set out its vision for reducing the amount of work it undertakes onsite by 25% by 2025.
In a new report called ‘Streamlined construction: Seven steps to offsite and modular building’, the contractor said it recognised that industrial construction was the best way to change its current output and improve safety, productivity and quality.
It called on the government to move towards a procurement model which favours risk sharing rather than risk transfer and incentivises new construction techniques.
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It also warned that unless the UK accelerated the pace of change, companies in other European countries which are already more advanced in the use of industrialised construction methods would be better placed to benefit when the UK does eventually commit more firmly to using offsite and modular techniques.
And it recommended that performance criteria and measurement should be set for the government’s presumption in favour of offsite, as well as beginning work now on the government’s proposed library of standardised components.
Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty Group chief executive, said: “On a national level, industrialised construction would lead to the creation of thousands of jobs across the country over the next few years – if we invest now.
“For everyone in construction to reap the rewards of industrialised construction the industry must increase the pace of change while the public sector and other infrastructure commissioners need to fund schemes that utilise industrialised techniques.”
