Construction Leadership Forum launches plan to transform the sector

The Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) – a collaboration between Government and industry - has unveiled its Transformation Action Plan for the Scottish construction sector.

The Plan includes visions for reforming construction procurement, improving quality, moving towards net zero and fair work, increasing the uptake of digital technology, and collating and using meaningful data. It also outlines proposals to engage with and communicate more effectively with the sector.

In November, the CLF invited voices from across the industry and public sector to have their say on a draft version of the plan via a sector-wide consultation. The feedback helped inform this first iteration of the plan which outlines the areas where transformation is needed most.

The Plan will now become a dynamic and live programme made up of 11 key initiatives, each led by a working group: Procurement, Pipeline, Skills, Fair Work, Quality, Digital, Modern Methods of Construction, Net Zero, Supply Chain, Data and Insights and Communications.

Each working group is co-chaired by a representative from both the public and private sectors, with the overarching programme managed by the Transformation Action Plan Board.

The Plan aims to deliver the commitments at the heart of the CLF’s Scottish Construction Accord, launched in October 2022 as a shared vision between the industry and the public sector to create a thriving and high-performing construction sector.

Speaking at the Plan’s launch at Edinburgh Napier University, Richard Lochhead, Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade, said: “The construction sector is vital to green, economic growth across Scotland and central to our net zero ambitions.

“This Transformation Action Plan will drive progress in important areas such as fair work and procurement, delivering the sustainable, innovative and prosperous industry Scotland needs.

“I am grateful to all the businesses and public sector organisations which developed this plan for the benefit and future of the construction sector.”

Peter Reekie, chief executive of the Scottish Futures Trust and co-chair of the Transformation Action Plan Board, said: "As a proud civil engineer in a role that gives me sight across the whole construction sector, I know how important the industry is to Scotland’s economy, to our country achieving net zero and what a great career it can provide.

“For the sector to deliver more , with improved outcomes for businesses, its workforce, its clients and wider society, it must change. And every part of the industry must be involved in that change, feeling the benefits from it. That is why the Transformation Action Plan is a collaborative effort, bringing passionate people from across the sector together to work for our collective good.

“There is much to be done, but we can only change with that collective effort and broad engagement in our aims, our work and what we achieve. I urge everyone involved in the construction sector across both the public and private sectors to get involved – in a working group, or by spreading the word to help create the industry we want to see.”

Morag Angus, Head of Property and Construction and Chief Surveyor at Scottish Government, and co-chair of the Transformation Action Plan Board, added: “We have listened closely to voices from across the public and private sectors to ensure our Plan accurately reflects the needs of our whole industry.

“Our sector has always embraced the fact that change is essential. We know we must constantly evolve and improve how we work, and this Plan lays firm foundations for the next wave of transformation our sector needs.

“Construction is a lynchpin in Scotland’s economy and is at the forefront of our journey to net zero, which is reflected in the ambitious goals that we have set out.”

Alan Wilson, chair of the CICV said: "Collaboration, co-operation and commitment are the three principles we at CICV have always aspired to follow and the Transformation Action Plan is a great opportunity for the industry to embed these into the key actions the Plan covers and move the whole sector forward dynamically".

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Notes to editors

The Construction Leadership Forum

The Construction Leadership Forum(CLF), chaired by the Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade, is the main forum for Scottish Government/Construction industry interaction.

 CLF launched the Scottish Construction Accord in October 2022, as a shared vision for the industry and the public sector, and includes key principles such as fair work, net zero, diversity and inclusion.

 The Transformation Action Plan designed to deliver on the commitments in the Accord has been co-developed by public and private sector representatives overseen by the Action Plan's  Transformation Board.

The CLF would like to thank all private and public sector organisations involved in developing the Transformation Action Plan and for their support of the Scottish Construction Accord.

Private Sector

1.      AC Whyte

2.      ADP Architecture

3.      Arcadis

4.      Archetype

5.      Balfour Beatty

6.      Bellrock Technology

7.      British Gypsum

8.      Build Scotland

9.      Bunton Consulting

10.  CECA

11.  Changeworks

12.  City Building

13.  Digital Construction Skills

14.  Donaldsons

15.  ECOSystems

16.  Esteem Training Limited

17.  Faithfull & Gould

18.  Farrans Construction

19.  FES Group

20.  George Leslie Ltd

21.  Holmes Miller

22.  Hutton Stone

23.  I&H Brown

24.  Iron & Pine

25.  Legal & General Affordable Homes

26.  Legal & General Homes

27.  Legal & General Housing

28.  Linear

29.  Luddon

30.  MacGregor Flooring/ Contract Flooring Association/Build Scotland

31.  McDevitt & Co

32.  McLaughlin & Harvey

33.  Morgan Sindall

34.  Morrison Construction

35.  Mott MacDonald

36.  Newton Steel Framing Ltd

37.  Nicol Russell Architects

38.  Ogilvie Construction Ltd

39.  Parker Technical Services

40.  Pivotal Consultancy Ltd

41.  Pro Industrial Roofing & Cladding

42.  River Clyde Homes

43.  Robertson

44.  Saint Gobain Offsite Solutions

45.  Samataler

46.  SCAPE

47.  Schneider Electric

48.  Scottish Building

49.  Shaw Carpets

50.  Single Ply Roofing Association (SPRA)

51.  Skanska

52.  Smith Scott Mullan

53.  SNIPEF

54.  Stewart Milne Group

55.  Supply Chain School

56.  The Verdancy Group

57.  Track Trade

58.  Veitchi Flooring

59.  Whole Life Consultants

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Public Sector/Sector Organisations

1.      Aberdeenshire Council

2.      ACE

3.      Association for Consultancy & Engineering(Scotland)

4.      Build Scotland

5.      Build UK

6.      Building Standards Hub

7.      Built Environment Change Makers(BE-CM)

8.      Built Environment Forum Scotland(BEFS)

9.      Built Environment Smarter Transformation (BE-ST)

10.  Chartered Institute of Building

11.  City of Edinburgh Council

12.  City of Glasgow College

13.  Construction Industry Collective Voice(CICV)

14.  Construction Industry Training Board(CITB)

15.  Construction Management Foundation NPC

16.  Digital Construction Skills

17.  Edinburgh Napier University

18.  Federation of Master Builders (FMB)

19.  Glasgow City Council

20.  Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

21.  Historic Environment Scotland (HES)

22.  Homes for Scotland

23.  Hub North Scotland

24.  Hub Programme

25.  Hub West Scotland

26.  Loughborough University

27.  National Retrofit Hub

28.  Network Rail

29.  NHS-NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde/NHS Assure

30.  North Lanarkshire Council

31.  Perth and Kinross Council

32.  Robert Gordon University

33.  Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS)

34.  Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors(RICS)

35.  Scottish Building Federation

36.  Scottish Futures Trust (SFT)

37.  Scottish Government-Construction Procurement/ Transport Scotland/ Building Standards

38.  Scottish Renewables

39.  SELECT

40.  Skills Development Scotland (SDS)

41.  Supplier Development Programme

42.  The Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF)

43.  UK Green Building Council

44.  Unite

45.  University of Dundee

46.  University of Edinburgh

47.  Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS)

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