No almighty row

Sir,

Your newspaper has given much support to the improvement programme being pursued by the Construction Industry Board and the coverage in your 15 July issue will certainly have caught the attention of all in the industry as they awaited the publication of the Egan Report.

Unfortunately your report gives an erroneous impression of reactions in the CIB's boardroom. Far from "an almighty row" breaking out after Sir John addressed the June meeting, the members of the CIB welcomed the final report of the Construction Task Force as a real boost to their work.

The report acknowledges that its foundation is the Latham Report which is being implemented through the work of the CIB and others.

The emphasis on client value, partnering and standardisation is welcome confirmation not only of the CIB's key themes of the last two years but also, as you reported, of the Construction Clients Forum's Constructing Improvement.

The Task Force has harnessed the power of some major client champions with much experience of continuous improvement in their core businesses.

The CIB must now exploit the evident commitment of these clients and the rest of the Construction Clients Forum to secure a step change in performance.

This should ensure that those who benefit are not only the leading players but also the "rank-and-file" construction companies without whom the industry as a whole will not change.

Don Ward

Chief executive

CIB