Clients aim to improve customer relations

Clients are desperate to improve teamworking and meet the demands of their customers.

But, says former head of estates at the Ministry of Defence Clive Cain, the offer of much needed support to the construction industry is falling on deaf ears.

Cain also claims that clients are now more aware than ever before of the importance of eliminating waste and inefficiency from the procurement process.

Cain, speaking at a Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) conference, said: "The best way forward is to ensure the involvement of the specialist contractors from before the start of projects and keep those teams together for up to 10 years.

"You see these relationships in every industry apart from construction."

Cain added that procurers were "foolish" if they commissioned, for example, the consulting engineer, without integrating the team beforehand.

"Consultants are not part of the client's team, they are part of the industry and should be working alongside the specialist contractors, not aside from them."

CIBSE chief executive Richard John said that he wondered if "there was anything to be gained from [Cain] slagging off the industry".