Build ProCure 21 offsite

NHS Estates is to sponsor a major promotion of offsite construction techniques at Interbuild next month in a bid to speed up the disappointing take-up of offsite construction techniques under the national ProCure 21 programme.
A ProCure 21 source told CJ: "Most principal supply chain partners are relatively cautious and have not gone to the trusts with big, innovative bids because they sense they don't want to be at the cutting-edge. This event aims to get the trusts and contractors together, and most importantly to convince the trusts of the benefits of offsite construction."
NHS Estates head of part-
nering Peter Woolliscroft will chair the NHS conference at the three-day event, while the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Housing Corporation will also be promoting the benefits of offsite construction.
The DfES conference will look at how offsite construction can be applied to its massive £5.1bn Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Offsite construction is seen as key to BSF because of the high volume of work needed and the continuing skills shortage in the industry.
The Housing Corporation's conference will focus on the use of offsite construction to deliver the government's regeneration initiatives, with particular emphasis on social housing and key worker housing.
A recent Housing Corporation report estimated that more than 25% of new public sector housing would need to be built using offsite construction.