‘Clients are the key’ claims Build Offsite

Offsite construction campaigners Build Offsite used the 100% Detail show to boost its visibility and host a series of free seminars.The seminars were split into two sessions, focusing on retail, commercial and health and then housing and residential, and attracted a modest, if receptive, turnout. “We’re happy to have quality not quantity,” said Richard Ogden, chairman of Build Offsite. “The people we’ve met represented 10% of industry purchasing power. If we get these leaders, others will follow.”

This echoes Build Offsite’s strategy of targeting those high up the supply chain, with a particular focus on clients. “Clients are the key. If we have the real clients with real money working on real projects then we can broker supply and demand,” added Ogden.

As important as this client exposure is the mix of those involved in the scheme, he added. “We’re unique in that we embody all areas of the industry. We’re not just architects talking to architects and manufacturers talking to manufacturers. We represent the whole spectrum talking to each other.”

• Build Offsite has started measuring off-site activity as a proportion of the total construction industry. Last year, work was valued at £2.2bn – roughly 2% of the total – and this year is forecast to rise to £3bn.

[Contract Journal, 27 September 2006, p17]