Contractors biggest offsite champions
00:00 01 Nov 2006
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Contract Journal survey proves contractors are more likely to recommend offsite than clients or architects.
Construction projects are more likely to use offsite technology because of the contractor’s recommendation, rather than that of the client or architect.
This is the most surprising finding of a Contract Journal survey, in association with offsite consultancy Mtech Group, to find out contractor attitudes towards offsite construction.
Only 16% of respondents said that the client influenced the decision to use offsite products. Almost a third said using offsite products was now part of the company’s overall strategy, although over half said the decision would ultimately depend on the type of project.
A number of contractors criticised client architects for being reluctant to move away from traditional techniques, with one saying they “give little consideration to the opportunities for the application of offsite techniques”. Another said that the “criticality of achieving an early design freeze was not always appreciated by architects”.
The biggest driver for contractors in choosing offsite products was speed of construction, with 95% saying this was important or very important.
Light steel frame, timber frame and precast concrete were the most commonly used offsite products (by over 80% of respondents), though only 60% had used volumetric. The overwhelming majority of respondents – 82% – said they envisaged using more offsite products in future.
The 30% annual growth in offsite construction may be opening the door for cowboy operators, writes Ewen Rose.
It is becoming a problem in M&E, a sector of construction where offsite is growing particularly rapidly, according to Robert Higgs, chief executive of the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association (HVCA).
“There are a lot of new players setting up shop in this sector and clients need to be careful about who they are procuring offsite services from,” he said. “Putting a roof over a building site does not turn you into an offsite fabricator – this is a complex and highly skilled method of delivering plant and associated services to building sites.
“We need to create reasonable barriers to entry to ensure offsite fabrication continues to deliver on its promise.”
The HVCA estimates that there are now more than 300 companies operating in the UK offsite market.
“Contractors have to think more like manufacturers to make a success of offsite techniques, and be aware of the tough competition manufacturers have faced from overseas for many years,” said Higgs.
[Contract Journal, 1 November 2006, p 2]