Line Up For Government Construction Summit 2012 Announced

LONDON, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

THE programme for UBM's Government Construction Summit 2012 has been announced with two Government speakers promising a more collaborative approach with the UK's construction community.

UBM's Government Construction Summit 2012 is being organised by Building Magazine in conjunction with the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business Innovation & Skills.

The one-day event - being held at Park Plaza, Westminster, in London on July 2 - has been developed to encourage greater levels of dialogue between the construction sector and the Government departments, driving change in the sector.  

As the single largest client in the UK, government's construction strategy is fundamental to how they will procure major public projects moving forward and increase value. In July the Ministers and advisors representing these key departments will drill down further on last year's construction strategy, ask questions of the construction industry and create a platform for open dialogue between industry and government.

It will cover a wide range of themes and key market sectors with leading experts from road, rail, housing and health sectors debating discussing the latest issues and how they relate to government policy.  

Speaker Paul Morrell, Government Construction Advisor, said:

"We'll be reporting on progress - how we're working with industry, what we'd like industry to do in response. In return, they will be feeding back what they'd like the Government to do to accelerate the pace in the programme.

"We need to get into supply chains so that we can unlock innovation and find cost savings without loss of value. This means communicating further down the supply chain than has historically been the case. If the industry wants to be part of the conversation we need a forum where it can hear where we're headed."

Rt. Hon. Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet, said:

"I fully support the challenge that the Government's Construction Strategy sends out to the public sector and to the construction industry. The public sector needs to be a better, more informed and strategic client. The construction industry, in turn, will benefit from a more collaborative working relationship with the public sector, allowing for innovation, increased efficiency, and delivering better value for money.

"The Government Construction Summit will strive to foster a more collaborative approach between the construction community and Government with speakers from the Cabinet Office & BIS and construction sector present."

Ray O'Rourke KBE, Chairman and Chief Executive of The Laing O'Rourke Group will close the conference with a presentation on 'The Future of Construction', focusing on innovating for growth and the importance of research and development in a vibrant industry future. He said:

"Laing O'Rourke is delighted to be supporting this important summit and looks forward to it providing real impetus for future change and growth."

Speakers include:

• Rt. Hon. Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet
• Paul Morrell, Government's chief construction adviser
• Rt. Hon. Mark Prisk, Minister for Business and Enterprise
• Terrie Alafat, Director of Housing Growth and Affordable Housing, Communities and Local Government
• Dr Uwe Krueger, Chief Executive Officer, Atkins
• Tom Broughton, Brand Director, Building
• Mr Mark Bew MBE, Chairman of Government Industry BIM Working Group
• Michael Buchanan, Education Director, Galliford Try
• Dan Labbad, Co Chair, Government's Green Construction Board
• Geoffrey Spence,Chief Executive, Infrastructure UK
• David Purdy, Director for Energy Efficiency Deployment Office, DECC

Sessions include:

Education

• Update on the Priority Schools Building Programme
• Education procurement following the James Review
• Government investment priorities over the next two years

Infrastructure

• Update in the National Infrastructure Plan
• Opportunities for the construction industry
• Infrastructure Cost Review and funding major infrastructure projects

Housing

• Implementing the National Planning Policy Framework
• Get Britain building: Building more houses nationally
• Promoting regional growth

Health

• Update on the capital programme and P21+
• Impact of the government health reforms on the built environment
• Embracing new private financing mechanisms

Building Information Modelling

• Early lessons from government
• Update on the full roll out

Sustainability

• Update on the Green Deal
• Solar and the future of Feed in Tariffs
• What's next for the Renewables sector?

New Models of Procurement

• Alternative approaches to procurement
• New funding mechanisms
• Reforming the procurement process

Supply Chain/SMEs

• Working together for a more stable supply chain
• Investing in specialised skills and attracting new entrants to the sector
• Credit easing: Funding availability

Autodesk and Atkins are Platinum sponsors of the event, with Skanska and Lang O'Rourke as Gold Sponsors.

1. UBM Built Environment is recognised as the leading provider of targeted information across the UK construction & architecture and commercial property industry with magazines, events, awards and online information services.  

2. UBM Built Environment is widely acknowledged as having some of the most iconic brands in the market including Building, Property Week, BD, Barbour, ABI and the Ecobuild.

3. Building magazine is working in partnership with the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business Innovation & Skills to deliver the Govenrment Construction Summit. The inaugural summit will set out a new path of collaboration, bringing government and industry closer. The event will encourage greater levels of dialogue between the UK construction community and the Government departments driving change in this very important sector.

For more details of the programme and how to book your place please go to: http://www.governmentconstructionsummit.co.uk or call +44(0)1462-490-802.

Further media enquires

For more information about the summit, or to book a place at the event as a journalist, then please contact Ben Lee at HardHat on +44(0)207-636-6603 or +44(0)7961-820-579.