Building a better Birmingham, The Midlands construction industry has responded to calls from Birmingham City Council to find new ways to continue the 'renaissance' of the city and its suburbs.
Public and private investment in health, public transport, housing and major projects amounts to around £6 billion spent in the Birmingham region over the next decade.

Paul Spooner spoke to members of the West Midlands Best Practice Club earlier this year. He invited Club members to help develop a West Midlands 'Centre of Excellence' to deliver new and exciting projects that will characterise the era. Vickers added to the challenge, advocating use of "innovative procurement solutions, multi-disciplinary approaches, public/private partnerships, finance partnering, and best practice."

In response to this, a group of 80 clients, consultants, main contractors, occupiers, suppliers and others got together last month to analyse existing ways of working and to determine the best way forward.

Brian Moone, director of the Construction Best Practice Programme comments: "What has happened here is something new for the industry, representing a collaborative start which should be used as a blueprint throughout the UK."

The West Midlands Construction Best Practice Club aims to develop a pyramid communication network of eight Best Practice sub-committees which will cascade the principles of best practice throughout the West Midlands.