Beginning of a beautiful friendship?

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What's this? Surely it can't be true? The private and public sectors working harmoniously side by side on construction projects? We report on what John Prescott's regeneration cash is doing for workers on both sides of the fence

With so much of John Prescott's regeneration cash sloshing around, the private sector is picking up on the amazing amount of public sector construction work up for grabs. But finding out about and applying for contracts and funding can be a maze, so companies are hiring the best-placed navigators – public sector workers.

There's always been tension between the public sector and private companies in construction, but in the booming field of regeneration both sides are coming together to work as partners – and that means amazing opportunities are opening up for workers on both sides of the fence.

Things are changing quickly. Only last October experts told Building that more co-operation between the public and private sectors was needed. "The most difficult thing is trying to communicate," said Albert Golding, Broadway Malyan's head of regeneration. "The private sector finds it hard work getting the principles of investment over to the public sector, and the public sector has a similarly hard time making their work understood. The two have got to come together."

And now they're doing just that. By employing former public sector workers, private sector companies are educating themselves about local authorities' and housing associations' ways of working, their concerns and the political climate behind their decision-making.