Michael Latham
NewsYou can’t ditch the indispensable
We’ll soon know whether the government intends to sell off ConstructionSkills. Whatever happens, our industry will still insist on a levy to pay for training, says Sir Michael Latham
CommentWhen will they ever learn?
Despite the abundance of evidence that good clients get cheaper projects, many still insist on lowest price and highest cost. Councils, for example. Sir Michael Latham asks, why?
CommentOne for all
Sir Michael Latham An overall site agreement for the Olympic park would help bring the project in on budget. But it’s going to be up to contractors and unions to see if they can set one up
CommentTaking a toll
Industrial training boards are one of the few bodies that can compulsorily take your money. The annual levies may not be universally popular but calls for alternative ways to finance training should be resisted
CommentA civil partnership
We all know partnering works, so why isn't everyone doing it? We should be setting a better example to the young people joining the industry
CommentDoing the House work
The DTI wants action, but it's not down to the DTI or the industry lobbyists. MPs must rule on the Construction Act review - if they can find the time
CommentA lesson in lobbying
The government's Construction Act review has made big shifts in the past year, but all the politically controversial issues are still in play
CommentA morass of ministries
How to provide better representation for the construction industry and keep David Blunkett out of trouble, all in one simple government shake-up
CommentThe path ahead
Having been involved in the construction industry in various capacities since 1965, I find it hard to recall a time when there have been greater opportunities for the sector.
CommentMystic Michael
Can we gaze into the seeds of time and say which grain will grow? Or, for that matter, say how the Construction Act will be reformed …
- Features
Fast forward
Way back in 1994, Building asked Sir Michael Latham to explain his controversial Rethinking the Team report. Ten years after its publication, we can see that it marked a watershed in the industry’s culture … but how does its author feel about it?
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Let's reach out
One-off clients are important customers of our industry, so they ought to be in touch with the Construction Clients Groups. So, anyone fancy a spot of golf?
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The cynic's bestiary
As you'd expect, a doctrine such as partnering that preaches co-operation for the greater good will be met with scepticism. Here's how to identify and tackle it
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Do keep in touch
The new Construction Clients Group should encourage its members to be at the core of the building process – without being overpoweringly hands-on
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Minority report
Weighty reports are all very well, but they're not the best way to get firms to reach out to women and ethnic minorities. We need positive recruitment practices
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Stop passing the buck
The industry is coming to realise that, by the end of next year, every site worker will have to be trained. Just don't leave the training to your competitors
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Act of wisdom
When adjudication arrived with the Construction Act, it already had a track record and a growing reputation. Little wonder it has proved so robust
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Just my opinion …
The principles outlined in Constructing the Team were created on a commonsense, rather than expert, basis. So have they actually been adopted?
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How far we've come
Constructing the Team suggested about 50 ways to modernise the construction industry. Eight years on, most of these have been implemented
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Questions of life and death
The Home Office is busy working on a new corporate killing law that will dramatically up the stakes on safety. It's vital that they get it right