Sir John Egan has hit out at the industry's lack of progress since the publication of his seminal 1998 Rethinking Construction report.
In a draft foreword to the follow-up report, Accelerating Change, obtained by Building, Egan writes: "I have been greatly impressed by the response to Rethinking Construction. But I am frustrated that the rate of take-up has not been as rapid as it should have been. There are clear benefits – to all – from working in new ways."

He says the industry should come together to create a complete supply chain that focuses on customers.

The draft strategic forum report, written by consultant Dwight Demorais, lays out key measure to speed up the Eganisation process.

The take-up of the report has not been rapid enough

Egan, Accelerating Change

The measures include:

  • The creation of independent construction advisers, which the report says should come from existing professions and have a new code of practice.
  • New government guidance for public sector clients, especially local authorities: the report says local government is still seeking the lowest-price contracts.
  • Projects governed by the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations should only be carried out by registered firms. The report calls for the Health and Safety Executive to set up a "gateway" system to check that firms are abiding with health and safety regulations.
  • Project-based insurance instead of cover for individual firms. This should cover professional indemnity, works contract insurance and product liability insurance.
  • The creation of a supply chain tool-kit for one-off clients to encourage partnering on small-scale construction projects.