Raynsford said: “The industry has come a long way in a short time and it couldn’t be accused of ignoring Egan. Over 8000 companies have become involved in the Construction Best Practice Programme in the last six months. We have, at the moment, over 84 construction demonstration projects in the Movement for Innovation, with a value of £8bn – three times the Egan figure.”
However, he added: “The industry still has a long way to go before construction is up with other sectors, particularly in terms of IT and in the way we treat people.”
Raynsford also promised that the government would let 10% of its construction projects on Egan principles within the next year, rising to 100% in three years.
The Champions For Change initiative, part of the Construction Best Practice Programme, is designed to encourage senior managers to adopt a positive attitude towards changing the way the industry operates and work towards encouraging companies to build long-term relationships with suppliers.
It also encourages managers to share their experiences of innovation with rival companies.
A number of senior managers at the launch played down the significance of what one described as “yet another innovation prayer meeting”.
One said: “You tend to cherry pick what you think might be of use to your company from these initiatives. You have to remember too that people in this industry aren’t all that keen on disclosing their secrets and ideas to people they’re likely to bidding against.”
Another added: “The whole thing about partnering and using the same suppliers sounds good until the European Union competition laws come into play.”
