The strategic forum has set ambitious targets for take-up of the new design quality indicators, which benchmark design standards.
Peter Rogers, chairman of the strategic forum, said the body wanted 500 projects to have used DQIs by the end of 2004, and a 60% of public sector work to be using it by 2007.

Rogers said: "As the largest client group, it is crucial that the government demonstrates its commitment to DQIs."

The targets came as an online version of the DQIs was launched by the Construction Industry Council, which first started drawing up the indicators in 1999.

They are intended to be the equivalents of the key performance indicators set up to provide a common frame of reference for assessing project performance The CIC said it aimed to make the indicators a self-funding tool within the next four years.