Ultimate home award launched

The Building Homes Quality Awards is the first housebuilding industry award to celebrate best practice and innovation in the process of developing and in business performance. Awards categories have been chosen to reflect the changing priorities of housebuilders and housing associations as they seek to improve build efficiency and build quality, lift the City's perception of the industry and satisfy increasingly-demanding customers.

The winners of the first awards will be announced in a glittering gala dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on the evening of 15 October 2001. There are ten award categories for housebuilders and housing associations, best:

• training/people development strategy
  
• training strategy
  
• quality improvement strategy
  
• "options and choices" strategy
  
• company-wide sustainability strategy
  
• approach to partnering/supply chain management
  
• approach to partnering with sub-contractors
  
• health and safety record
  
• customer satisfaction improvement strategy
  
• building efficiency initiative.

From the winners of these categories, two will receive the ultimate accolade: private sector quality housebuilder of the year and quality housing association of the year.

Judging by a panel representing expertise in both housebuilding and the broader business environment will take place in the autumn. More details of the first Building Homes Quality Awards, together with an entry form, will be published in next month's issue, or companies can register to receive an entry form by telephoning event organiser Camargue on 01242 577277.