Achieving Excellence
Achieving Excellence (AE) was a government initiative launched in March 1999 by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) following a series of cost and time overruns on high-profile construction projects. It was intended to improve the performance of government departments, as well as their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
OGC stated, 'Through the Achieving Excellence intitative, central government clients commit to maximise by continuous improvement, the efficiency, effectiveness and value for money of their procurement of new works, maintenance and refurbishment.'
Achieving Excellence set out a route map for government to follow when acting as a construction client to achieve better whole-life value. The guidance was based on the principles of delivering value for money and selecting the ‘…optimum combination of whole-life cost and quality to meet the user's requirement’ rather than simply the lowest cost option.
It proposed:
- Greater use of partnering.
- The development of long-term relationships.
- Slimming down decision-making chains.
- Increased training.
- The use of performance indicators.
- The use of integrated procurement routes.
- The use of value management, risk management and whole-life cost tools.
A suite of guidance was produced by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) describing in detail the OGC's preferred procurement routes and supplemented in June 2000 by ‘Achieving Sustainability in Construction Procurement’, a the three-year action plan for sustainable development.
- Achieving Excellence Guide 1 - Initiative into Action.
- Achieving Excellence Guide 2 - Project Organisation.
- Achieving Excellence Guide 3 - Project Procurement Lifecycle.
Supporting guides:
- Achieving Excellence Guide 4 - Risk and Value Management.
- Achieving Excellence Guide 5 - The Integrated Project Team.
- Achieving Excellence Guide 6 - Procurement and Contract Strategies
- Achieving Excellence Guide 7 - Whole-Life costing.
- Achieving Excellence Guide 8 - Improving Performance.
- Achieving Excellence Guide 9 - Design Quality.
- Achieving Excellence Guide 10 - Through Health and Safety.
- Achieving Excellence Guide 11 - Sustainability.
Supplementary documents:
- Making competition work for you
- Guide to Best 'Fair Payment' Practices
- Achieving Excellence Action Plan
- Achieving Sustainability in Construction Procurement
Following the credit crunch in 2007, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) was absorbed into the Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) within the Cabinet Office in 2010 (ref gov.uk), and all of its guidance was archived. The Achieving Excellence guidance is no longer updated, however it remains available in the national archive, it is cited in the Government Construction Strategy and in the Common Minimum Standards and links are still provided from government websites such as the Major Projects Authority. The OGC gateway review process still provides one of the best and most comprehensive sets of guidance for public projects.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Common minimum standards.
- Construction 2025.
- Government construction strategy.
- OGC.
- OGC gateway review process.
[edit] External references
- Gov.uk, Whitehall shake-up in drive for efficiency, 15 June 2010.
Featured articles and news
Future Homes Standard Essentials launched
Future Homes Hub launches new campaign to help the homebuilding sector prepare for the implementation of new building standards.
Building Safety recap February, 2026
Our regular run-down of key building safety related events of the month.
Planning reform: draft NPPF and industry responses.
Last chance to comment on proposed changes to the NPPF.
A Regency palace of colour and sensation. Book review.
Delayed, derailed and devalued
How the UK’s planning crisis is undermining British manufacturing.
How much does it cost to build a house?
A brief run down of key considerations from a London based practice.
The need for a National construction careers campaign
Highlighted by CIOB to cut unemployment, reduce skills gap and deliver on housing and infrastructure ambitions.
AI-Driven automation; reducing time, enhancing compliance
Sustainability; not just compliance but rethinking design, material selection, and the supply chains to support them.
Climate Resilience and Adaptation In the Built Environment
New CIOB Technical Information Sheet by Colin Booth, Professor of Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure.
Turning Enquiries into Profitable Construction Projects
Founder of Develop Coaching and author of Building Your Future; Greg Wilkes shares his insights.
IHBC Signpost: Poetry from concrete
Scotland’s fascinating historic concrete and brutalist architecture with the Engine Shed.
Demonstrating that apprenticeships work for business, people and Scotland’s economy.
Scottish parents prioritise construction and apprenticeships
CIOB data released for Scottish Apprenticeship Week shows construction as top potential career path.
From a Green to a White Paper and the proposal of a General Safety Requirement for construction products.
Creativity, conservation and craft at Barley Studio. Book review.
The challenge as PFI agreements come to an end
How construction deals with inherited assets built under long-term contracts.
Skills plan for engineering and building services
Comprehensive industry report highlights persistent skills challenges across the sector.
Choosing the right design team for a D&B Contract
An architect explains the nature and needs of working within this common procurement route.
Statement from the Interim Chief Construction Advisor
Thouria Istephan; Architect and inquiry panel member outlines ongoing work, priorities and next steps.