Enterprise in the construction industry

The term ‘enterprise’ can have a number of different meanings:

• It can be a general term used to refer to some sort of undertaking, such as a construction project. Sometimes the use of the word ‘enterprise’ can imply that the undertaking is ambitious, a ‘bold enterprise’ or it might be used in reference to a partnership, a ‘joint enterprise’.
• It can refer to an organisation, business or company. Project 13, the ICE-led initiative to boost certainty and productivity in infrastructure projects defines an enterprise as ‘…an integrated organisation, aligned and commercially incentivised to deliver better outcomes for customers from infrastructure investment. Such organisations are characterised by sophisticated, maturing and typically longer-term relationships between owners, investors, integrators, advisors and suppliers.’ Ref P13 Blueprint, ICE, 2018.

Other more specific uses of the term in the construction industry relate to the encouragement of entrepreneurial behaviour, growth, new businesses and jobs:

• Local enterprise partnerships.
• Enterprise zones.
• Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013.
• Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.