Reports calling for better construction industry knowledge

A number of reports have been published by the government, industry and independent authors that include calls for better dissemination and integration of construction industry knowledge:

• Construction 2025, published by the government in 2013, highlighted; a failure to capture learning and take this forward to future projects, ‘patchy’ collaboration between industry, academia and research organisations, limited knowledge transfer, and an ‘earn or learn’ dilemma faced by the self-employed.
• Digital Built Britain, published by the government in 2015, suggested that; ‘Our aim must be to present the day to day user with useful easy to consume and interact with information and knowledge’.
• Modernise or Die, commissioned by the Construction Leadership Council in 2016 called for the creation of innovation hubs and centres of excellence for skills and knowledge to share ideas and best practice, inspire collaboration and showcase new opportunities.
• From Transactions to Enterprise, published by ICE’s Infrastructure Client Group in 2017 highlighted the problems consultants have acquiring the knowledge and expertise needed to design the right project or identify emerging technologies.
• The Construction Sector Deal, published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy in 2018, called for a standard methodology for procuring for the whole-life performance of built assets supported by a single body of knowledge; 'a shared digital asset that is accessible to all and enables the rapid sharing of expertise and best practice'.
• Procuring for Value, published by the Construction Leadership Council in 2018 suggested that the widespread and consistent use of industry best practice would produce immediate productivity gains across the whole sector, and proposed the creation of a digital, industry-wide, knowledge platform, where best practice is curated, shared and challenged, that is easy to understand and that is accessible.
• The Hackitt Review published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government in 2018 identified a lack of skills, knowledge and experience as a major flaw in the industry.
• Final report of the expert group on structure of guidance to the building regulations published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government in 2020 called for digitisation of the Building Regulations and Approved Documents to make them better suited to the needs of users.