Wood report
The Public Client and the Construction Industries: the report of the Building and Civil Engineering Economic Development Committees Joint Working Party Studying Public Sector Purchasing (the Wood Report) was published in 1975.
It was the output of a working party formed in 1971, a collaboration between the government, trade unions and industry that was chaired from 1973 by Sir Kenneth Wood (following the resignation of David Morrell).
It came at the end of the post-war construction boom and the beginning of cuts in public spending, at a time when construction costs were rising sharply and the three-day week was introduced.
The Wood Report suggested:
- Lowest price tendering was damaging to the performance of the industry. This was consistent with the previous Banwell report which had found competitive tendering had a negative impact on efficiency - a finding that was largely ignored.
- There should be a rolling programme of public sector projects to stabilise demand for construction.
- Insufficient time was spent during the design and preparation stages and this led to delays, variations and additional costs during construction.
- There should be greater use of pre-approved lists of suppliers, two-stage tendering and design and build.
The report did not have a significant impact on government policy, partly due to worsening economic conditions, and partly due to the Poulson scandal which exposed local authority corruption associated with some of the forms of procurement proposed in the report.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Design and construction industry podcasts
Professional development, practice, the pandemic, platforms and podcasts. Have we missed anything?
C20 Society; Buildings at Risk List 2025
10 more buildings published with updates on the past decade of buildings featured.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme and certifications consultation
Summary of government consultation, closing 11 June 2025.
Deputy editor of AT, Tim Fraser, discusses the newly formed society with its current chair, Chris Halligan MCIAT.
Barratt Lo-E passivhaus standard homes planned enmasse
With an initial 728 Lo-E homes across two sites and many more planned for the future.
Government urged to uphold Warm Homes commitment
ECA and industry bodies write to Government concerning its 13.2 billion Warm Homes manifesto commitment.
From project managers to rising stars, sustainability pioneers and more.
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1929-1990. Book review.
The emancipation of women in art.
Call for independent National Grenfell oversight mechanism
MHCLG share findings of Building Safety Inquiry in letter to Secretary of State and Minister for Building Safety.
The Architectural Technology Awards
AT Awards now open for this the sixth decade of CIAT.
50th Golden anniversary ECA Edmundson awards
Deadline for submissions Friday 30 May 2025.
The benefits of precast, off-site foundation systems
Top ten benefits of this notable innovation.
Encouraging individuals to take action saving water at home, work, and in their communities.
Takes a community to support mental health and wellbeing
The why of becoming a Mental Health Instructor explained.
Mental health awareness week 13-18 May
The theme is communities, they can provide a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and a sense purpose.
Mental health support on the rise but workers still struggling
CIOB Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment 2025 shows.
Design and construction material libraries
Material, sample, product or detail libraries a key component of any architectural design practice.