Construction Playbook: The key 14 policies

The Construction Playbook is a document those working (or wanting to) work with the public sector need to know about.

As the Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary for the Cabinet Office states, the construction sector is key to the UK economy. Having contributed £117 billion in 2018, the sector supports over two million jobs. The construction playbook introduced seeks to continue to secure the construction industry as a world-class sector.

If you’re looking to work with the UK government, and provide services through frameworks (like Construction Professional Services) or otherwise, it should be something you know about.

What is the Construction Playbook?

‘The Construction Playbook’ is an 83-page Government Guidance document on sourcing and contracting public works projects and programmes. Published on the 8^{th of} December 2020, the playbook details commercial best practices and specific sector reforms. Ultimately, it outlines the government’s expectations of how contracting authorities and suppliers, including the supply chain, should engage with each other.

What are the 14 policies within the Construction Playbook?

The playbook highlights 14 key policies within the document, these should be seen as the main aspects that bring it all together. As we said before, the aim of these key policies is to combine commercial best practices and reforms. Which put simply, aim to drive better, faster, greener delivery. All accomplished by transforming delivery to a safer, more innovative, manufacturing-led approach. 

The 14 key policies:

1. Commercial pipelines
2. Market health and capability assessments
3. Portfolios and longer term contracting
4. Harmonise, digitise, and rationalise demand
5. Further embed digital technologies
6. Early supply chain involvement
7. Outcome-based approach
8. Benchmarking and Should Cost Models
9. Delivery Model Assessments
10. Effective Contracting
11. Risk allocation
12. Payment mechanism and pricing approach
13. Assessing the economic and financial standing of suppliers
14. Resolution planning

What next?

Within the document itself there is an analysis of roles and responsibilities and how they intersect with the 14 key policies. This analysis details where ownership, knowledge, understanding and awareness is assigned throughout the project lifecycle. It’s also demonstrated in a handy visual table!

We would definitely advise that you become accustom to where and how your role within the sector adheres to the 14 key policies!

To sum up, suppliers interested in working with the public sector and using their services/products/teams to help better public services should be getting familiar with the playbook. As well as getting to know the the Construction Strategy 2025. It will enable more change, show that they’re ready to support the improvement of the sector in years to come and enable those suppliers to work better with the government.