
The latest version of CIOB’s client guide was launched in Westminster this week with backing from an influential MP.
Leading Projects in the Built Environment is a free-to-download guide which provides clients with expert guidance on how to manage and structure their construction programmes.
The reception was hosted by Mike Reader MP, a former Mace director who is now Labour’s business champion for construction and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment.
He said: “There has never been a more important time for clients to step up and be equipped to ask the right questions, bring in the right people around them and establish the right controls and governance to make decisions that stand the test of time.
“Getting the client side of a project right is vital to help improve the quality and safety of the built environment, so I encourage everyone involved in commissioning and overseeing projects to read CIOB’s client guide and use it as a tool to aid project success.”
‘Eminently readable resource’
The CIOB client guide incorporates best practices and guidance to improve project outcomes, create more value and drive culture change across the industry. The guide (first and second editions) has already been downloaded more than 1,400 times, although its reach is believed to be far higher, as many clients have shared it with colleagues and others in their professional networks.
Ola Obadara FCIOB, group property director at the City of London and one of CIOB’s Client Champions, said: “I would encourage anyone who finds themselves in the role of construction client to download the guide, digest its contents and, indeed, to have it to hand at key points during any project planning.
“It’s an eminently readable resource giving you a practical step-by-step guide through the process so you can make informed decisions from inception onwards. ensures we as clients are aligned with consultants’ and contractors’ processes and by following it, we can deliver safer, more efficient, and innovative construction projects.”
CIOB past president Mike Foy FCIOB, who was influential in CIOB developing its client strategy and subsequent resources, added: “The guide is a valuable tool, but we’ll only know it’s done its job when the relationships between contractors and their clients run smoothly and, more importantly, outcomes are long-lasting and meet society’s many needs.”