Inadequate planning is the single biggest cause of construction error by value, according to a new report from CITB and the Get It Right Initiative (GIRI) Productivity Commission.
The findings are based on a 26-month programme involving four major contractors – Kier, Vinci, BAM and VolkerStevin – which tested the impact of GIRI’s error-reduction training across 25 UK construction projects with a collective value of £942.5m.
GIRI said the participants estimated that £92.6m of errors were avoided because of the training, equating to 9.83% of total project value.
Inadequate planning was identified as by far the biggest cause of errors. Some £71.2m of savings were made across the programme by eliminating these errors.
Incorrect and poorly coordinated design, poor communication and late design changes were also reported as significant causes of error.
The programme, backed by £361,306 in CITB funding, enabled Kier, Vinci, BAM and VolkerStevin to become the first four UK employers to go through the process of becoming GIRI Approved Training Providers, and to deliver GIRI error reduction training in-house.
GIRI training is a behavioural skills programme that aims to address the root causes of error by targeting skills gaps among construction industry supervisors, managers and leadership teams.
In total, 4,575 delegates were trained during the programme.
A cultural shift
Chris Bedford, lead coordinator for quality and improvement upskilling at BAM, said: “What makes this programme powerful is the collaborative approach behind it. It’s been shaped by the industry, for the industry, and that’s why it resonates on site. When you bring clients, contractors, designers and supply chain together around a shared goal of getting it right first time, the impact goes far beyond training; it becomes a cultural shift.”
Anja Reid, head of quality and improvement for Vinci Construction, added: “The practical focus of the training has demonstrably reduced errors and strengthened right-first-time delivery during construction. Building on this proven success, the GIRI training programme is now being extended across other Vinci Construction businesses in the UK.”
GIRI, which was established to address the systemic causes of construction error identified through earlier industry research, developed the training in collaboration with CITB and sector partners.
Across the construction industry, errors are estimated to cost up to £25bn annually, or around 21% of total project value, according to GIRI.
