‘Sustainability is for the client and design team to consider’

Last month’s issue of CM included various nods towards sustainability, including solar PV installations in social housing.

Reading the April 2026 edition of Construction Management, I was concerned about the emphasis being placed on sustainability.

While we are all concerned about the climate changes occurring, there is very little impact that construction managers can have on this issue.

To secure a contract under the standard forms of contract, the contractor is required to estimate the lowest cost of the build in accordance with the specification, quality and time frame determined by the client and design team.

Sustainability is consequently for the client and design team to consider in light of planning and building regulations requirements.

I strongly believe that CIOB and Construction Management should concentrate more on the role of the construction manager, which is a tough competitive business and have less focus on modern fashionable trends.

Geoffrey Shaw FCIOB

Thames Water’s Roselyn Unegbu shared insight into how the utility company works with contractors who are under budgetary pressure.

Projects get complicated all the time. Team dynamics get confusing. Things get political and messy, but as Roselyn says: “Transparency is key. Be clear about the challenges and pragmatic about the options available.”

Roselyn is a true visionary. She leads with integrity, calmness and a level of pragmatism that keeps things grounded in reality.

Rachael Keeble MCIOB

CM spoke to Professor Kim Lovegrove, who is chair of the International Building Quality Centre and led the development of the new International Building Act, which aims to help countries build trust in the built environment.

While the primary relevance of this Act is for emerging economies, which do not yet have a suite of statutes and well-established case law addressing these procedures and remedies (and in the UK, we have various statutes and regulations governing most of these matters), there is much to be said for everything being enshrined in a single statute, and no doubt many countries may wish to fortify their statutes and codes by borrowing parts of this.

The UK government has accepted the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendation that principal contractors for higher-risk buildings should be licensed. Still, the industry could benefit from more uniform treatment of all building practitioners. Treating all contractors the same way we treat other professionals, such as architects and engineers, would enhance the perception of and trust in the construction industry as a whole.

Stephanie Barwise KC

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