On top of this, when studying for my Masters degree, I worked as a PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) assistant for undergraduate students.
When achieved, this will benefit construction in a range of ways.. Firstly: it would provide greater market transparency and diversify the supply chain, meaning that companies of all sizes could engage with large-scale programmes, in the private and public sectors.. Secondly: late payment (particularly between contractors and their supply chains) has been a well-recognised problem in construction for a few decades.It means smaller suppliers, to whom cashflow is critical, operate in a state of uncertainty and ‘financial distress’.
Late payment is, unsurprisingly, one of the key triggers of insolvency..Even way back in 2013, the Government’s ‘Construction 2025’ vision proposed that construction should no longer be characterised by ‘late delivery, cost overruns, commercial friction, late payment’.While this has been partly addressed through legislation such as the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 and the Prompt Payment Code, it is still a problem.. A digital marketplace would help make payments more timely – in some cases even instant.
It would also make the construction procurement process more transparent and give suppliers greater certainty of cash flow.. Thirdly: procurement is another significant cause of ‘friction’ in projects, as noted in Construction 2025.The process of arranging and issuing tender documentation and requests for proposals, scoring them and awarding contracts, is very time-consuming and labour-intensive.
Projects very often require a complex network of contracts to ensure that the main contract clauses are passed down through the supply chain, resulting in management overhead on overhead being passed back up to the client.. For these reasons, the Construction Playbook notes that:.
To support the growth and inclusion of more SMEs in the delivery of public works projects, we need greater visibility of the public spending flowing down the supply chain.http://bit.ly/BWNewsUpdatesClick the 'play button' above to watch the episode, or read our 5 Key Takeaways from this episode below.... 1.
The power of collaborative practice.Satwinder’s role at Sheffield University emphasises 'earning while learning,' bridging academia and practice.
The Collaborative Practice programme allows students to work four days a week in leading architectural firms, with their professional experiences becoming part of their academic learning.This innovative approach addresses financial barriers while better preparing students for real-world challenges.. 2.