It was fantastic last week to gain support from Jane Hutt AM, Minister for Finance and Government Business for the creation of a Wales Infrastructure Forum and her commitment for a vision for Wales. It was encouraging also, to hear about her letter to George Osborne, but it is something else to see it in writing and see exactly the call for investment spelled out so plainly.

Yes, we are still living in straightened economic times and we need to budget carefully and make strong business arguments for funding of any construction project. But, we know from experience that construction – especially when it is planned, designed and delivered with an emphasis on whole life costs and a focus on outputs – is a great enabler for our society and the nations’ economy.

Cuts and continued austerity will hurt us in the longer run. A lack of investment will not stimulate value. Instead it will stifle growth. We need capital investment and infrastructure projects like the South East Wales Metro transport system, a City Deal for the Cardiff Capital Region and the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon: each one is capable of playing a critical role in boosting Wales’s economic recovery. But if the funding for schemes like them and others are taken as a whole then the prospects for Wales could be way beyond current expectations. But what’s need is funding.

If that is made available then we as an industry must be ready to respond and answer the call made by Jane Hutt. We have to plan, design, build and then manage these facilities with a focus on best practice and collaboration. That means working together; it means entering into a dialogue with Government and all stakeholders – it means pushing ahead with the ideas we began discussing at last weeks Infrastructure Investment Conference.

It means being ready to back up Jane Hutt’s lobbying of George Osborne with clear actions.