Welcome to our Weekly E-Bulletin

I hope you’ve all enjoyed what has been one of the better summers in recent years, at least weather-wise and sports-wise, and your now feeling refreshed and ready for the challenges ahead!

It hasn’t been a totally quiet summer though. Two important announcements were made which will have an impact on the work we will be doing here at CEWales but also on the broader construction industry.

In July Jane Hutt AM, Minister for Finance, launched the  Welsh Construction Procurement Strategy to set out how the public sector in Wales will procure construction works and services in the future.  CEWales “No Turning Back” report led the way for this strategy and it should come as no surprise that the strategy is underpinned by the principle of collaboration. This was followed also in July  by the launch of Construction 2025 a joint government and industry strategy to take the construction sector forward with some very challenging targets for improvement. Again a key theme of the strategy is collaboration. You will hear a lot more about these over the next coming months.

The big issue on most people’s mind’s though is getting more investment into construction. That’s why the morning session being hosted by our South East Wales Best Practice Club on 24^th September is a must for all those interested in getting construction in Wales moving again. The Welsh Government will kick start the session by highlighting their work on the Wales infrastructure investment plan (WIIP) and the different funding options being considered by them. This will be followed by  other examples of successful financial approaches and how they can be adapted to our needs in Wales. This is a great opportunity for you  to help shape and influence greater investment in Welsh construction, so follow this link and register as soon as you can.

Just one more thing, for those of you who didn’t see “Rebuilding the World Trade Centre” on Channel 4 recently I’d advise you to track it down on I Player http://www.channel4.com/programmes/rebuilding-the-world-trade-center/4od.  It will be an hour well spent  and it shows what an amazing industry we’re all involved in. Enjoy

Milica Kitson