In this issue
How do you Value a Home: Really?
Vacancy for CEW Director: Closing date for applications: Monday 22nd February 2016
£2bn More Capital Programme Data
Have you entered the CEW Awards?
Welsh Government - Building Regulations Advisory Committee for Wales - Member Opportunities
Inclusive design in the Built Environment - who do we design for? - Aberystwyth/Cardiff/Llandudno/Swansea
CEW Awards 2016: Deadline for Entries



Vacancy for CEW Director: Closing date for applications: Monday 22nd February 2016

Best practice is at the heart of everything CEW advocates in Welsh construction and showcased in our Demonstration & Exemplar programme. Do you have what it takes to get involved and champion best practice?

Telling stories about how the best projects are completed is always great to hear and be involved with, but best practice is about more than just the projects that went well from the beginning. To learn best practice and share properly so that we all benefit we have to drill down deeper to find out how problems were overcome and then celebrate that success. That is what lies at the heart of our successful Demonstration & Exemplar Programmes.

When CEW began and evolved from the original ideas of Building the Team and Rethinking Construction the concept of demonstrating excellence and sharing the learning from a whole range of construction projects was born. That core element of our work has never stopped, never ceased in momentum and right now, the Exemplar Programme consists of almost 30 projects that represent a cumulative value of £600m comprising housing, health, highways, commercial and education sectors.

That’s a lot of best practice waiting to be shared, learned and then used to educate, inform, influence and shape future decision making.

That’s why the Demonstration & Exemplar Programme remains such a vital part of CEW work. It is also why we are looking for a new member of the CEW team to continue its success. That candidate is going to have to show a commitment to the values of best practice, collaborative working and the concept of disseminating great ideas and learning. These principles are at the heart of what we do. If you think you can demonstrate these traits and have what it takes to drive positive change in Welsh construction, then download the job description here.

 

 


£2bn More Capital Programme Data

Ongoing research is putting more detail on the four-year forward programme of planned local authority capital works – almost another £2BN of detail. 

Everyone in business and construction prefers to know what the future looks like – it allows us all to prepare, allocate resources and recruit the right people in good time. 

It was also a critical element within the No Turning Back recommendations and the actions of the Construction Procurement Task Group (CPTG). That’s why, in an ongoing mission to improve the visibility of public sector construction programmes CEW, through the CPTG working in partnership with the WLGA, produces an annual four-year forward programme of planned local authority capital works. 

The last four-year programme was produced in August 2015 – what we have here is a preview of an update on the programme that’s due for publication in March. The key point is that the visibility of the programme we are capturing is up considerably (now £3.8BN) from when we started four years ago, when the figures only pointed to about £2BN of work – almost £2BN more. 

The headline numbers are these: 

  1. 4-year programme is now £3.8bn (extra £900m across the 4 years)
  2. Extra £300m in 2015/16
  3. Extra £500m in Housing across the 4 years
  4. Extra £140m in Education across the 4 years, though £100m less in 15/16 (slippage) into later years
  5. Extra £90m in Highways over the 4 years 

The data covers the period from 2015 to 2019 and points to a considerable pipeline of work coming down the line. The trick of course is for everyone involved to work collaboratively to make sure as much of the predicted work turns into real tangible and sustainable projects. 

We will publish the update again in more detail in the newsletter in a week or so. If you want more details and you want to find out how we go about collecting the data, please contact CEW


Have you entered the CEW Awards?

With only a few weeks to go before the entry deadline now is the time to be finalising your submission to the Welsh construction industry’s best celebration of excellence. 

Are you thinking about your entry into the 2016 CEW Awards? You should be preparing now and thinking about how to best showcase what your team is doing and the great projects you’re involved with now as all entries must be completed by the 29th February 2016. 

The CEW Awards is arguably one of the many reasons that Welsh construction is doing so well right now. It has improved a great deal in the ten years of the CEW Awards, partly due to sharing the lessons learned and making the best practice from these outstanding award winning projects public. Ten years of brilliant construction projects showcased via the CEW Awards has put our industry right in the public eye. 

Being a part of the CEW Awards is an intrinsic element of pushing and pulling our industry forward. So, why not be a part of it what is a great process and an even better night of celebration at the awards event itself? The deadline for entries is 29th February – not long now, but still time to put together a winning formula. 

If you are considering showcasing your team, your projects, one of the SMEs you work with or sharing success with a client or partner organisation then why not think about entering our new award category for 2016 – BIM project of the year. BIM is now an accepted method of delivering projects of all sizes and an excellent way to work collaboratively and drive best practice and with more and more examples of its use in Wales it deserves its own award category at the CEW Awards. Judges will be looking for projects embracing BIM that point to benefits to end users, suppliers and project teams perhaps with examples of working around tight site situations and assisting with time and cost savings as well as enabling structural innovation. The use of all the elements of BIM and the integration between the client and other team members early in a scheme will be important factors in a winning entry. 

For more details and how to reserve your place at the event, or how to enter call the team on 02920 493322 or email


NB It is compulsory to nominate and complete an entry form  for an SME you have worked with for the SME of the year award.


Welsh Government - Building Regulations Advisory Committee for Wales - Member Opportunities

Welsh Government are looking for members to join the Building Regulations Advisory Committee for Wales. Members will assist BRACW in its statutory role to provide advice to the Welsh Ministers (usually via the Planning Directorate’s officials) on the exercise of their powers to make building regulations covering Wales, and on other related matters.

Members will be required to commit to a minimum of ten days per year. More information can be found on the recruitment pages of the website.


Inclusive design in the Built Environment - who do we design for? - Aberystwyth/Cardiff/Llandudno/Swansea
Wales can lead the way in establishing sound principles of inclusive design. This interactive training is aimed at planners, architects and anyone whose work impacts on the built environment who want to be a catalyst for establishing Wales as an exemplar for inclusive design practice.

Building on the commitments set out by the Welsh Government in the Framework for Action on Independent living and in the context of proposed changes to Design and Access Statement (DAS) requirements, this half-day course will provide delegates with a clearer understanding of the principles of inclusive design and how to use these principles in their working lives.
The workshop-style training will cover
  • The social, legal, moral and economic context of inclusive design
  • Who we are designing for and the impact of a disabling environment
  • The principles of inclusive design
  • The design process – beyond regulatory codes and towards a philosophy
  • Addressing access with or without a DAS
  •  Recognising and overcoming conflicts of interest
Whether you are new to the concept of inclusive design or familiar with the principles, this training will provide new material for you to expand your knowledge, understanding and application of the approach.

The training is coordinated by the Design Commission for Wales, RSAW, Constructing Excellence in Wales and RTPI Cymru on behalf of the Welsh Government. The training will be led by Sandra Manley. Sandra is a visiting research fellow at UWE whose research and teaching has focused on the importance of designing to ensure disabled, elderly people and young children are able to participate fully in mainstream community life.

The training is free but you will need to register to secure a place. Please see the dates, locations and links in the flyer. If you have any queries please contact DCFW or telephone 02920 451964.
This course is a core curriculum subject for RIBA/RSAW members and is CPD-certified.

Download: Flyer
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