The news that Costain and Vinci have been named as ECI on the £750M M4 upgrade at Newport almost kept politics away from the headlines for while, but nonetheless, this is a significant step forward in what has been a very long running Welsh construction saga. But, the process being pursued should demonstrate the best qualities of our industry and its supply chain – providing the client allows the team they have chosen to apply their expertise.

The key to this is linking procurement to delivery of the project and the design and development stage is critical to getting this right. Too often we find across Wales and in all sectors the experts – which are our contractors and suppliers – do not challenge the client, or the client’s advisors and procurement teams set a scheme off in the wrong direction.

We need to educate the clients more that we know how to give them what they want. That is why the concept of the guiding principles behind value for money in 21^st Century Schools is important. It is also why showcasing great schemes, great processes and great talent via the CEW Awards is vital. We have to share our success. Share our best practice, our learning and make sure the lessons are heeded and applied to a variety of other schemes. That is why we are never shy about promoting the CEW Awards.

This week we anticipate revealing the short list for this year’s event. The quality of the entries has been as high as ever, often making the judges tasks very difficult. We think the shortlist will not just prove how good Welsh construction is, but it will also serve to stimulate debate about best practice. We are already looking forward to the next round of judging and digging into the detail and really understanding how collaborative procurement and a pursuit of principles such as value and community benefits provide Welsh with such landmark schemes.