If there is single word you can guarantee will more likely come up in a conversation while discussing about the construction company in London, it is 'offsite'.
The profile of offsite has never
been higher but despite it being far from a new concept, there remains huge discussion
about how the business can more effectively deliver what would appear to be its
potential.
Looking ahead it seems to be certain that PMV will become the prevailing terminology while discussing offsite.
It was acknowledged that there
should be an industry-wide agreed definition and a calculation to make PMV truly
meaningful.
The lack of data was highlighted
as a typical barrier across the cultural change necessary to completely embrace
the opportunities of offsite. As one specialist started, we are informed that
MMC is 30% quicker, but quicker than what?
This lack of data was featured as
a potential barrier to the social change necessary to completely embrace the
chances of offsite. Hearts and minds should have been persuaded and that would
happen when it was clear what the tangible and quantifiable benefits were.
In few sectors, for example, education
there is little argument about the advantages of offsite. The results are comparable
if worse than those delivered by means of more traditional strategies.
It is pioneering sectors like education
that plays a crucial role in taking the construction company in london forward with
regards to adapting and integrating offsite in light of the fact that the minimum
PMV requirements for future public systems are sure to increase, leaving behind
those that have not adapted to the new reality.
A
Standardized Approach
The clear consensus from the discussion
was that a standardized way to deal with PMV will be crucial in construction's
continuous advancement if it is going to capture the efficiencies the industry so
desperately needs, despite the fact that it isn't the only change that should overcome.
Another was that marginally counter
intuitively, the cost of accepting the opportunities of offsite can be restrictive
in fact it means more investment in consultants in advance when the funding of multiple
projects is weighted towards after a project has achieved planning.
Engaging with contractors at a far prior stage than is frequently the case is also significant so the offsite opportunities can be properly understood from the outset and become part of the initial design process rather than considered retrospectively, adding extra cost and lessening the efficiency premium.
What appears to be clear is that
for the guarantee of offsite to be realized, a clear strategy with realistic
goals should be set up with a top down order that will explode the myths around
offsite and drive the fundamental cultural change that will fuel this latest stage
in the evolution of our industry.
There is a lot to do but there
will undoubtedly come when we are done talking about offsite in the construction company in london, it will simply be the way we get things done.