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TheStrategic Forum for Construction is a United Kingdomconstruction industry organisation established in 2001 as the principal point of liaison between UK government and the major construction membership organisations. It also enables different representatives of the UK industry to discuss strategic issues facing construction and to develop joint strategies for industry improvement.
The Strategic Forum was established by ministers in 2001 as a successor to theConstruction Industry Board (established following a recommendation in the 1994Latham Report) and the Construction Task Force, established by the then Deputy Prime MinisterJohn Prescott in 1997.[1] Parts of the construction industry had withdrawn support for the Construction Industry Board, so construction ministerNick Raynsford MP established it initially as a Government-funded body. The Task Force had produced the 1998Egan Report, and SirJohn Egan was appointed the Forum's first chairman.
In 2002, theConstruction Industry Council, with backing from other umbrella bodies and Raynsford's successor as construction minister,Brian Wilson MP, changed the Forum to an independent industry group; Peter Rogers of property developerStanhope plc succeeded Egan as chairman, serving until 2006.[2] Prior to its 2016 reformation, the Forum was chaired byLord O'Neill; the Forum is now chaired on a rotating basis by representatives from each of its six members.
The Forum has been repeatedly criticised for not speaking on behalf of the entire industry (a role also claimed by theCBI's construction council). In August 2012, the thenchief construction adviserPaul Morrell, speaking in a personal capacity, proposed to radically shake up the Forum's governance structure to present a unified industry voice to lobby the government,[3] withBalfour Beatty chief executive Ian Tyler to chair a new advisory council to the Government Construction Board. The forum's role also came under scrutiny following the government's 2013 formation of a Construction Leadership Council.[4]
The Strategic Forum initially had six key sector representatives, each looking after the interests of a particular sector:
In February 2016, the Forum was relaunched. Changes reflected a 2015 reformation of the Construction Leadership Council, and merger of the National Specialist Contractors Council with the UK Contractors Group to formBuild UK.[7] Now excluding site worker representation, the reconstituted Forum's membership comprised:[7]
TheHome Builders Federation and CBI also attend meetings.
In September 2002, the Strategic Forum publishedAccelerating Change. This set a headline target that 50% of projects should be undertaken by integrated teams andsupply chains by 2007 (progress was made, but the target was not achieved). To help achieve the target, in 2003 it published an onlineIntegration toolkit.
The Strategic Forum seeks to promote and to monitor industry progress on six key areas (described in itsConstruction Commitments):[8]
As appropriate the Forum works with other bodies includingConstructing Excellence (which also provides administrative support to the Construction Clients' Group) andCITB.
