Spec Finish

CONSULTATION 26 www.thefis.org GETTING TO GRIPS WITH PRODUCTIVITY A s things start to return to a new normal, the finishes and interiors sector is confronted with several fresh challenges, not least the impact of new operating procedures on productivity and making a profit in the new normal. The companies that survive and thrive will be those most responsive to change. Accurate data is critical to this. The importance of good data Construction clients and contractors rely on accurate cost predictions. This is a challenge in normal times - according to data published by nPlan, 90% of construction projects already experience some level of delay greater than 10% beyond the planned schedule. The unprecedented nature of the Covid-19 pandemic is compounding this and further impacting progress and productivity of existing projects and making estimating for future contracts difficult - the norms and benchmarks upon which estimates are prepared no longer apply. Stephen Slessor, Regional Director - Scotland, Morrison Construction, said: “On Infrastructure projects we are typically losing up to an hour of productive time a day through additional hand washing, enforcing social distancing measures and changes to sequencing. On projects which are within an enclosed environment such as building projects, productivity losses are higher owing to more difficulty in enforcing social distancing and managing trade access to the working area. On top of this, additional costs have been incurred on travel to work, welfare and additional PPE.” This concern has been flagged up in the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) Roadmap and a working group has been established to look specifically at assessing and reporting the cost implications of post Covid-19 working conditions on the sector. The group has set about developing new tools to support a structured exchange of information and ultimately help companies within the supply chain uphold the principles set down in the Conflict Avoidance Pledge proposed by RICS and endorsed by the CLC. This work will help the wider construction sector to quantify a shift in productivity on existing projects, but also ensure that learnings are being analysed to ensure we are not quoting light and storing up problems for the future. How is productivity being impacted? The potential direct effects of Covid-19 disruption on projects identified by the CLC Working Group are: But challenges extend beyond the obvious issues associated with maintaining social distancing during tasks, through impacts of site flow, access and use of facilities to the extra hygiene burden of hand washing and cleaning tools. Factors are also nuanced within the sector and the challenges presented are perhaps most profoundly felt in the finishes and interiors sector, where work is often in confined space and comparatively manual. The scale of the challenge was highlighted in a recent survey of FIS Members, where 75% of respondents flagged productivity amongst their biggest challenge and only 12% felt they could operate profitably under new site operating procedures. Construction clients and contractors rely on accurate cost predictions. This is a challenge in normal times - according to data published by nPlan, 90% of construction projects already experience some level of delay greater than 10% beyond the planned schedule. The unprecedented nature of the Covid-19 pandemic is compounding this and further impacting progress and productivity of existing projects and making estimating for future contracts difficult - the norms and benchmarks upon which estimates are prepared no longer apply. Stephen Slessor, Regional Director - Scotland, Morrison Construction, said: “On Infrastructure projects we are typically losing up to an hour of productive time a day through additional hand washing, enforcing social distancing measures and changes to sequencing. On projects which are within an enclosed environment such as building projects, productivity losses are higher owing to more difficulty in enforcing social distancing and managing trade access to the working area. On top of this, additional costs have been incurred on travel to work, welfare and additional PPE.” This concern has been flagged up in the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) Roadmap and a working group has been established to look specifically at assessing and reporting the cost implications of post Covid-19 working conditions on the sector. The group has set about developing new tools to support a structured exchange of information and ultimately help companies within the supply chain uphold the principles set down in the Conflict Avoidance Pledge proposed by RICS and endorsed by the CLC. This work will help the wider construction sector to quantify a shift in productivity on existing projects, but also ensure that learnings are being analysed to ensure we are not quoting light and storing up problems for the future. How is productivity being impacted? The potential direct effects of Covid-19 disruption on projects identified by the CLC Working Group are: But ch llenges exte d beyond the obvious issues associated with maintaining social distan duri g tasks, through impacts of site flow, access and use of facilities to the extra hygiene hand washing and cleaning tools. Factors are lso nuanced within the sector and the challenges presented are perhaps mos profoundly f lt in the finish s nd interiors sector, where work is often in confined space comparatively manual. The scale of the challenge was highlighted in a recent survey of FIS Members, where 75% respondents flagged productivity amongst their biggest challenge and only 12% felt they c operate profitably under new site operating procedures. 14. What do you believe will be your biggest challenge over the next six months (please select up to three)? “On Infrastructure projects we are typically losing up to an hour of productive time a day through additional hand washing, enforcing social distancing measures and changes to sequencing.”