Construction: Digital Transformation within the Industry

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Spotlight on Construction Digital transformation within the industry

Spotlight on: Construction In association with:

Technology is advancing at an exponential rate – delivering solutions, products and data that are rapidly changing the way we work, live and play.

New digital solutions are being made available to different sectors of industry, increasing productivity, streamlining manufacturing and improving green credentials.

Construction is one of the largest industry sectors in the UK, representing around six per cent of GDP, and the government is keen to promote better adoption of digital and manufacturing technologies in order to reduce costs, timescales and greenhouse gas emissions linked to the creation of the built environment.

The construction sector, however, is often regarded as the last major industry to board the technology bandwagon. With government policy beginning to push the digital agenda in order to solve problems such as the housing crisis, construction is being forced to change and embark upon a new digital era.

The Construction Sector Deal is seen by many as a game-changing piece of policy, setting out an ambitious partnership between government and industry that aims to transform the sector’s productivity through innovative technologies and a more highly skilled workforce.

Construction is the second least digitalised industry in the UK, after agriculture, with many projects finishing over time and over budget. Thought leaders within the field believe that adopting new manufacturing technologies and digital solutions will assist the industry in making up the productivity gap.

It is imperative that construction adopts more productive methods of creating the built environment as the sector underpins our society and economy. Every corner of the UK is touched by construction, and as we brave an uncertain future, this crucial industry must leap fully forward into the digital age.

This White Paper looks at advancements in the digital built environment and where the future lies with cloud software and data management. We speak to leaders in the field about how technology will impact the industry, and hope you find the information useful.

Victoria Maggiani, Editor, Construction Excellence www.ukconstructionmedia.co.uk

Table of contents

Bytes and mortar: The construction sector deal

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The new T-levels: Future construction skills

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Smart construction

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Becoming a digitally enabled construction sector

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Emerging technologies

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Grabbing high tech with both hands: The need for innovation in construction

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Project to product thinking: The Golden Thread

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Cybersecurity

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Find and win construction tender opportunities

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Bytes and mortar The Construction Sector Deal

Bytes and mortar: The construction sector deal Speaking at the Northern Powerhouse Summit in Newcastle in July, Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark announced a transformative deal for the construction sector.

The Construction Sector Deal will see innovative technologies, designed to increase productivity, applied to construction. The joint governmentindustry Sector Deal, worth £420M, will help tackle the housing crisis by allowing new homes to be constructed more quickly and with less disruption.

The Deal is the biggest investment in construction in a decade and, with almost half of the economy reliant on the built environment, the government intends to improve productivity and safety, while reducing energy use. The construction, manufacturing, energy and digital sectors will be brought together to explore innovative approaches, which will revolutionise the industry.

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Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said:

“The construction industry is fundamental to growing our economy as we build to invest in our future.

Major infrastructure projects like HS2 and the commitment to deliver 1.5M homes by 2022 mean that we need a construction sector that can drive innovation, delivering homes and infrastructure more quickly.

“As buildings account for around 30% of total emissions, we also want to ensure that we are at the global forefront in designing and building smart, energy-efficient and affordable homes and buildings through the Clean Growth Grand Challenge, saving families money on their bills.

“This Sector Deal is supported by the biggest government investment in construction for at least a decade and will drive economic growth and create well-paid highly skilled jobs in every part of the UK.”

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Andrew Wolstenholme, Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council, said:

“Securing this deal sends out a statement about the vital contribution our sector makes to the country. Our industry builds the schools to educate the young, the hospitals to care for the sick, the police stations to keep us safe, the roads and railways that get us to work, the power stations that keep us warm and the homes we return to each day.

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“We are an industry that must be at the forefront of the UK’s drive for future growth and prosperity – and I’m confident that this deal will help to achieve that.”

The investment aims to transform construction productivity by driving the development of digital building design, new innovative construction materials and manufacturing techniques, which will speed up building time, reduce disruption and ensure the homes, workplaces and public buildings of the future are more energy efficient. The deal will support the development of affordable, easy to construct homes – supporting the government’s ambition of delivering 1.5M new homes by 2022 – as well as schools and other buildings which can be quickly and sustainably manufactured offsite, then assembled where and when needed.

The deal will also support the development of construction skills to help tackle the skills crisis within the sector.

The new T-levels: Future construction skills Smart construction

The new T-levels: Future construction skills As part of the deal, the government will work with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to ensure a strategic focus on future skills needs and increase significantly the number of approved apprenticeships standards. With a third of the industry’s three million workers aged over 50, the Construction Sector Deal includes £34M for expanding innovative construction training programmes across the country to upskill the existing workforce as well as a commitment to increase the number of apprenticeship starts to 25,000 by 2020. Government will work with industry to prepare for implementation of new construction T-Levels by supporting the sector to offer high-quality construction industry placements. There will also be a single industry portal to support construction careers based on Go Construct.

Smart construction As buildings account for around 30% of the UK’s emissions, this Sector Deal will also help put the UK at the forefront of the global clean growth shift towards cleaner, more efficient construction. The government’s Buildings Mission, announced by the Prime Minister as part of the Clean Growth Grand Challenge, set the objective of at least halving the energy use of new buildings by 2030, helping families to save money on their bills and making the UK a leader in the move to clean, green sustainable construction.

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Becoming a digitally enabled construction sector

Becoming a digitally enabled construction sector By: Alison Nicholl BRE Associate Director, Constructing Excellence

Looking back 20 years to the time of the Egan report ‘Rethinking Construction’ (published in 1998), construction was an industry characterised by low margins and poor investment in capital and R&D, with a skills shortage due to our inability to attract the best talent. Moreover, procurement was led by price, not value, and projects were unpredictable on time, cost and quality. This left an industry that was inefficient and heavily fragmented.

On the face of it, it could be said that this is still the case today – so how can we change that? The industry is currently on the threshold of a major digital revolution. The value of new UK construction projects in 2017 was close to £11Bn (ONS, 2018); and with the pressure on the sector to deliver more and better projects with greater financial efficiency, digital is being seen as the solution to these challenges.

With growing interest around Building Information Modelling (BIM), we might be forgiven for assuming that it is the principal way digital technology is transforming the sector. But digital construction goes beyond this.

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Becoming a digitally enabled construction sector

To truly revolutionise and become an industry fit for the 21st century and further, the construction sector needs not only to maximise BIM, but also to look beyond it and truly embrace digital technology in all possible areas. We need to take it out of the domain of specialist ‘digital teams’ and turn it into how we do things more widely, if we are to become a truly digitally enabled industry.

What do we mean by ‘truly digitally enabled?’ Combined with collaboration, the use of digital technology can remove much of the waste from the construction supply chain. For example, the implementation of smart contracts and using technology such as blockchain could significantly reduce much of the transactional burden that adds time and cost to projects.

Now that everyone has a smartphone in their pocket, and with near universal 4G coverage across the UK, a whole raft of digital tools are available for use on-site that make day-to-day tasks such as waste management and safety incident reporting so much easier. Many digital solutions can also improve process efficiency and minimise waste.

Going beyond the construction process, there are increasing levels of uptake in smartphone-enabled technology within buildings, especially smart homes. Everything from central heating controls that optimise temperature based on tracking the occupier’s movements in and out of the home, through to smart control of electricity supplies to allow appliances to operate at the time of greatest ‘surplus’ in the grid.

One of the key challenges faced as the use of digital technology grows, is the conundrum of identifying who actually ‘owns’ the data. There is a need to develop protocols that allow data to be shared and used across the whole sector in ways that don’t compromise data protection and intellectual property rights, or open up security loopholes. BIM technology has revealed another difficulty: for data to be shared in a meaningful way, there needs to be a common ‘language’, or at least a set of common terms that are used in the description of objects. The humble window, for example, may be referred to by some as a fenestration unit or by others as a vision panel, depending on its position within a building.

We have moved forward inexorably in how we manage project information. This has led to significant benefits in the design process. However, to fully exploit the benefits that digital technology can bring, we need to look at the end-to-end process of how the built environment is procured, designed, constructed and managed.

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Becoming a digitally enabled construction sector

We understand the need to supply full life-cycle information that will extend beyond the typical project lifecycle requirements and could include decommissioning of the asset in formats that can be easily interpreted by both software and users.

To do this, we need to rethink contracts and procurement so that we create a culture that is collaborative – one that enables organisations to share information and knowledge across project teams and supply chains, so that everyone is working on and able to access the most up-to-date information. This has been demonstrated on projects such as the Cabinet Office Trial Project on Insurance Backed Alliancing, where the removal of risk associated with collaborating enabled a single BIM model to be used, meaning each member of the project team was able to access the same and most up-to-date information.

There is much focus on off-site and pre-manufactured value, but to ensure we don’t simply recreate what happens on-site in factories, we need to fully embrace the kind of advanced, digitally enabled manufacturing that has transformed sectors such as automotive and aerospace. Generative design tools, combined with precision manufacturing, will enable us to transform not only how we design the built environment, but also how we construct and manage it.

Digital is not going to be a silver bullet for the sector’s problems. If we simply digitise our existing processes, we will never achieve the kinds of productivity improvements that are needed. We must look outside of the sector and bring in new skills, knowledge and ideas so that we can become a truly digitally enabled industry.

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Emerging technologies

Emerging technologies How emerging technologies are shaping the future of construction Information is key to a successful construction project, and in the last ten years the amount of information digitally recorded on construction sites has grown exponentially.

From jobsite photos and information on materials used to labour hours and equipment utilisation data, the ability to capture information without the worry of the paper trail is transforming the construction industry.

Construction sites are no longer simply a place for diggers, bricks and concrete – they are a hotbed of all sorts of data that are driving operations and improving efficiency.

For example, capturing field data used to be a tedious manual process that involved clipboards and filing cabinets. The digitisation of that process now means construction workers can easily gather and share data with key stakeholders, both on-site and back at headquarters, using a range of tools including apps, smartphone cameras, drones and even robots.

Data collection through mobile devices is a strategy utilised by modern construction sites.

Information reported and accessed using handheld equipment is a valuable resource to help firms stay competitive in an increasingly digital age and to understand how resources are used and how work is done. Facilitating better planning and preparation for what-if scenarios helps to make projects and companies more profitable.

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Emerging technologies

The need for actionable intelligence is driving demand for artificial intelligence The mass adoption of digital techniques, as well as the transition to the digital economy, is also playing an important role in transforming the construction industry. Historically, information has been stored in a variety of different places – floppy disks, compact discs, USBs, spreadsheets and even the human brain. But as data volumes become larger and the demand for actionable intelligence from these bodies of information grows, the need for adequate capture and processing will also increase.

For example, in 2010, 1.2 zettabytes (1 trillion gigabytes) of data was collected from smart building worldwide. By 2020, that figure is projected to be a massive 37.2 zettabytes. Processing this volume of data and providing actionable insights is the perfect use case for artificial intelligence – freeing humans to focus on what matters, and enabling new levels of efficiency when it comes to data processing. Linking man with machine will provide the construction industry with previously hidden insights into data that would take humans weeks or months to process and find value in.

Technology is a friend, not a foe Too often, artificial intelligence is spoken of in terms of the perceived threat to human jobs, but the reality is actually that it helps businesses to become more productive. For the construction industry, AI presents an opportunity to optimise processes and improve results. For example, AI-enabled processes could be used in the planning and scheduling of construction projects, as they have the potential to assess endless combinations and alternatives based on similar projects, optimising the best path and correcting themselves over time.

Beyond AI, there are other emerging technologies disrupting the skillsets needed to work in construction. For example, autonomous vehicles for deliveries and drones for surveillance and map-building can bring increased productivity and help drive down costs. 3D printing and modular construction are other great examples, enabling better quality control and faster build times. Unlike traditional construction, these new practices mainly happen in a controlled environment which means weather delays, for instance, are no longer a factor. The reliance on machines also means many repetitive processes can be carried out at speed without any errors.

Wastage is reduced, and resources can be optimised.

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Emerging technologies

Focus on integration The key to getting the most out of these emerging technologies will be integrating them effectively with existing systems and processes and their human counterparts. Technology is only ever as good as its implementation.

We need to see closer coordination between back office, vendors and the field in terms of both quantity of communication and time of response to tighten the decision/reaction loops inherent in construction. Implemented effectively, businesses will benefit from greater transparency and fluidity of information. This will help ensure that decisions can be made at the appropriate levels within the organisation, allowing the back office to concentrate on strategic rather than tactical planning.

Effective adoption of emerging technologies will allow construction companies to focus on attending to growing client needs. It’s about embracing their benefits and crafting a plan to use them to complement your workforce, not replace them. The benefits can be redirected into growing the business and creating the world-class company that you, your team and your customers deserve.

Article submitted by Sage, leaders in cloud computing software.

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Grabbing high tech with both hands: The need for innovation in construction

Grabbing high tech with both hands: The need for innovation in construction The construction insurance industry may not always have been the first to embrace the latest technology. Innovation brings new possibilities and new threats along with it. Peter London, construction indemnity specialist at Willis Towers Watson, weighs up the pros and cons of taking up new technologies.

Construction will stay largely a physical job in a physical world for as long as we all use roads, buildings and other infrastructure. For the foreseeable future, bricks and mortar, hammers and nails, hardhats and lunchboxes will still have a place in the industry. So you’ll have to forgive us if we have a tendency to prefer technology you can hold with both hands.

However, the industry now faces significant productivity challenges. A recent McKinsey & Company study shows that the typical large project in mining, infrastructure and oil and gas construction runs 80% over budget and takes 20% longer to complete than scheduled.

Construction productivity has not kept up with overall economic productivity, which has led to volatile financial returns for contractors.

Embracing new and more efficient ways of doing things, chiefly through technology, can unlock productivity leaps. However, with opportunities come risks.

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Grabbing high tech with both hands: The need for innovation in construction

BIM Great leaps are being taken in building information modelling or management (BIM), particularly in 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions. As is so often the case, many of the ‘movers and shakers’ are companies coming from Asia and the East. Chinese companies are already 3D printing properties.

While BIM is deeply entrenched in many parts of the industry, it still presents technological issues that are gradually becoming more apparent. Through sharing documents and tools that are part of BIM, companies can spot critical dependencies and prevent bottlenecks in material and work deliveries. But, the collaborative nature of BIM may be challenging, especially considering that bidding on jobs is a traditionally non-collaborative task, involving privately considering estimates about resources, time and effort.

OPPORTUNITIES

RISKS

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Instant communication and access to information

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Difficulty in allocating management and determining liability

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Avoid bottlenecks and scheduling mishaps

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Role clarity

Complicating the bidding process by revealing work details

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Efficient project management

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Increased cyber security threat

Cyber security raises unavoidable questions for any online system, making BIM part of this growing topic for discussion. Cyber crime increases along with cyber dependency. We are more exposed to cyber vulnerabilities the more we go online. An art thief would be very happy to hack into the blueprints for a gallery, store or other facility where valuable items are stored. And so, whether we like it or not, the sector is joining others, from banking to retail, where cyber security experts are continually ensnared in ongoing battles against cyber criminals, and the owners of data are facing questions related to liability in the cyber age: who is responsible when data is stolen? Those who developed it? Those who stored it?

Or perhaps those who accessed it?

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Grabbing high tech with both hands: The need for innovation in construction

Drones Drone technology is advancing, and the construction industry is one of the leaders of the charge. According to recent reports, the industry accounts for a significant proportion of the waivers that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted for commercial drone use. The value of using drones to make inspections and carry out deliveries in hardto-reach places is clear. However, the risks associated with drones – outlined below – will have to be addressed.

OPPORTUNITIES

RISKS

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Inspections of work and work areas

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Air safety issues

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Material delivery

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Documenting project progress

Air traffic control on the job site (including unauthorised drones)

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Protection from crashes – property and liability issues

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Privacy issues

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Supervisors looking in on works (possibly subject to union negotiation)

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Inadvertent recording of off-site activity

The advantage of drones is that they require no human passengers or pilots. However, this carries its own risk as humans end up having access to anything and everything drones see and record. In the event that a company drone sees some suspicious activity, is that company obligated to report it? If a potentially embarrassing moment is recorded by a drone’s video and the clip goes viral, where should responsibility lie for the ensuing reputational damage? These are just a couple of issues companies need to consider before they begin flying ahead with their plans.

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Grabbing high tech with both hands: The need for innovation in construction

Laser scanning and its applications: autonomous vehicles Accurate measurement is critical in construction work; measure twice, cut once – the age-old carpenter’s principle – is a sure reminder. Laser scanning, the technology behind self-driving cars, makes measurement accuracy even more important. The potential value is enormous. Being able to accurately measure a 360 degree view of the world, as the technological basis for self-driving cars, lays the foundation for the development of autonomous construction vehicles, including cranes and other robotic devices.

OPPORTUNITIES •

Laser accuracy

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Measurement of complex spaces

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Use of self-driving construction vehicles

RISKS •

New technologies to learn, new expertise required, dependence on specialised equipment

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Liability, reliability and safety issues facing self-driving, autonomous vehicles

While the technology is costly, it’s probably safe to say the robots are coming and the opportunities presented by laser scanning in taking measurements during construction outweigh the risks. Taking the technology to the next level and using autonomous vehicles, which use laser scanning to be the eyes of the self-driving machinery, may be a different matter. While the benefits of autonomous cranes are obvious, the work can be very precarious and dangerous. However, the recent news reports of the first death of a driver of Tesla’s semi-autonomous vehicle – while perhaps pointing to human error rather than machine error – reminds us of the liabilities and dangers facing those early adopters.

Clearly, both risks and opportunities abound. Early adoption will heighten both risk and opportunity, but those who dare to embrace could separate themselves from a pack that must subsequently play catchup, or risk fading into obscurity or irrelevance.

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Project to product thinking: The Golden Thread

Project to product thinking: The Golden Thread By: Robert Clark, Head of Business Development at Fusion Building Systems

In less than five years from now, I believe offsite will be considered a mainstream method of construction, rather than the secondary alternative which it is seen as by many today. The key to making this happen lies in how we approach each project and the technologies we choose to use to make it all happen.

The Government has announced a £170M budget for its Transforming Construction programme – an initiative designed to modernise the way we build.

One of the objectives of this programme is to help industry make greater use of digital, manufacturing and integrated energy technologies in the delivery of new buildings. At the moment, construction projects are labour-intensive and productivity lags relative to other sectors. But, we have the technology and we can transfer knowledge from other industries to help us improve output, quality and sustainability.

Taking a leaf out of the automotive industry’s book, the Government has stated construction would benefit from moving towards a manufacturing-led approach – viewing output as a product rather than a project. Offsite provides the ideal environment for making this happen.

At Fusion we have been on this page for a while now – and not just because we’ve been working in offsite manufacturing for 20 years. We know the difference technology will make to the construction sector and we know the way the industry approaches production needs to change.

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Anyone who’s heard one of my presentations, either on a visit to our manufacturing facility in Northampton or at an industry event, will know I talk passionately about something we’ve branded internally as ‘JEDU’. This is our abbreviation for moving from proJEct to proDUct thinking: taking the construction industry away from seeing developments as individual silos with unique requirements, limited R&D and rising costs, to adopting a product-led approach, as the manufacturing industry has done for years. This would offer a selection of specific products which can be matched and tailored to development requirements, offering superior levels of quality and scope for innovation.

And, we’re doing more than just talking about it.

Two years ago, we recruited a new Operations Manager into our factory. Steve Alder came from the automotive industry and knows what an efficient production line looks like. Over the past 24 months he’s been working with us to streamline our processes and help us educate developers, contractors, architects and supply chain managers about the benefits that a product-led approach to construction can bring. But that’s only half the story – the enabler to make this change in thinking and behaviour happen is technology.

Project to product thinking: The Golden Thread

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BIM and related emerging digital technologies make up the ‘Golden Thread’ which needs to run through all stages of the supply chain and, importantly, through the people who are controlling the building, commissioning individual partners. To achieve ultimate efficiency, these people need to immerse themselves in the delivery platform which new technologies can provide – procuring the right component parts which are proven, through testing, to work together and will link with the key skeleton technologies in a building. This can only be achieved by adopting a product-led approach, turning the construction model we’ve worked to for decades on its head.

Bringing technology into the boardroom in this way also hints at how eagerly there needs to be an acceptance and understanding of its capabilities outside of the design office. It will soon no longer be acceptable for the technophobes among us to compete in this market – we have to upskill our processes and our people if we’re to succeed. My son is of the ‘Minecraft Generation’ and I’ve seen first hand how this computer game is inspiring young people to engage in building design and complex problem-solving. These ‘kids’ are the future of the construction industry but we need to adopt technology now to ensure we modernise, we innovate and we capture their interest to help drive us forward.

In the UK we’re really still in the early adoption phase of BIM, but give it a few years and we’ll see in the UK what’s happening in Germany now – the tipping point to mass market adoption. Look back 20 years and CAD CAM was just starting to be introduced for offsite design; now, heading into 2019, we operate a design office at Fusion which is fully immersed in BIM and chomping at the bit to take technology further. Last year, for example, we invested in Dalux Field: using this interactive technology, site managers can mark their physical position on a plan, click into a 3D BIM view and provide accurate information there and then about any issues they’ve found. Live reporting can even be streamed into meetings taking place elsewhere between client and contractor, providing an insight into a project for someone who may not even have set foot on site. By working in this way, a fully auditable history can be developed of communication, issue rectification and close out – and because everyone on the team has an immediate visual understanding of what’s happening on site, build delays are reduced and lines of communication are kept crystal clear.

At Fusion we invest heavily in apprentices – bright school and college-leavers who can find their way around design software faster than I can fathom my iPhone. Fast-forward 20 years from now and they’ll be in jobs which haven’t even been imagined yet – jobs which will create beautifully designed buildings which are innovative, sustainable and cost-effective, delivered through a production line process.

Technology will make this happen, changing the way we work and moving us from a project-led industry to a more efficient, more intelligent product-led sector – offsite.

Cybersecurity Hook, line and sinker – don’t get caught by the phishers

Cybersecurity Hook, line and sinker – don’t get caught by the phishers By: Kevin Alexandra, Principal Technical Consultant at Avecto

It’s a dangerous world for businesses; almost half were hit by a cyber attack last year, and construction companies are increasingly finding themselves in the crosshairs of the criminals. With complex supply chains consisting of numerous contractors and third parties, those in the construction sector are often seen as an easy target as there are so many avenues into the corporate network. Government recognised this in early 2018, announcing fines of up to £17M for infrastructure firms that fail to implement adequate security measures.

Every day in construction a myriad emails are exchanged, forming a complex web of communication between architects, contractors, clients and other stakeholders. And it’s not only these emails that can be a conduit for a successful cyber attack, but also phone calls, physical access to facilities, contractor computers with access to networks and poorly managed user accounts.

Exploiting these vulnerabilities is known more broadly as ‘social engineering’.

The construction industry is particularly susceptible to cyber attacks since its security practices are generally less formal. Historically, the construction industry has adopted new technology at a slower rate than other sectors, leading to vulnerabilities that cyber attackers are beginning to exploit. With an extensive supply chain, too, it’s difficult for the construction industry to consider the potential impact of contractor security on its own networks, which make it a prime target.

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Social engineering is all about deception – making a target hand over sensitive information, such as passwords, physical locations and network identifiers, without realising. Often, all a potential cyber criminal will need is an employee name or user name, but even the technology in use or work schedules can create a potential opening for later exploitation; and since the majority of this information could be seen as being relatively mundane, an employee might be willing to hand this over while on the phone or via email. Security technologies are becoming stronger by the day, so attackers instead hope they can exploit human psychology to persuade individuals to unwittingly give them the data they desire.

In practical terms this usually takes the form of a ‘phishing’ email purporting to be from a trusted party, asking you to either reply with log in details or visit a website that then asks you to log in. But in reality the cyber criminal is sitting behind it all, hoovering up the credentials and using them to plan a more substantial attack on the corporate network.

Cyber criminals opt for this tactic because it’s so successful, and pretty easy to do. The FBI believes corporate phishing has become a $5Bn global business. The McAfee Labs Threats Report warns that for every ten phishing emails sent by attackers, at least one will be successful. McAfee presented ten real emails to more than 19,000 people from across the globe and asked them to identify whether they were dangerous or legitimate. It found 80% incorrectly identified at least one phishing email.

Cybersecurity Hook, line and sinker – don’t get caught by the phishers

The reason the success rates are so high is because humans are always the weakest link in the security chain. People make mistakes, and people will always be fallible. These attacks exploit social norms and human nature, including reciprocity, curiosity and pride.

Phishing emails have become more sophisticated.

Gone are the days of the ‘Nigerian Prince’ scam which was sent en masse to millions and tried to trick people into wiring money to a foreign account.

These days the attackers will be more targeted – impersonating a colleague or contact, perhaps, or asking a seemingly innocuous task to be carried out. It might be the CEO asking a finance assistant to send an advance to a new supplier, or the head of IT asking for your username and password for the intranet. Cyber criminals are putting in the work to research their targets in order to create very convincing communications. The best can be almost impossible to spot.

For construction companies, once an attacker has picked a target there are a huge number of suppliers and third parties that could be spoofed through a spear phishing email.

The question is, what can be done to effectively defend against these attacks? It’s well worth educating staff about security basics and regularly reminding them of the risks. Sensible advice includes only opening emails you are sure about – if the name is familiar but the content seems unusual, check with them first – and not giving the benefit of the doubt to strangers or staff members when they ask for sensitive information. But precautions of this kind alone are not enough to stop breaches occurring.

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However, the best advice is to implement defences that either prevent the attack from being successful, or at least minimise the effects. These don’t have to be costly either, with some simple steps that are easy to implement being multi-factor authentication for passwords and device encryption on laptops or mobile phones to protect against access to stolen physical devices. It’s about getting the right security foundations in place rather than spending all your IT budget on ‘next generation’ solutions that end up doing very little if the basics aren’t spot on.

On a practical level, this also involves ensuring admin rights are removed from all employees.

Essentially, this means staff are empowered to do the jobs they need to do but don’t have the ability to access the wider network. Therefore, if they do fall for a phishing scam and have their account or machine compromised, the attacker is then prevented from moving through the corporate infrastructure.

Application control is another measure that can make a big difference. Through this, only approved applications can run, so anything malicious that is accidently downloaded by an employee cannot cause any harm.

Construction companies are more vulnerable to targeted social engineering than many other sectors.

However, if you get the foundations of good security in place you’ll be in a much stronger position if staff do slip up.

Construction Pipeline 2019

Construction Pipeline 2019 The latest findings from IHS Markit and CIPS UK Construction (January 2019) state that there is “business optimism towards the year ahead” as the degree of confidence in the construction market is at its highest level since last April. Survey respondents cited hopes of a boost to growth from work on big-ticket transport and energy infrastructure projects in 2019.

National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline The most recent “Analysis of the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline” document (November 2018) announced many projects, programmes and other spending commitments for the current year. Over the coming decade investment is projected to hit over £600Bn. Although the UK’s infrastructure plans may seem ambitious, impressive progress has been made since 2010, with 98% of long-term national priority infrastructure projects completed or on track to be delivered – this includes major projects in sectors such as transport, energy and flood defence across the UK.

With the launch of the Construction Sector Deal, supported by the creation of a Core Innovation Hub, the government has set out a strong policy to encourage the progression of digitisation and new technologies. In order to improve productivity, enhance manufacture and encourage the digital generation into the sector, construction must embrace these new technologies and solutions.

Business and Industry Minister Richard Harrington said:

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“We have the opportunity to revolutionise construction in the UK [to] build smarter, greener and more efficient buildings much faster and cheaper than we do now.

“From the introduction of virtual reality to off-site manufacturing, our modern Industrial Strategy, is helping the UK construction sector to develop new techniques and skills - modernising the sector and delivering the homes and buildings our nation needs.”

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In fact, recent research from Construction Excellence, shows that the industry is backing the government’s policy on digitisation and that exploring emerging technologies is of huge strategic importance to construction companies. More than half of companies that responded to the research say they are planning on investing in digitisation within the next 12 months; this rises to almost 70% that plan to invest over the next two years.

This pipeline document, which is published annually, is extremely beneficial for suppliers looking to expand their opportunities. Tony Meggs, Chief Executive of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, has said that:

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“By publishing the pipeline, we are able to provide visibility, knowledge and understanding of where infrastructure investment is being made and by whom. By publishing projections of longer-term investment, we aim to boost market confidence and help the sector with business planning.”

As part of the National Infrastructure and Construction pipeline, the government said it had also committed to using modern methods of construction (MMC) for public projects and is seeking views on how it can encourage greater use of these techniques in order to improve productivity.

Robert Jenrick, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said:

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“As the pace of technological change accelerates, we are stepping up our commitment to digital infrastructure, use of data to drive greater productivity and embrace new methods of construction.

“With £600Bn of investment over the next decade, including the largest ever investment in our strategic road network, we are taking the long-term action required to raise productivity and ensure the economy is fit for the future.”

It is obvious from the rapid developments and changes in the marketplace that it is now more imperative than ever to invest in technology. To be able to take advantage of the huge government contracts that are in the wings, such as HS2, the £28Bn National Roads Fund, smart motorway initiative and Hornsea Project One, construction companies must be able to demonstrate how they can use modern methods of construction and newer technologies to their advantage.

Construction Pipeline 2019

Chart 1: Investment in the pipeline 2018/19 – 2020/21 by sector (£Bn)

Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_ data/file/759222/CCS207_CCS1118987248001_National_Infrastructure_and_Construction_ Pipeline_2018_Accessible.pdf

Transport Energy Utilities Social infrastructure Digital infrastructure Science and research Flood and coastal erosion

Find and Win Construction Tenders Investing in a procurement platform that will help you to find, bid for and win new construction tenders should be a priority for your business.

To ensure that your organisation is fully aware of the opportunities available to it in the commercial marketplace, learn more about Tracker’s Commercial Projects tool.

Commercial Projects offers much more than just Tender Alerts. This module enables users to become more proactive when sourcing valuable opportunities, as they can gain access to all planning applications and decisions within 24 hours of publication.

If you would like to gain access to pipeline contracts, long before they have even been tendered, contact a member of the Tracker Intelligence team for a free LIVE demo of our innovative procurement portal and market intelligence tool.

0845 270 7065 sales@trackerintelligence.com

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