Focus on Construction by Jolito Ortizo Padilla

The construction industry is under many different pressures. Climate change fears have governments worldwide looking to the construction to be energy efficient, and as a potentially hazardous industry, construction businesses are also under pressure to prove the highest levels of health and safety and to strive for improvement. In addition, there are the financial strains of the recession.

One answer to these different pressures is to turn to quality for help. At the moment quality is all about integrated systems. A focus on safety and environment is hugely important by integrating ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHS 18001 everybody can work to deliver these objectives.

Quality in construction is not a new concept, but it has gained a higher profile over recent years. Quality is being taken more seriously because it reduces costs and gives confidence to the client. The role of quality is to ensure you're delivering what the client wants by having the right systems in place.

Training
But having the right systems in place will only work, if staff are properly trained. With the launch of diploma for the younger people, it is more hoped that these millennial generations will enter the industry. The course not only examines tools and techniques , but also influences to a project, including community involvement and environmental issues. It is an opportunity to capture the imagination of young people who are seeking an exciting career in the built environment.

For those in the profession, the scheme was created to improve quality and reduce accidents, certifies the competence of individuals in more than 220 construction profession. Training as hugely important in our sector, especially when it comes to health and safety.

An agenda focused on promoting:

• Integrated and collaborative working within the supply chain
• Leadership, people development and training
• Value- how to add the most possible benefit of end users
• Sustainability

We have surveyed the construction industry clients how the sector is performing in terms of customer satisfaction. These improvements are due to industry working more collaboratively. Clients are choosing who to work with and procure from, not just on the lowest tender , but by looking at a quality assessment.

In the future we are likely to see an increased focus on what we  term as "value". This refers to the value that the facility provides to its users-if it's an office how does it help staff productivity? Far more clients are going to be approaching procurement by evaluating not just the delivery of the product but how does it performs for its users over time. Quality is all about ensuring that this happens -it is about measuring outcomes not outputs.