Getting to grips with value is the lynchpin of sector transformation, warns innovation Tsar

If we are serious about making construction fit for the future, then we must first get to grips with value.

This is one of the challenges that Keith Waller, who leads the Government-backed Construction Innovation Hub, will put to industry in a keynote speech later this morning.

Delivering the opening address at this year’s virtual UK Construction Week, Waller will throw down the gauntlet to construction firms to call time on time “opting for the cheapest option” and instead shift the focus towards “what’s best for the future”.

We must, Waller will say, “get the sector thinking and talking more about value” and also “reframe the way decisions affecting the built environment are made.”

Referencing the sector’s collective response to the COVID crisis, Waller will urge the sector to “stay the course” and maintain the “collective determination and commonality of purpose” we’ve seen in recent months in order to drive lasting change.

During his keynote, Keith Waller will announce the launch of a social media campaign under the hashtag #ValueToolkit to spark an industry-wide conversation on value-led approaches. The Hub and its partners are aiming to build on this campaign to create a value-led movement and generate momentum for wider sector transformation.