Partnering - Rethinking Construction

Sir John Egan's report 'Rethinking Construction', published in 1998, advocated a cultural shift in the building industry. The report recommended a move towards partnering, where clients, consultants and contractors act as an integrated team, in order to increase quality while reducing inefficiencies and costs. This approach signaled a renewed focus on the needs of the customer and a requirement for strong, forward-thinking and committed leadership.

Gordon Durham & Co has embraced the recommendations of the Egan report and put them into practice. Over 80% of our turnover is now undertaken on a partnering basis and our main strategic partnering arrangements, with the North Tyneside Partnering Arrangement and Newcastle and Whitley Housing Trust, have been a great success. We have also recently begun a partnering scheme with Your Homes Newcastle, with whom we will be carrying out an extensive programme of refurbishment works over several years. These partnerships demonstrate that implementing the Egan culture is the most effective route to continuous improvement in our industry.

As well as the shift in emphasis towards Partnering, the Egan report made clear that in order to achieve the necessary improvements in standards, the building industry needed to adopt a method of measuring its own performance. By using Key Performance Indicators, we have been able to monitor our progress and have achieved positive results in reducing costs, construction time and defects.