Construction Innovation Hub working hand in hand with Government and Industry

The Value Toolkit is a powerful exemplar of what collaboration can truly achieve. It is the embodiment of our sector’s ingenuity, innovative nature and a desire to constantly improve the ways in which we work. This desire drove voices from across government and industry, including ACE, IPA, CLC, CIOB, CECA, RIBA, Social Value UK and UKGBC, to work on the development of the Toolkit.

Our aim in developing the Value Toolkit – a 28-month process of industry-led technical development – was to provide a user-friendly process to help close the gap between policy goals and what is happening on the ground.

Throughout  the six-month pilot process, we saw more than 140 organisations from industry and the public sector trained to test the Value Toolkit across a broad range of projects and programmes, covering both linear and social infrastructure.

Feedback from the pilot was overwhelmingly positive, with industry leaders and government departments lauding the Toolkit’s benefits and becoming key advocates for its adoption.

In its New Foundation report, the CBI states that “the Value Toolkit’s role in creating and embedding a shared definition of value in the construction industry should not be underestimated”. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice stated that the Toolkit “allowed the trial projects to create a shared vision of the outcomes expected through the project” and that “the project teams utilised the value profile and prioritisation of outcomes as a central point of focus through design development”. Establishing the priorities early, they said, “has allowed the project teams to consistently check decisions against such priorities, ensuring key values were maintained”.

They concluded that the Toolkit “has helped inform the project’s strategic narrative” and the team were “enthused to continue [its] use and development”.

Enthusiasm for the Value Toolkit continues, as the most recent pilot of the training courses has shown renewed levels of industry engagement. As we take the next steps to transition the Toolkit to a long-term home that will be supported by both industry and government, the collaborative ethos that was the hallmark of the Toolkit’s development will be vital. It will ensure stakeholders from across the built environment and construction sector have the tools and knowledge that will stand as an enduring legacy of the Hub’s ground-breaking work.