News Articles

Butt Out at Work: 31 May 2012

12 May 2012

The building and construction industry has a high proportion of smokers, so death and disease caused by smoking is not just a personal issue but an industry one.

World No Tobacco Day is an annual event where smokers across the globe are encouraged to quit smoking and to stay quit. The National Tobacco Campaign is encouraging employers to extend the BUTT OUT AT WORK message to their workforce before or on World No Tobacco Day on 31 May 2012. Order your workplace's campaign resources at www.australia.gov.au/quitnow.

Tobacco smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of premature death and disease in Australia. It accounts for approximately 15,500 deaths each year and losses to the Australian economy of $31.5 billion a year. Even though smokers are much better informed today about the health effects of smoking – many continue to ignore the risks with around 2.8 million Australians still smoking daily.

Within the workplace kit you will find:

BUTT OUT AT WORK on World No Tobacco Day poster (PDF) which can be printed and displayed in staff rooms or common areas
BUTT OUT AT WORK logo for you to use in staff communications
Web button to be displayed on your website or intranet. Link the web button to take users to a new Online tool which calculates the money saved over a period of time from not smoking

You will also receive in the mail:

Posters promoting the health benefits of quitting smoking to be displayed in common areas
Money boxes to help keep track of money saved by not purchasing cigarettes.

The National Tobacco Campaign encourages employers to display some of these items in your workplace and also look at ways of encouraging employees who smoke to stop.

Install a fun activity such as a dart board or table tennis in areas where staff would usually smoke – this provides an alternative to smoking when they are trying to quit.
Encourage smokers to do something else on their would-be cigarette break – such as go for a walk.
Place the money boxes in staff areas and match any funds raised – donate this to a charity of choice, or put towards a staff function.
Encourage workers to find a buddy to support each other through their quit smoking journey.
Send staff reminders in the weeks leading up to World No Tobacco Day so your employees can
prepare for the challenge ahead.
Provide some or all of these items or links to your own website, intranet or staff newsletter.
You can also order more campaign resources from www.australia.gov.au/quitnow.

Talk to Parliament at BEMP

9 May 2012

Built Environment Meets Parliament (BEMP) is an annual conversation between parliamentarians and industry leaders that showcases the relationship between Australian communities and their built environment. BEMP offers an opportunity to explore the economic, social, environmental and governance issues that influence national prosperity.

The 2012 BEMP summit, taking place Wed 27 June at Parliament House Canberra, will focus on community consultation, digital tools and the opportunities within the built environment profession to utilise new technology in innovate and exciting ways.

Summit sessions will focus on the COAG Reform Council report on Strategic Planning of Capital Cities; innovative approaches to community consultation and engagement; the use of new digital technologies such as BIM and 4D modelling; and will ask what’s the next big revolution in building cities?

Click here to register.

BEMP will feature a keynote address from researcher and author Dr Rebecca Huntley, Director of The Ipsos Mackay Report, now in its 33rd year and author of The World According to Y: Inside the New Adult Generation and Eating Between the Lines: food and equality in Australia. Other BEMP 2012 speakers include:

The Hon. Anthony Albanese MP, Leader of the House, and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Michael Argyrou, Unitised Building
John Bilmon, PTW Architects
Catherine Caruana-McManus, IBM
Matthew Crozier, Bang The Table
Mark Curzon, Architectus
The Hon Mark Dreyfus, QC, MP, Cabinet Secretary, Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation, and Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
Dr Mark Elliott, Collabforge
Dr Ben Guy, Urban Circus
Ben Hewett, SA Government Architect
Kirsty Kelly, Planning Institute of Australia
Brendan Lyon, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia
Megan Motto, Consult Australia
David Parken, Australian Institute of Architects
Peter Verwer, Property Council of Australia
Innes Willox, Australian Industry Group
Michael Zorbas, Stockland

ACIF Forecasts data released

2 May 2012

ACIF has released the data and commentaries for the April 2012 update to the ACIF Forecasts.

ACIF Forecasts are the building and construction industry's compass to the future. This update includes new information for all states and cities, plus for the first time includes local forecasts, detailed demand driven forecasts for key regional areas around Australia.

How many homes will be needed in Newcastle? How many hospital beds in Melbourne? How many square metres of office space in Townsville?

From the convenience of their desk, businesses can access the experts’ predictions for the residential building, non-residential and engineering construction sectors. Check out what type of work is set to boom or fade in one state, and compare that to the performance expected of other states. Read the commentaries from experienced forecasters and view charts of the expected patterns of growth – or not – to help plan business activity through the tricky times ahead.

ACIF’s customised forecast tools enable users to create their own queries for the ACIF Forecasts database of all sectors and 20 building types to review rolling ten year forecasts of activity down to postcode level. Download the data you need to plan your next steps.

New to the ACIF Forecasts with this update are local forecasts, outlining the demand and supply of key social infrastructure in key growth regions across Australia. These demand driven forecasts draw data from various sources to map the needs for housing, hospital beds, classrooms, retail, office and industrial space in areas set to grow and change over the next ten years.

“The ACIF Forecasts have been extended considerably with this release. This greater detail and wider scope of information is coming at just the right time for the construction industry, as we continue to face difficult times,” said Peter Barda, Executive Director for ACIF.

“ACIF Forecasts are our industry’s compass to the future. Businesses need to be able to plan their efforts and resources effectively. ACIF’s priority is to provide high quality, credible information for businesses large and small, so we can build a stronger industry.”

The extension to the ACIF Forecasts has been made possible only due to the support of Sponsors, including cbus, Cordell, Hastie Group plus major industry groups, Property Council of Australia, Engineers Australia, Australian Institute of Building and Australian Institute of Architects.
ACIF Forecasts bi-annual updates are first released at ACIF Briefings, events held around the country in April and September, and released within the month later at www.acif.com.au.

ACIF’s online resources are accessible with a free subscription to ACIF’s website at www.acif.com.au. ACIF’s information and resources include policies and guidelines as well as the ACIF Forecasts, and presentations by industry experts on key issues facing the industry.

ACIF Briefing presentations available

17 April 2012

Presentations from the April 2012 ACIF Briefings are now available, including the ACIF Forecasts presentation, and those on costs and commercial property.

Click here to download your choice of presentations from all ACIF Briefings, plus the ACIF Forecast presentation for Newcastle as presented at the Property Council Hunter Lunch.

The data and commentary for the ACIF Forecasts will be released on this website next week.

BIM-MEPAUS Industry Update

5 April 2012

The BIM-MEPAUS Project Board and Steering Committee have now approved the initial release of the "Naming conventions and Units of Measure" and the "Guidelines for scheduling plant, equipment and fittings within the BIM-MEPAUS system".

Naming conventions and Units of Measure

The Naming Conventions and Unit of Measure document outlines the application within BIM-MEPAUS based execution plans, workflows and project documentation.

Guidelines for scheduling plant, equipment and fittings within the BIM-MEPAUS system

The Guidelines sets the principles for scheduling plant, equipment and fittings within the BIM-MEPAUS system. A BIM-MEPAUS component model resolves three functional requirements:

BIM functionality;
technical schedules; and
physical geometry.

BIM-MEPAUS REVIT ADD-IN Live Demonstrations

After 18 months of development the BIM-MEPAUS Revit add-in software will be released on 1 April 2012. The software consists of customised Autodesk Revit MEP templates, schedules and content which are tailored to the BIM-MEPAUS standards and protocols. Key dates:

Brisbane - 16 April 2012
Sydney - 17 April 2012
Adelaide - 18 April 2012
Melbourne - 19 April 2012

There are two events proposed in all four cities outlining the benefits of software demonstrations. Please RSVP to the demonstration event (1 or 2) by COB Wednesday 12 April 2012 to email solutions@karelcad.com.au.

Event 1: Head Contractors, Building Services MEP Consultants and Contractors (12:00-1:30pm)

Consultants

Notwithstanding investments made to data in library and software content development, BIM-MEPAUS will significantly reduce modelling costs moving forward as a whole-of-industry effort that promotes standardisation.
Rather than working in a lonely BIM environment, BIM-MEPAUS will ensure that the design community has the tools necessary to support integrated project delivery and yield greater value added processes for design to fabrication.
Given the appetite shown to date consultants can expect clients to be requiring projects to be documented in BIM-MEPAUS moving forward.

Head Contractors

BIM-MEPAUS documented projects are more likely to be constructible and easier to deliver with lower project time, quality and cost risks.
BIM-MEPAUS documented projects are going to be consistently documented from one project to another.
BIM-MEPAUS documented projects will be able to be more easily used for scheduling, cost management and sustainability.
MEP Contractors
BIM-MEPAUS based projects will require development of REVIT capabilities and changes to current workflows.
BIM-MEPAUS properly implemented will reduce your construction costs.

Event 2: Suppliers and manufacturers (4:30-6:00pm)

BIM-MEPAUS and managed content is the best way to build on current supplier/contractor arrangements.
BIM-MEPAUS and managed content BIM-MEPAUS is the lowest cost means of engaging in BIM enabled IPD based projects.

BER created work: ACIF Forecasts

5 April 2012

The work injection provided by the Federal Government’s Building the Education Revolution (BER) economic stimulus program in 2009 created new work for the construction industry bring rather than just bringing work forward, as was anticipated by the industry. ACIF Forecasts released this week reveal construction work around education facilities to return to normal growth levels from 2013 onwards.

The Forecasts shows our aging population continuing the demand for health services and aged care, providing the construction industry with a positive focus for work. The question that remains is “where?”, and ACIF’s new demand driven forecasts showing regional demand and supply gaps for social amenities will assist businesses to plan where to focus their efforts.

These are the few good news stories for the non-residential building sector as it considers its options for the next decade of work.

Work in retail construction will remain subdued for the medium term but return to trend in 2018, suggesting that the GFC, high Australian dollar and increased competition by online retail hasn’t yet killed off the appetite for retail therapy. However, ACIF Forecasts show a major shift in the location of this sector’s growth: by 2022, retail demand in non-metropolitan areas is set to beat that of Sydney and Melbourne combined.

The ACIF Forecasts have been provided by the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF) for more than ten years as the compass to the future for the construction industry. ACIF Forecasts are available only thanks to the support of Sponsors and Member organisations. ACIF thanks Platinum Sponsor cbus, and Silver Sponsors Cordell, Hastie Group, Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Institute of Building, Engineers Australia and Property Council of Australia.

ACIF Forecasts bi-annual update was released at ACIF Briefing events held around the country in April. Commentary and data will be available online at www.acif.com.au after 16 April 2012.

Engineering boost from NBN and carbon pricing: ACIF Forecasts

5 April 2012

While the resources boom continues to be the strongest driver of Australia’s economic resilience for the foreseeable future, selected segments of the construction industry have Federal Government initiatives to thank for their rosy outlook, says the ACIF Forecasts, released to the construction industry this week.

The upcoming carbon price mechanism has brought about a number of clean energy initiatives, creating significant amounts of work and employment for businesses in electricity and pipelines over the next 4-5 years. This includes the $1 billion Solar Dawn project in south western Queensland and wind farms in NSW and Queensland.

Businesses in telecommunications will similarly thank the National Broadband Network, with NBN related work underway now and more than doubling in value to over $9 billion per year by 2022.

Engineering construction, driven by mining and gas developments and associated rail, port, pipeline and road infrastructure, has overtaken residential building as the most important source of work and jobs for the construction industry. The forecast is for the current boom to continue over the medium term before flattening out with a return to trend in the longer term, when the major infrastructure projects are completed.

ACIF Forecasts bi-annual update was released at ACIF Briefing events held around the country in April. Commentary and data will be available online at www.acif.com.au after 16 April 2012.

Affordability changes the neighbourhood: ACIF Forecasts

5 April 2012

The Australian dream of a house on a patch of land is under threat by housing affordability and high interest rates, which will see a growing percentage of new units and townhouses compared with houses over the next ten years, reveals the ACIF Forecasts released to the construction industry this week.

Rising costs of living including fuel will see people choosing to live closer to work, study and other essential places. This will be achieved by urban infill, where older houses and other spaces make way for the development of unit blocks and townhouses, bringing about significant change in the physical and social landscape of residential areas.

Despite a mounting demand for housing, overall residential building activity is set to be relatively low over the short term, affected by interest rates and other economic factors. What residential building work there is will be patchy across different states, with Sydney set to surpass Melbourne for the development of units and townhouses from 2012. A short term surge for Brisbane is mainly to repair flood damage, with a slower rate of activity anticipated once this work is complete.

“The significant changes in economic activity revealed by the ACIF Forecasts will have a big impact on the thousands of people working in the residential building as well as the community they serve,” says Peter Barda, Executive Director of Australian Construction Industry Forum.

“Businesses will be looking for different types of work, perhaps in different locations or with a different mix of skills required, with the potential to impact staff and their families.”

Longer term, the national forecast for the residential building sector is stronger, spurred along by demographic changes and more stable economic conditions anticipated. An increase in activity is forecast after 2014, as the sector strives to satisfy the growing demand for new homes currently estimated by the National Housing Supply Council at more than 210,000 dwellings.

Those who have a home will be improving it over the next decade, however. ACIF Forecasts indicate that by 2022, building work in alterations and additions will be valued in today’s dollars at over $70 billion. This will surpass new home development at $25 billion, and units and townhouses at $26 billion.

The ACIF Forecasts have been provided by the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF) for more than ten years as the compass to the future for the construction industry.

ACIF Forecasts are available only thanks to the support of Sponsors and Member organisations. ACIF thanks Platinum Sponsor cbus, and Silver Sponsors Cordell, Hastie Group, Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Institute of Building, Engineers Australia and Property Council of Australia.

ACIF Forecasts bi-annual update was released at ACIF Briefing events held around the country in April. Commentary and data will be available online at www.acif.com.au after 16 April 2012.

Fundamental shift in the economy hits jobs: ACIF Forecasts

5 April 2012

The update to the ACIF Forecasts released at the ACIF Briefings this week has revealed fundamental structural changes in the economy that are having a big impact on employment in the construction sector.

Engineering construction, largely driven by mining and gas developments as well as their associated rail, port, pipeline and road infrastructure, has overtaken residential building as the most important source of work and jobs for the construction industry.

Activity in the non-residential building sector, smashed by the GFC in 2008, is unlikely to recover to pre-GFC activity levels for several years, with this sector’s long term share of GDP trending down for the foreseeable future. Major cities show little signs of short term recovery, except Brisbane and Perth, where vacancy rates and rental growth are offering opportunities for new CBD office building development.

Such conditions are leaving builders, trades and others in the metropolitan areas under huge pressure to find work, and tender prices for commercial building work across the country are falling. In Sydney alone, the spread of tender prices is around 25% to 30%, a clear indication of the catastrophic state of mind of builders as they struggle to win work to keep their doors open.

“The impact of this degree of change in our economy is having upon jobs is plain,” says Peter Barda, Executive Director of Australian Construction Industry Forum. “Businesses are not taking on apprentices in the numbers that they used to, leaving no one to train the thousands of young Australians wanting to join the industry. The long term impact on the skills and labour within our industry will be significant.”

“Those who have looked to commercial building for work are struggling, and will need to look to engineering construction, if they can, to keep their doors open.”

“An entire generation of trades people who have earned a living from building offices, schools, shopping centres, and factories, are having to look for work elsewhere.”

The ACIF Forecasts show fundamental changes in work patterns for the industry. Long term, engineering construction is expected to more than double its previous long term share of GDP, while non-residential building (office, retail, industrial, education, health, etc) is declining as a share of GDP.

There is some good news in that residential building will regain momentum in the medium term as it strives to meet the backlog of housing demand, estimated by the National Housing Supply Council at more than 210,000 dwellings.

ACIF Forecasts bi-annual update was released at ACIF Briefing events held around the country in April. Commentary and data will be available online at www.acif.com.au after 16 April 2012.

Newcastle ACIF Forecasts to be released at PCA lunch

4 April 2012

The newly extended ACIF Forecasts include regional forecasts for an additional 15 key regional areas. The presentation of the inaugural Newcastle ACIF Forecasts will be made at the Property Council of Australia Hunter Lunch on Friday 13 April.

All businesses interested in keeping or gaining business in the Newcastle region are invited to attend this event to receive first hand the same quality of information for this region that has previously available only for capital cities.

Newcastle City Hall, 290 King Street Newcastle, Friday 13 April 2012 at 12pm for 12.30pm - 2pm. Click here to register online or by fax/post.

ACIF Forecasts provide high quality short and long term forecasts for residential, non-residential and engineering construction sectors and provide a guide to future construction employment needs.

Find out:

• Where is the new work coming from? What types of work?
• Are construction costs going to increase, and if so, when?
• Where will we get the people we need from?

ACIF Forecasts will help you in planning for all types of residential and non-residential building (new and renovations), and engineering construction work

Don’t miss out on this exclusive opportunity. Can you afford not to attend?

ACIF Briefings to reveal gaps in community needs

21 March 2012

How many hospital beds does your city need, and how many does it actually have? Forecasts to be released by the construction industry peak body in April will reveal important information for effective planning of community resources.

New information included in the ACIF Forecasts for the first time reveals gaps in the supply and demand for public infrastructure in areas that are home to millions of Australians. The Forecasts map the need for hospital beds, housing and classrooms, plus retail, office and industrial space.

The new localised ACIF Forecasts are based upon the demographics of each area. They have been produced for all capital cities plus 15 key regional areas, including Mandurah in WA, Ballarat in VIC, Townsville in QLD and Newcastle in NSW. The next update to the ACIF Forecasts will include new depth and scope to the information, and will be released at the ACIF Briefings held around Australia in April.

Want to be the first to know what is ahead for construction in your area, and in your state?

Updated and extended ACIF Forecasts will be released at the ACIF Briefings to be held around Australia in April 2012. Hear local industry leaders present the outlook on costs, housing, commercial property and more. Click here for more information and to register online.

The addition of a new Platinum Sponsor, Cbus, has made the extension to the ACIF Forecasts possible, and the benefits will be felt across both the industry and across the country.

“We are pleased to be able to so significantly extend the ACIF Forecasts to include the infrastructure needs of local communities,” says Peter Barda, ACIF Executive Director. “For the first time, businesses operating in regional areas will have access to reliable information that has been developed specifically for their local market by experienced forecasters and vetted by industry leaders. In times of uncertainty and variability, this will help them plan for growth or for survival.”

The new demand driven forecast information will help local communities plan their facilities more effectively while helping local businesses plan their resources including labour. Local industry leaders have applauded the initiative.

“At last, our local businesses have access to credible business information on our own market,” says Ian Pedersen, Newcastle industry leader and representative of Engineers Australia. “Regional Australia has real opportunities for our industry, however until now, approaching it with precision has been out of reach for many local businesses.”

The ACIF Forecasts, generated by the industry peak body Australian Construction Industry Forum, will be updated at industry ACIF Briefings held around Australia 2-5 April 2012. The presentations include analysis from the Allen Consulting Group and Deloitte Access Economics data.

Costs of construction and changes in the commercial property market will also be addressed by local industry leaders from Rider Levett Bucknall and Jones Lang Lasalle, plus the view from construction sites will be revealed by the Master Builders Association.

ACIF Forecasts are available to the industry only due to the support of Sponsors and Member organisations. ACIF thanks all of its Sponsors for their continuing support including Platinum Sponsor Cbus, and Silver Sponsors Cordell, Hastie Group, Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Institute of Building, Engineers Australia and Property Council of Australia.

Boom and gloom to be revealed at ACIF Briefings

16 March 2012

While the value of building and construction in the non-residential sector could decline by as much as 15% this year across the country, the ongoing mining boom sees engineering construction continue to climb, reveals construction industry forecasts to be released in April.

The April update of the ACIF Forecasts indicates that it may take some years for the rate of work in the non-residential sector to return to pre-GFC levels. However, there are still bright spots for this sector in specific locales and markets across Australia.

The critical housing shortage facing the country remains, despite attempts by state governments to address structural problems. Housing approvals have been in decline for three years, and a recovery in apartment buildings is patchy.

Still the hope of the industry, business is looking better for engineering construction, particularly in WA or Queensland. Mining has well and truly resumed its sharp trajectory following the temporary lull of the GFC. Telecomms are also strong, explained in part by the NBN and partly by other related activity.

Generated by the industry peak body Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF), the next update to the renowned ACIF Forecasts will be released at ACIF’s industry meetings in April. The Forecasts anticipate the future for the construction industry, forecasting demand across all sectors.
And the compass of the industry is showing highly variable times are ahead. The big question is how long will the good times last? What will reduced growth targets in China mean for us? The big picture drivers of demand will be addressed at the ACIF Briefings 2-5 April 2012 in cities around Australia, with analysis from the Allen Consulting Group and Deloitte Access Economics.

Thanks to the support of industry leader and new Platinum Sponsor Cbus, the information included in the April update will be of greater depth and scope than ever before. The extended ACIF Forecasts will now also include detailed information on capital cities and key regional markets, providing new visibility and credible business planning information for businesses of all sizes.

“This is the best possible time to so significantly extend the ACIF Forecasts,” says Peter Barda, ACIF Executive Director. “International volatility and overall economic concern has affected all parts of the community, and our industry’s ability to withstand some changes and rise on the back of others relies upon accurate information. Cbus’s generous support right now gives vital new information that will help businesses large and small navigate through the variable times ahead.”

ACIF Forecasts become even bigger, better in April

29 February 2012

ACIF Forecasts, the forecasting service provided by the Australian Construction Industry Forum for more than ten years, will soon be extended to provide even more valuable business planning information.

“Where is the new work coming from? What types of work?”, “Are construction costs going to increase, and when?”, and “Where will we get the people we need?”. ACIF Forecasts are rolling ten year forecasts of demand across all sectors that answer the big questions for the building and construction industry. Businesses use ACIF Forecasts to plan for work in small or large renovations, building new dwellings, or to focus on commercial or engineering construction work.

New information will be available from April after the release at the ACIF Briefings to be held 2-5 April 2012. The extended information will include a wider scope of information delving to a deeper level of detail. Also added are new in-depth analyses of 21 locales including capital cities and regional centres such as Newcastle in NSW, Mandurah in WA and Townsville in QLD, helping businesses to plan where to invest.

“Our record of accuracy over the last ten years has made ACIF Forecasts the compass to the future for building and construction in Australia,” says Peter Barda, Executive Director of ACIF. “The new enhancements to the ACIF Forecasts will help businesses to grow during the good times and to remain sustainable through uncertain times.”

“ACIF Forecasts are developed by experienced industry forecasters before rigorous review by our Construction Forecasting Council. ACIF Forecasts have been proven to be highly credible and accurate, and are a reliable industry resource available from our website for businesses large and small,” said Mr Barda.

The extended ACIF Forecasts will be released at the next ACIF Briefings, which are breakfast meetings held around Australia. Hear insights by local industry leaders on the drivers of investment in commercial property, trends in construction costs locally and globally, and issues affecting productivity on sites across each state. More information and registration is available here.

ACIF Forecasts are available to the industry only due to the support of Sponsors and Member organisations.

Platinum Sponsor

Silver Sponsors

Thanks, Terry

29 February 2012

ACIF would like to extend a big vote of thanks to Terry Aulich, the departing CEO of Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors. Terry has been a highly engaged and constructive Board Member of ACIF, contributing to the development of important cross-industry inititaives and resources.

Terry leaves the position of CEO to return to his own company Aulich and Co. Thank you, and our best wishes for your future success, Terry.

ACIF responds on engineering skills shortage

23 February 2012

The Senate is conducting an enquiry in to the nexus between the demand for infrastructure delivery and the shortage of appropriate engineering and related employment skills in Australia. Its terms of reference are wide and include options to address the skill shortage for engineers and related trades, and options for infrastructure delivery using alternative procurement models.

ACIFs submission to the enquiry has addressed two issues:

1. the need for a skills forecasting capability; and
2. the need to adopt innovative approaches to procurement.

Skills Forecasting

ACIFs Construction Forecasting Council has for more than 10 years produced six-monthly forecasts of demand in the residential and non-residential building, and engineering construction sectors. The information is made available free of charge through ACIFs web site. ACIF is acutely aware of the need for the industry to have available to it a similar capacity to forecast demand for skills across all disciplines, including engineering, that serve the building and construction industry.

ACIF welcomes the work undertaken by the Australia National Engineering Taskforce, with Commonwealth Government support, clearly demonstrating the shortfall of Australian engineers. However, ACIF believes that existing labour market policies and programs do not go far enough. In particular, the nation does not have a comprehensive Labour Market Information (LMI) capability to gather and analyse data concerning supply and demand of labour. As one of the mantras of management education in the 20th century put it, “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. The need for data to inform the debate over engineering skills is, in ACIFs submission, self-evident.

Innovative procurement

ACIF argues that the orthodox approach to procurement in the industry does not necessarily deliver value for money on all projects. Indeed, it embodies significant causes of wasted effort that could be eliminated, or at least reduced, if the client, head contractor, design consultants, specialist trade contractors, cost planners, and others could work together as a team and share collective responsibility for the delivery of a project.

The greater the level of such project team integration established at the outset of a project, the greater the team’s ability to work together on the design, cost plan and allocation of risk before construction begins and get maximum benefit from the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM). Everyone involved in the project team has a collective interest in ensuring its success.

The higher the level of integration of team members at the early design stages, the greater the opportunities for BIM to promote clearer, more accurate, up-to-date communication by consolidating currently disparate project information allowing all team members to contribute to the establishment and population of the databases underpinning the planning, design, construction and operation of the asset.

Ideally, an IPT including design consultants and cost planners, head contractor, and key trade contractors, will be involved in developing the design, cost plan, and move on to design development.

The complete ACIF submission is available here.

Updated ACIF Forecasts online now

5 October 2011

Updated ACIF Forecasts have been released on the ACIF website.

ACIF Forecasts give you the most accurate and cost effective market information on where new work is coming from, and how much. In fact, whether you're interested in residential or non-residential building or infrastructure, we provide the industry with its very own compass to the future. ACIF Forecasts have a well deserved reputation for success over the past ten years.

Summaries across all areas of construction are available. In addition, ACIF Website Subscribers can use the Customised Forecast tools to query ACIF's database to generate their own forecast, even down to poscode level.

The information and analysis comes from KPMG Econtech's expert analysts, and ACIF’s own panel of distinguished industry economists, analysts and researchers, the Construction Forecasting Council. ACIF Forecasts answer the key questions:

What will happen to interest rates, GDP, the A$, and employment?
What is happening to demand for residential and non-residential building, and engineering construction?
Where is the new work coming from? What types of work?
What’s the impact of housing shortages and pent up demand for housing?
Where are new dwellings needed most?
The mining industry continues to put huge pressure on skills. Where will the people come from?

Two speed Forecasts

30 November 2011

Whilst non-residential building activity remains sluggish, and there is anecdotal evidence of growing numbers of insolvencies amongst smaller contractors and trade contractors, there are looming skills shortages in other parts of the economy.

The private sector is yet to fill the gap left by the finalisation of the BER stimulus spending. Non-residential building approvals have been flat for most of 2011 compared to one year ago, indicating that the decline may have halted and a recovery is now about to begin. Uncertainty caused by Euro zone debt issues is not helping investment confidence.

At the same time engineering construction is forecast to peak at close to $120 billion in 2013/14, reflecting the expected commencement of a number of large resource sector projects. In Queensland, major LNG and coal seam gas developments are expected to boost mining construction, along with significant investments in associated infrastructure (port and rail).

Likewise, engineering construction in West Australia is expected to rise to a record level on the back of heavy investment in iron ore projects and the potential development of a Greenfield LNG facility at James Price Point. Road construction is expected to expand in line with heavy government investment in transport infrastructure, whilst ongoing work on the National Broadband Network (NBN) will also boost activity levels.

ACIF will release its first 2012 Forecasts in April 2012 at the ACIF Briefings around the country. Save the date and come along to get the most reliable information to plan over the short to medium term.
• 2 April 2012 - Brisbane
• 3 April 2012 - Sydney
• 4 April 2012 - Canberra
• 5 April 2012 - Melbourne

Registration will open approximately 6 weeks before the event, and advised via ACIF enews and on the ACIF website. Dates for September 2012 ACIF Briefings will be released before the end of 2011.

Senate inquiry into engineering skills shortages

30 November 2011

The Senate has set up an inquiry into the nexus between the demand for infrastructure delivery and the shortage of appropriate engineering and related employment skills in Australia. The inquiry will be carried out by the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Committees.

The committee has been asked to consider the implications of the shortage for infrastructure delivery and the impact on economic development, cost, efficiency, safety and disputation, and the long term outsourcing of engineering activities by government on skills development and retention in both the private and public sectors.

The committee will consider options to address the skill shortage for engineers and related trades, for infrastructure delivery using alternative procurement models, and to consider effective strategies to develop and retain engineering talent in the private and public sectors through industry training and development, at enterprise, project and whole-of-sector levels. Incentives to the private sector through the procurement process to undertake skills development, and the consequences of skills shortage in the construction sector to the public sectors’ capacity to effectively procure and manage infrastructure projects will also be explored.

Submissions should be received by 3 February 2012. The reporting date is 30 June 2012.

Scope for Improvement report

26 November 2011

Blake Dawson recently presented to ACIF the third in a series of reports, 'Scope for Improvement'. Research into the construction industry over 6 years, the report outlines the key reasons for the project problems such as late dellivery and over budget.

While the report finds that the industry has improved since the first report in 2006, still only 48% of the $55 billion in projects surveyed were delivered on time, on budget or to the required quality - so that means that 52% were not.

A key strategy for improvement is through increased co-operation and communication, achievable with integrated project teams - from the client through to construction to property mangement - working together throughout the project.

The Blake Dawson report Scope for Improvement 2011 is available by clicking here.