Plowman Craven was pleased to be represented by Gideon Simons, Strategic Pursuits Manager, at the Constructing Excellence 2026 – #ActionsNotWords event, hosted at the British Medical Association, with BRE in attendance. The event was an important opportunity for those committed to constructing excellence in the sector.
As the built environment continues to navigate significant change, the event provided a timely and valuable opportunity to reflect on where the industry is today and where it needs to go next. Maintaining high standards when constructing for excellence is vital for industry progress. With a strong focus on collaboration, digital adoption and outcomes-led delivery, the discussions reinforced the scale of opportunity ahead, as well as the urgency to act in order to achieve constructing excellence across the sector.
Across the sessions and conversations, three key questions emerged:
- How do we move from intention to systematic digital adoption?
The technology, expertise and best practice already exist, often proven in other sectors. The challenge lies in mindset, culture, collaboration and contracting models that enable change at scale. - How do we achieve better outcomes through deeper collaboration?
There is growing recognition that stronger engagement across the value chain, particularly with SMEs, can unlock greater value, innovation and resilience. - How do we responsibly harness AI in construction?
With AI still in its early stages within the industry, there is a clear opportunity to shape its adoption in a way that supports workforce challenges, productivity, equity and long-term value.
Where are we now?
The consensus was clear: construction needs growth. While policies and intent are in place, further investment is required, particularly to address workforce capacity and enable consistent, integrated digital adoption across the sector. Excelling in constructing practices underpins excellence for the sector’s future. For constructing excellence, ongoing commitment to innovation and collaboration is essential.
Several sessions highlighted the importance of clarity and alignment from the outset:
- Embracing a Gold Standard approach and deeper collaboration
- Using frameworks to drive consistency and shared objectives
- Scoping projects effectively at every stage, with the right level of detail
- Maximising social value by providing greater context and education, delivering meaningful benefits for businesses, projects and communities alike
Setting projects up for success:
Digital adoption was widely recognised as needing to extend beyond individual organisations to true digital integration across the supply chain. In order to reach excellence in constructing, industrialisation and upskilling throughout delivery phases become necessary. Discussions also explored the role of industrialisation, its benefits and limitations, and the responsibility of Tier 1 organisations to support digital upskilling, working more closely with SMEs to leverage specialist expertise and achieve constructing excellence in every aspect of delivery.
Harnessing the power of AI
AI generated strong interest and debate, with key questions including:
- How platform choices influence behaviours and collaboration
- Whether AI can help address workforce shortages
- The role of GenAI versus Agentic AI
- How organisations can scale capability while maintaining a competitive edge
A keynote from UKRI and insights into Project 13 further emphasised the value of integrating the value chain from the start, with trials already underway to support continuous improvement in constructing for excellence throughout the industry.
Delivering real change
Ultimately, the event reinforced that delivery matters as much as strategy. Conversations focused on:
- Rethinking contracts to better define cost versus value
- Encouraging proactive, two-way engagement across Tier 1s, Tier 2s and SMEs
- Learning from public sector initiatives, including the SCF supplier session, which showcased practical implementation of these principles
The open and honest discussions, both on stage and in the room, highlighted a shared understanding: digital adoption and deeper supply chain involvement are essential to driving meaningful change in an industry that plays a critical role in our social and economic future. Driving the industry forward depends on striving for excellence in constructing practices at every stage. Constructing excellence must remain the driving force behind industry transformation.
Plowman Craven looks forward to continuing these conversations and turning insight into action.
