Greetings!
One trend you can expect in 2010, as publishers worry about revenue, is a reduction in the amount of freely available information on the internet. When writing this newsletter I try to link to as many sources as possible, and in putting together this edition I have found a number of sites which are now "subscriber only" restricting the depth of information we can provide.
But Competitive Advantage has no such restrictions on its website. We have invested in a completely new website, which was launched just before Christmas and includes an archive of my published articles, many relating to my specialist subject specification selling. Why not have a look, I'd be interested in your feedback. |
| Construction Expectations for 2010 |
The latest forecast from the CPA shows that expectations have changed since they published their last forecast in October 2009. Then they were expecting a fall in construction output in 2009 of 15%, this has now been revised to a 12% fall. However they now expect construction output to fall 3% in 2010 which is worse than they expected last October.
On the positive side, housing output in 2010 is expected to rise by 15% and there is an expectation of consistent growth in infrastructure. The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply also report that purchasing managers are confident that 2010 will be a much better year for the construction sector. |
| Housing Construction |
The Homes and Communities Agency reports that 73 local councils in England will have access to over £230m of funding under Round 2 of its Local Authority New Build Programme. They say this will see over 1,900 new council homes built, many of which will be larger family-sized homes.
If you are interested in the Housing Sector why not book a place on CIMCIG's half day seminar How to Penetrate the Housing Sector. Being held on 10th February and chaired by Ben Roskrow of Housebuilder Publications. Speakers include John Stewart HBF's Economist, Neil Jefferson Chief Executive Zero Carbon Hub, Julie Adkin Managing Director of Focal Research and Russell Pedley Associate at Assael Architecture. |
| Sustainability |
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The Homes & Communities Agency has published a consultation document on Zero Carbon for New Non-domestic Buildings. This sets out proposals for working towards the Government's ambition that all new non-domestic buildings should be zero carbon from 2019, with the public sector leading the way from 2018. Consultation closes on 26th February, so now is the opportunity to present your viewpoint. |
| Specification Selling |
RIBA Enterprises have recently published a summary of research they conducted into the way architects specify. It confirms the link between type of contract and type of specification. It also found that 80% of architects felt that specifications should support the role of the contractor, with 55% considering that collaboration with the contractor on a specification reduced errors.
Finally, a reminder that I will be running my open course Effective Specification Selling on 29th January at the Building Centre in London. This provides a useful understanding of the specification process as well as identifying new ways to develop and influence specifications and is of benefit to those in both sales and marketing roles. Places are still available so book now. |
