New industry-backed Design – Best Practice Principles designed to help address the construction productivity challenge, have been launched at today’s Foundations and Frontiers forum in Sydney
The Design Principles developed through collaboration between designers and constructors are part of the Australian Constructors Association (ACA) and Consult Australia’s Partnerships for Change initiative.
With increasing pressure on governments to deliver housing, transport, energy, defence and social infrastructure projects, the new principles identify the design phase as a major bottleneck driving cost blowouts, delays and wasted capacity across major projects.
ACA CEO Peter Colacino said improving project design is one of the fastest and most practical ways to lift productivity without adding more resources.
“Governments are under pressure to deliver more with less, but too many projects are being slowed down before a shovel hits the ground,” said Mr Colacino.
“We continue to see unclear scope, duplicated review processes and late design changes drive unsustainable time and cost pressures into projects at a scale that is simply not sustainable given the size of the infrastructure pipeline.
“With highly skilled engineers in short supply, we cannot afford to have them tied up in layers of checking and re-checking that add little value.
“The cycle of reviewers reviewing reviews is inflating project teams, extending timelines and increasing costs. It ultimately delays the delivery of critical infrastructure communities are relying on.”
The new principles set out practical reforms to streamline design processes, including:
- clearer project scope from the outset
- fewer, more targeted design reviews
- stronger governance and decision-making
- earlier engagement with delivery partners
- greater use of digital tools to improve collaboration.
Consult Australia CEO Jonathan Cartledge said the principles reflect a shared commitment between industry and government to improve performance.
“Design is where the foundations of every project are set,” said Mr Cartledge.
“By streamlining processes and clarifying expectations, we can lift productivity, reduce wasted effort and deliver better outcomes for clients, industry and the community.”
The principles were developed through the Construction Industry Leadership Forum (CILF), bringing together Commonwealth and state government agencies with industry leaders.
“This is a practical, system-wide fix,” said Mr Colacino, “We know what works. The focus now must be on applying these principles consistently across projects – starting with government clients setting clear expectations on scope, decision-making and design review processes.”
With major programs underway across transport, housing, new energy, defence and Olympic infrastructure, ACA said improving the design phase represents one of the most immediate levers available to accelerate delivery and lift productivity.
About us:
The Australian Constructors Association is the only representative body for contractors delivering vertical and horizontal construction projects, as well as undertaking infrastructure asset management. Our members construct and service the majority of major infrastructure projects built in Australia every year. Our goal is to create a more sustainable construction industry.
