South West construction body promises ‘brave movements’ for 2023

As we enter 2023, the picture certainly looks bleak. The UK is teetering on the brink of a recession, with many industries – residential, commercial and industrial included – expecting to report slow to zero growth over the next 12 months.

While the rapid inflation rate does seem to be slowing, there are still issues around shortages of labour, high energy prices and the continuing political and economic turmoil in Europe.

Overall, it’s not a pretty picture and 2023 will be anything other than a challenging year for many sectors, the construction industry included. But one organisation that is looking to embrace the future with a ‘brave movements’ approach to the challenges that lie ahead is Constructing Excellence South West (CESW).

A cross-sector, cross-supply chain member-led organisation charged with driving the change agenda in construction, CESW hosts a series of webinars and events throughout the year and welcomes all members and key players within South West construction to get involved.

The new ‘brave movements’ strategy will focus intensively on what CESW does, how it does it, who benefits the most and how its operations can streamline with members’ needs and particular responses to a challenging economic outlook.

Areas that CESW will focus on this year include collaborating with other construction bodies to establish a strong and single voice, a commitment to ensure that communication with members is more bespoke, a focus on how best to use resources and income, and careful consideration of planning in a period of uncertainty.

In 2023, one of the first CESW actions will be reviewing its membership structure to create a more simplified, non-restrictive value-based offering in a bid to encourage new construction professionals to sign-up and benefit from the CESW’s resources, guidance, events and overall support. This means organisations will be given the choice of involvement benefits against an annual fee that is irrespective of employee number or company turnover.

New interim CEO at CESW, Kevin Harris, believes there has never been a better time for the construction sector to take a good look at itself to respond more effectively to the current situation.

“We need to harness innovation and creativity, and combine this with the need to be straightforward, transparent and collaborative,” Kevin explains.

“This is CESW’s brave movement, and it will help determine our direction and restructuring going forward into 2023. Despite the many challenges the industry faces – and perhaps because of them – we will make sure that our membership offering is at the heart of everything we do and is incredibly valuable for all members.”

Dan Macey, CESW Chair, added: “We continue our approach of brave movements in a period of uncertainty while also preparing for a predicted recession. Without knowing the severity or duration of this economic downturn it becomes extremely difficult to plan and prepare but this will all be considered and reflected when we review a Lean structure of our operational streamlining. Ultimately our members are the core of CESW and so our team and board are dedicated to guaranteeing that they receive exceptional value through their membership.”

Being a member of CESW includes a wealth of support, plus a huge number of opportunities to network and work alongside like-minded construction professionals from the sector.

Sharing best practices, transferring knowledge and improving understanding of key construction principles and objectives are just some of the main drivers for CESW.

Teams working within the built environment are also invited to attend exclusive seminars, workshops and are even offered discounted rates for industry-specific conferences. Creating activities like these ensure peers can share valuable experience and insight while continuing to learn and develop, which is crucial.

To find out more information about the CESW regional membership and how to join visit: https://constructingexcellencesw.org.uk/join-now/