Insights
Research and analysis.
Independent research on how construction is procured, contracted and governed: the law, the evidence and what it means for the people delivering complex programmes. Each piece sets out its sources and method.
Interactive research / 26 September 2026
Shifting Ground
Who has moved English construction law, Parliament or the courts, and in which direction? Nine questions every construction contract has to answer, from defects and adjudication to limitation and collateral warranties, traced through 78 statutes, judgments and reports from 1838 to 2026, with a case sheet for each.
- Construction law
- Case law
- Statute
Article / September 2026
Best Practice in Procuring SMEs
Nearly every construction business in the UK is a small or medium-sized firm, yet most clients buy from them only through a main contractor. What the Procurement Act 2023 now requires, and what clients and main contractors should do.
- Procurement
- Procurement Act 2023
- Supply chain
Article / July 2026, updated September 2026
Buying Advice in a Consolidated Market: What Good Looks Like
Seventeen of Britain's thirty largest construction consultancies are now owned from overseas. What clients, firms and government should do to keep advice independent, capable and challenging in a market with fewer, larger advisers.
- Commercial strategy
- Assurance
- Market structure
Article / April 2026, updated September 2026
Target practice: how Britain mistook a contract for a delivery strategy
For thirty years British infrastructure has told itself that target cost contracts deliver better outcomes than the lump-sum contracting still standard across much of Europe. The comparative evidence does not support that confidence.
- Contract strategy
- NEC
- Megaprojects
Article / December 2025
The Problem with Early Contractor Involvement - and How to Make It Actually Work
Early contractor involvement is promoted as the answer to fragmented design and adversarial relationships, yet it often fails to deliver. Why, and ten ways to design an ECI phase that works for the client.
- Procurement
- Early contractor involvement
Article / December 2025
Why Procurement “Fails” - And Why the Real Issue Often Starts Earlier
The symptoms of failed procurement are real, but they rarely start in procurement. They start upstream, with unclear client needs and tactical leadership, and the Procurement Act 2023 only helps once those are fixed.
- Procurement
- Procurement Act 2023