WIREDGOV

Construction industry leader Peter Hansford has been appointed as the Government’s new Chief Construction Adviser, it has been announced today (30 July).

Mr Hansford will work with government and industry to ensure Britain's construction sector is equipped with the knowledge, skills and best practice it needs in its transition to a low carbon economy.

A former President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Mr Hansford will succeed Paul Morrell OBE when he stands down from the role at the end of November 2012 after two successful terms in post.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said:

“I welcome Peter to the role of Chief Construction Adviser. He is well-known and respected in the construction sector, and his wealth of experience will prove an invaluable asset as we move forward with our construction agenda.

“I’d like to thank Paul Morrell for his dedicated service to the role over the last three years. He has been instrumental in leading the implementation of the Government’s five year construction strategy.

“He also oversaw many notable milestones including the publication of the Low Carbon Construction Innovation and Growth Team Report, the introduction of cost benchmarking and the establishment of procurement models for industry. I wish him the best in his future endeavours.”

Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude said:

“This is an incredibly important role; over the next four years there are over 600 Government funded construction projects and programmes which will see around £40 billion of investment. I’m pleased to welcome Peter to the post. His experience makes him an ideal candidate to lead on this agenda.

“I’m proud of the progress that we have made to date, and I’d like to thank Paul Morrell for his leadership and achievements throughout his successful time in this post.”

Peter Hansford said:

“I am delighted to have been selected as the Government’s new Chief Construction Adviser, building on the excellent foundation created by Paul Morrell. I am excited by the challenge of working with industry to deliver the construction agenda, and to progress the transition to a low carbon economy. I look forward to taking up the role in December.”

Mr Hansford will report to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Cabinet Office Ministers. He will assume the role in December 2012.

Notes to editors:

The Chief Construction Adviser is independent and reports to BIS and Cabinet Office Ministers. The candidate will:

· Chair the Government Construction Board to deliver the Government’s Construction Strategy and the 15-20 per cent reduction in the cost of construction procurement to the public sector during the lifetime of this Parliament.

· Act as a member of the Green Construction Board, working with the industry and Government to deliver a construction industry fit for purpose for a low carbon future and sustainable construction.

· Work with the construction industry, through the Strategic Forum for Construction, to improve the industry’s business performance and ensure the UK industry is well placed to serve developing needs and markets.

· Promote innovation in the sector, including in particular the use of Building Information Modelling in public sector construction procurement.

· Act as a focal point on construction issues across Whitehall, bringing together teams in BIS, Cabinet Office, Infrastructure UK and in other government departments; and

· Provide advice to Ministers and Government on construction issues as necessary.

2. Peter Hansford’s career highlights:

· Currently acting as Chairman of the industry-wide Infrastructure Steering Committee.

· Currently an executive director at the Nichols Group.

· Is volunteer Chairman of the trustee board for the charity, Engineers Without Borders UK.

· Is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and of the Association for Project Management.

· Formerly served as the 146th President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, in office from November 2010 to November 2011.

· Chaired ICE’s expert panel contributing to Government’s Low Carbon Construction IGT report, and was a member of the steering group for the Infrastructure UK cost study to seek ways of reducing the cost of major infrastructure projects in the UK.

· He was Project Manager for the Docklands Light Railway (1989-1992) and Executive Director, Strategic Rail Authority (2000-2002).

3. Paul Morrell took office as Government Chief Construction Adviser on 1 December 2009. His appointment followed a recommendation in the Business and Enterprise Select Committee report ’Construction Matters‘ published on 16 July 2008.

4. Over the next four years there are over 600 Government funded construction projects and programmes which will see around £40 billion of investment (excluding rail and other regulated and private sector infrastructure investment). For more information on the Government’s construction strategy, please see http://w ww.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/government-construction

5. The Government's economic policy objective is to achieve 'strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.' It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ (PDF 1.7MB) , published at Budget 2011:

· To create the most competitive tax system in the G20

· To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business

· To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy

· To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.

Work is underway across Government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the Government wants the economy to travel.

6. BIS's online newsroom contains the latest press notices and speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.

Contacts:

BIS Press Office
bispress.releases@bis.gsi.gov.uk

Andy Aston
Phone: 0207 215 6963
andy.aston@bis.gsi.gov.uk