The Construction Productivity Taskforce (CPT) has today released a new paper, Improving Construction Productivity: Practical Insights from Pilot Site Studies, aimed at helping UK construction teams boost project delivery through smarter planning, digital innovation, and collaborative working.
Developed in partnership with CPT members, including Skanska, Landsec, Mace, Morrisroe, Sir Robert McAlpine and the University of Cambridge, the report draws on lessons from three major pilot projects: 1 Broadgate and Timber Square, London and the Vehicle Storage Support Programme (VSSP) in Tewkesbury. The findings showcase how data-driven approaches, combined with advanced digital tools and collaborative planning can transform project delivery outcomes.
The output from these studies is summarised into practical recommendations that can be directly applied to construction projects to enable an increase in productivity. These include:
- Fostering a culture of trust and open data sharing across the supply chain, underpinned by early engagement and strong commitment from senior leadership.
- Deploying digital technologies offering real-time operational visibility of production control and productivity performance, such as using collaborative design and construction planning tools, site access control systems, crane telematics, on-site progress monitoring and other digital tracking technologies.
- Accelerate extent of off-site manufacturing, to increase use of pre-manufactured components and reduce dependency of onsite labour that is vulnerable to weather or workforce variability.
Katy Dowding, Skanska UK President & CEO and Construction Productivity Taskforce Project Sponsor, said:
“This paper builds on the Construction Productivity Taskforce’s work since 2019, where clients, consultants, contractors, and the supply chain collaborate to boost industry growth and improve safety and quality through better productivity. Like the earlier seven-step framework and the Private Sector Playbook, it offers practical recommendations to enhance productivity and remove blockers. As project sponsor, I believe continued industry-wide collaboration can drive a transformative shift in UK construction.”
James Rowbotham, Landsec Head of Workplace Development and Chair of the Construction Productivity Taskforce, commented:
“It is imperative that we all work together as an industry to improve productivity. This requires more data collection, analysis and industry wide collaboration. That is what these three case studies do so effectively, by showcasing innovative construction, an open mind and a willingness to work collaboratively to find improvement. I hope they help and inspire further efforts across the industry to do likewise.”
At its core, the CPT is united by a shared belief that the UK construction industry can and must adopt better working practices to deliver projects more efficiently and safely, reduce waste, and build a more sustainable and resilient built environment.
Anthony Impey MBE, CEO of Be the Business, added:
“The Construction Productivity Taskforce was created to bring the industry together to tackle one of its toughest challenges – productivity. This latest paper shows what’s possible when leading businesses collaborate, share insights, and apply innovative approaches on real projects.
“The lessons from 1 Broadgate, Timber Square, and VSSP demonstrate that smarter planning, digital adoption, and stronger supply chain engagement deliver real results. Most importantly, they show that collaboration across the sector drives meaningful impact – unlocking efficiencies, reducing waste, and raising productivity standards.”
Download the executive summary now to explore the findings in detail and discover practical steps your organisation can take to improve productivity.
About the Construction Productivity Taskforce (CPT)
The CPT is a cross-industry initiative launched in 2020 by Be the Business to tackle the sector’s long-standing productivity challenge.
Bringing together clients, contractors, designers, and supply-chain partners, it develops and shares practical, evidence-based approaches that deliver change at the project-, company- and industry-level. Through this collective effort, the Taskforce achieves meaningful improvements that no single organisation could deliver on its own. Members include Bovis, British Land, Derwent, GPE, Landsec, Mace, Morrisroe, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska, SOM and Be the Business. The Construction Productivity Taskforce has produced the following papers:
Measuring construction site productivity – a seven-step framework for success
Trust and Productivity: Private sector construction playbook
About Be the Business
Be the Business is an independent charity helping UK companies boost productivity. By tackling real-world challenges and testing what works, it creates practical tools and insights businesses can use straight away. Working with a nationwide network of partners, it drives collective action to improve sustainability, job security and living standards. The result is a tangible impact to the firms it works with: an independent review of a sample 2,600 firms showed £2.1 billion in extra sales and a £915 million productivity uplift.