Following a recent Constructing Excellence Hampshire roundtable, Mark Craig reflects on why better procurement starts with better behaviours.
The best projects I’ve been involved with didn’t succeed because of the procurement route. They succeeded because the people involved shared the right behaviours.
That was the thought I left with after joining a recent Constructing Excellence Hampshire discussion, where customers, consultants, contractors, lawyers and planning professionals came together to tackle an important question:
Are we still procuring projects the wrong way?
The conversation was honest, refreshing and challenging.
Contractors are now applying stricter bid/no-bid criteria, walking away from opportunities where designs are incomplete, or risks aren’t properly understood. That’s not the industry becoming more cautious. It’s a sign that the way we procure projects needs to build greater confidence for everyone from the outset.
There were different perspectives around the room, but one message came through consistently.
We need to stop confusing the lowest cost with the best value.
Our customers aren’t simply looking for the cheapest building. They’re looking for confidence that they’ll receive the right building, delivered safely, collaboratively and with certainty of outcome.
That starts long before a contract is signed:
- Clear briefs.
- Mature designs.
- Early engagement.
- The right people around the table.
These create far more confidence than another clause in a contract ever will.
One of the most valuable contributions came from Ola Onabajo at Southampton City Council, who spoke candidly about the realities of public sector procurement. Quality matters, but cost often becomes the loudest voice. The importance of making social value tangible, measurable and capable of standing up to scrutiny was reinforced, while recognising the genuine pressures customers face in bringing projects to market.
The discussion also reinforced something I’ve believed for a long time. Risk should sit with the party best placed to understand, manage, and mitigate it. Transferring risk doesn’t remove it. Risk can be transferred through contracts but not transferred operationally, so working together to manage it collectively is fundamental to better outcomes.
There was also strong support for earlier involvement by contractors and the supply chain. Bringing the right expertise together sooner improves decision-making, reduces uncertainty and creates better outcomes before work even begins.
Mike Hedges from Beard Construction shared a simple framework his business uses before deciding whether to bid: the customer, the consultants, the form of contract and the competition. It was a useful reminder that successful projects begin with choosing the right relationships as much as the right procurement route.
If I had to summarise the discussion in five behaviours, they would be these:
- Trust each other.
- Communicate openly.
- Challenge respectfully.
- Take ownership.
- Focus on solutions, not positions.
These aren’t soft skills. They’re the foundations of successful projects.
As an industry, perhaps we should spend less time asking, “How do I protect myself?” and more time asking, “How do we help our customers achieve the best possible outcome?”
I’ve always believed the South is at its best when we work together. We have exceptional customers, consultants, contractors and supply chain partners, and forums like Constructing Excellence Hampshire allow us to challenge our thinking, learn from one another and keep raising standards across our region.
Procurement will continue to evolve. Legislation will change. Contracts will become more sophisticated. But one thing won’t change. People still deliver projects.
If we focus as much on behaviours as we do on process, we’ll create greater certainty of outcome, stronger partnerships and better outcomes for our customers.
For me, that’s what great procurement should be about.
