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NEWS: Coastal wetlands are unable to adapt to the rate of sea-level rise and are constrained by infrastructure

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Wetlands, precious ecosystems that shield coastlines, safeguard drinking water from saltwater contamination, and nourish diverse wildlife, face a dire threat from the accelerating pace of sea-level rise, driven by global warming. Wetlands have historically adapted to rising sea levels by expanding upward and inland. However, predictions indicate that the waterline will soon shift far too rapidly for wetlands to keep pace. Consequently, future decades may witness the tragic loss of these vital wetland ecosystems. Wetlands along coastlines have historically played valuable roles for people and wildlife, but are now facing the threat of sea-level rise. As temperatures rise, sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, and wetlands are unable to keep pace by building upward and migrating inland. This is due to human-induced climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, which has warmed the oceans and melted glaciers. Sea levels are now rising at about 10 millimeters per year, and are
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NEWS: Perception of procurement in construction needs to change

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Will a fit for purpose approach to procurement and implementation of a standardised system by construction clients help the industry reduce costs, save programme time and increase labour productivity?

The perception of procurement in the Construction industry needs to change, from its current position of being seen as a barrier to progress and to become the ‘enabler’ of productivity, says the UK's Constructing Excellence in their latest report, Nuclear Factory Thinking

With major clients now increasingly reliant on the expertise of external contractors to deliver complex outcomes. It is not sufficient to just simply implement improvement initiatives within client organisations. The network of organisations that are required to come together to deliver an infrastructure project need to be coordinated and managed effectively. Therefore, the role of procurement needs to move beyond getting the contracts in place, to managing boundary-spanning enterprise-wide activities. 

Developing suppliers’ capabilities by implementing training and continuous improvement programmes, forming collaborative relationships not only with its own supplier network, but also between all of the suppliers in the construction sector supply chain. 

It should be acknowledged that procurement, or acquisition, as it is sometimes referred to, has come a long way in recent years. However, there is still far to go and still much to do

The objectives of this report are to address the four main deficiencies that are a recurring theme of current procurement practice: 


  • The complexity of the process (particularly in public contracts)
  • Failures in proper application of evaluation criteria
  • Too much emphasis on cost, over value
  • The amount of time/resources/money spent on PQQ & ITT returns

To read the full report click here

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