Enough time at the right time – being an effective construction client
Being a construction client is challenging especially in a constantly shifting regulatory and cost environment. Balancing time and cost pressures and keeping a sightline on quality takes skill and determination, as do juggling political tensions and being ambitious about net zero and nature recovery.
What can make the process rewarding and help to plot a route through the challenges that occur? Here are seven considerations:
- Client team and independent strategic advice
Begin by reviewing the client teams own roles and capacity to run a project day to day, identifying any gaps and considering when independent strategic advice could give clarity and momentum. An RIBA Client Adviser can work with a client from the beginning (stage 0) when you can test the fundamental need for a building.
- Early Stage Project Clarity
The early stages of a project are critical when a client needs to set out the vision and objectives for the project and test these. At this stage there may need to still be flex in the project. Establishing a sense of the priorities and being able to communicate these in a compelling way for the duration of the project is key.
- Qualitative procurement and design team selection
At this point it is good to a have captured a clear purpose for the project in the design brief and have aligned outcomes to the budget. Appointing a QS independently in advance can be useful. Assessing the qualities of the design team and their suitability for the project should typically have more weight than the cost of fees.
- Risk reduction and cost efficiency
Actively managing and documenting risks is important as is defining who will own or manage risks at different stages. Taking care not to over stretch on cost early on is key to not having to cut cost later when it can be more damaging to the project. Is it possible to do less with more – can a place and/or building be used more flexibly?
- Learning from best practice
It can build confidence amongst the client and wider stakeholder group to have visited similar projects and/or to have evaluated and learnt from past projects of a similar scale and/or cost. Instead of being constraints led it’s important to be driven by the opportunities a project is intended to deliver.
- Effective stakeholder and community engagement
A client can do a great deal to build stakeholder and community relationships and can then task the design team to work with and build on these networks. Approach engagement by being open and communicative. Aim to learn from stakeholders and communities making room for their contributions to shape the project.
- A holistic view of carbon reduction and nature recovery
Make sure the team can work together and integrate approaches to ecology, energy, embodied carbon (and sustainability more generally) early on. Identify clear targets and standards to work to but also look holistically at the project its adaptability to change and the behaviours it will support.
These seven points are drawn from my experience of working with clients to develop design briefs, engage with stakeholders and communities and appoint design teams through competitive selection processes and design competitions.
Here is a testimonial from a recent project – “You’ve been a brilliant addition to the project and the councillors have all been really impressed with your work. On a personal level, you’ve made working on the project altogether more exciting and rewarding. I look forward to seeing you at the launch sometime in 2027.”
As an RIBA Client Adviser, I supported a project officer to develop a design brief for a new café and gateway to a public park. They were concerned about engaging with stakeholders to define a vision and objectives, within the constraints of limited funding opportunities. Through discussion, I created a project programme and supported them to lead a process of discussion, listening, and decision-making to include a steering group, a park user group, and the public.
I encouraged them to evaluate exemplar projects and de-risk aspects of the project to provide certainty to the brief. To conclude I assisted in structuring a fair and appropriate procurement process to attract a skilled design team. This approach helped the steering group to provide stronger political support. The project officer grew in confidence and authority, gaining Council approval for a well-tested design brief that had broad backing and alignment with the stakeholders’ vision.
Illustration – extract from ‘Creating Excellent Buildings’
- Ullathorne, P. (2015) Being an Effective Construction Client – RIBA Publishing , London
- (2020) Design Matters, RIBA Client Advisers – RIBA London
- Eley, J et al. (2003) Creating Excellent Buildings, A Guide for Clients – CABE, London
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February, 2025