Amongst skills, labour and productivity concerns, we expect another uncertain year — from the viability of projects to achieving sustainability aspirations.

Following events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Suez Canal incident and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our surveys have shown that collaboration in the industry remains strong. Teams are working together to foresee and overcome issues.

Generally, there are early involvement of supply chain specialists and improved discussions around risk apportionment. There has also been increased innovation and use of technology — from generative design to minimise wastage, robotics to improve efficiency and safety on site, to data analytics to improve decision-making and learn from previous projects. It is imperative that these areas continue to evolve.

Promoting the digitalisation of the industry will help to overcome challenges, as well as improving productivity and enhancing outputs. Here’s hoping that the wider economic challenges will not derail further investment or the progress made to date.

It goes without saying that projects need to be established with good foundations to enable success and that close monitoring of market conditions is maintained. Due to market volatility, it is vital to check budgets regularly to ensure they reflect the latest situation. Particularly crucial at the moment, value management remains important to make the best use of available resources and reflect market advancements, such as technology or end-user requirements.

All in all, as uncertainty becomes the norm, it is anyone’s guess what will crop up this year — but the construction industry continues to show resilience to face whatever comes.