Civils contractors today published an overarching guide to England’s Sub-national Transport Bodies (STBs) to help civil engineering contractors understand the forthcoming opportunities for substantial regional infrastructure delivery.
STBs have the potential to unlock growth and opportunity for all, and the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) believes it is vital that its members are prepared in the best possible way to support their delivery of much needed transport infrastructure.
STBs are pan-regional strategic bodies overseeing the transport needs and priorities across wide geographical regions. Currently, only Transport for the North (TfN) has statutory status, but further statutory bodies are planned in the Midlands, England’s Economic Heartland, and the South East.
The guide, launched by CECA at the 2018 Highways UK exhibition in Birmingham, was developed by the CECA Transport Group, which regularly brings together senior civil engineering contractors, helping them understand at first hand their customers’ needs.As well as providing an overview of opportunities, it draws together the key messages CECA believes will deliver maximum efficiency and innovation in project delivery.
- A strong collaborative approach to delivery programmes
- Forward planning to manage resource and skills needs
- Supporting digitisation of new infrastructure and associated skills
- Driving forward the standardisation of solutions and maximisation of off-site manufacture where appropriate.
Commenting, CECA Director of External Affairs Marie-Claude Hemming said: “CECA has been engaging with Sub-National Transport Bodies for some time to assist their progress towards statutory status, and to help identify the transport priorities that if acted upon will transform regional economies into powerhouses in their own right.
“What our members will be looking for over the coming months is clear visibility of future workloads, and clarification as to which bodies will be procuring which projects. This is imperative in order to ensure resources are targeted in an efficient manner.
“STBs are a fantastic opportunity for real growth led by those living and working in regions, and as such we continue to call on the UK Government to continue to support their development so that they can formulate policy priorities based on local needs.”
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