Industry braces itself for doing more for less

摘要

A lot of you will have been at this week's BEST show in Birmingham (organised by CN parent Emap and including the Interbuild exhibition) - a coming together of the UK construction industry that coincided with George Osborne's axe-wielding comprehensive spending review.rnThe mood among attendees at the show (and I am writing this 24 hours before George starts swinging) was one of gritted-teeth determination that companies wouldrnmake it through to the end of the tunnel - even if that now means the end of next year rather than the middle.rnSome of the industry's biggest clients, such as Barratt Developments and Land Securities, hosted debates at BEST and "more innovation at less cost" was a strong theme. It was something underlined by chief construction adviser Paul Morrell in his keynote speech on Monday - what is often called "more for less".