Without question, the London 2012 Olympics brings with it an enormous opportunity for businesses within the construction sector whether you are a contractor or business further along the supply chain; and at a time when the impact of the recent recession has really hit home. Predictions suggest that 7000 large-scale contracts will be awarded to businesses by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODE) and The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). But with great opportunity, comes great competition - how do you ensure that your business will be successful with tenders for an Olympic contract?

Developing the sustainability of your business to be as efficient and effective as possible in delivering products or services and satisfying, if not exceeding, your stakeholders’ expectations and needs is a good start.  London 2012 is aiming to be the first “sustainable” Olympic Games, setting new standards for major events and it has published guidelines for contractors stating the credentials requirements for proven sustainability.

The construction industry is responsible for an estimated 120 million tonnes of construction, demolition and excavation waste each year – around one third of all waste in the UK.  According to WRAP, more than 25 million tonnes is sent straight to landfill without any form of recovery or reuse. So, whether you’re a client, an architect, a planner, a building contractor or a manufacturer of building products, your activities will be having an impact on society and the environment.

Sustainability can mean different things to different people. In the construction industry, it’s generally taken to mean creating buildings that provide a healthy environment for its occupants, as well as those nearby and which make the minimum environmental impact. In principle this may sound simple enough but in practice, it is not so easy to do, by involving improvements in many areas, including health and safety, use of resources, energy footprint and waste disposal. In short, achieving true sustainability is difficult. However, difficult is not the same as impossible and many construction companies are having real success in the move towards sustainability and as a result enjoying significant business benefits.

Sustainability lies at the heart of construction – the objectives being to create buildings that are healthier for occupants, people in the neighbourhood and the natural environment, use fewer resources and are cheaper to run. To be truly sustainable, organisations should be addressing the following issues: 

Improve resource efficiency (including electricity, fuel, gas, water and materials)

Reduce operating costs (including energy bills, waste disposal costs, landfill tax)

Improve quality of goods and services

Improve regulatory compliance

Reduce costly environmental and health and safety accidents and incidents

Minimise risk of legislative breaches and associated fines and prosecutions

Protect and enhance company reputation and brand image

Meet increasingly demanding customer needs such as responsible sourcing of construction products, CfSH and BREEAM

Retain good staff to keep recruitment and training costs down

Increase productivity and profitability

Increase competitive advantage through differentiation  

Management systems could help

One approach to help you address these challenges and business needs is through the adoption of management systems and processes. Whilst many organisations will have some form of management system in place, there are a number of national and international standards that have been developed by experts and interested parties to provide an industry-recognised best practice framework for managing various elements of business operations, such as quality, environmental performance and health and safety amongst others. These standards are based on the Plan Do Check Act approach, made popular by Deming in the 1950’s, which puts processes into a continuous feedback loop so that those areas of the business that need improvement can be spotted and acted upon.  

Management systems standards that are applicable to the construction industry that will increase the success of tenders are: 

•    Business continuity

•    Quality management

•    Environmental management

•    Energy management

•    Occupational health & safety

•    Integrated management

•    Responsible sourcing of construction products  

So how will this increase the chances of being contracted for the London 2012 Olympics?

Ultimately, management systems are about changing behaviours, hearts and minds to ensure long term success.  If companies are to be seriously in with a chance of competing for contracts in connection with the 2012 Olympics, it is no longer about simply saying “we are green”. It’s about being able to prove you practice what you preach.  Management system standards will give you that proof and make your offering a far more attractive contender.  It will also prove to stakeholders that your business is operating in a sustainable way. 

The main objective within the construction supply chain - from material extraction to the final building client - is to make it better value.  Standards provide a systematic framework to identify issues and put controls in place to manage and monitor organisational issues. Not only will your organisation be more efficient and profitable, but you will also improve your reputation for being a responsible organisation when it comes to people and the environment.