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BERR's construction and building services

The UK construction industry consists of over 250 000 firms employing 2.1 million people in a multitude of roles. The sector is defined as one which embraces the construction materials and products; suppliers and producers; building services manufacturers, providers and installers; contractors, sub-contractors, professionals, advisors and construction clients and those organisations that are relevant to the design, build, operation and refurbishment of buildings.

The UK construction output is the second largest in the EU and contributes 8.2% of the nations GVA (Gross Value Added). UK designers, civil engineers, contractors, component & product manufacturers have a worldwide reputation for working overseas, providing high-tech solutions to environmental, transport & building projects. (Statistics on the sector are available from the Construction Statistics and Economics pages)

Construction Sector Unit (CSU)

Construction Sector Unit (CSU) takes the lead in central government in relations with the Construction Sector. CSU's aim is to continue to work with our industry, and other stakeholders to deliver a marked improvement in business performance in construction, in terms of productivity, profitability and competitiveness, in line with the construction business improvement agenda. This will secure an efficient market in the construction industry, with innovative & successful UK firms that meet the needs of clients and society that are competitive at home & abroad.

Construction Sector Unit's work covers the following areas:

Policy and Regulation

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Improving payment practices in the construction industry
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Engaging industry in regulation and policy development via Construction Industry Policy and Regulatory Group (CIPER)
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Coordinating responses to Government on issues impacting on the Construction Products sector

Industry Performance

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People Issues: covering health and safety, training and diversity in the industry
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Leading on sustainability in construction.
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Supporting the national Key Performance Indicators, enabling companies and projects to benchmark their performance.

Innovation

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Promoting R&D in the industry to increase innovation, competitiveness and more sustainable construction
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Involvement in the Construction Lean Improvement Programme (CLIP) aimed at improving efficiencies in construction processes
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Overseeing the implementation of the Rethinking Construction initiative with Constructing Excellence

Schemes & Initiatives: The government-backed TrustMark initiative aims to improve performance in the domestic repair and maintenance sector; and Constructionline, the UK's largest register of pre-qualified construction contractors/consultants, designed to make the procurement process more efficient. Day to day administration of both Trustmark and Constructionline is undertaken independently of government, and they do not receive government funding.