We Must Pull the Olympic Team Together

Construction News - 09/11/2006

Greg Brownlee, Managing Director, Blake Newport

Is it any wonder that the Olympic games are facing a setback when those leading it talk of ‘no cast iron guarantees on cost’, and admit that completion dates have already been put back?

London’s victory in the UK’s Olympic bid was rightly hailed as a significant achievement for this country, with promises of long-term regeneration, sustainable communities and benefits for generations to come. But as the lid is lifted on the latest Olympic drama I cannot help but wonder whether the optimism and hope that every one of us has felt for London 2012 has been shattered due to a simple lack of planning, foresight and communication.

The Olympics might be the biggest and one of the most exciting projects to face our industry to date – but the basics still apply. A robust and carefully considered budget must be agreed; robust contracts in place, a detailed contract management strategy formulated, and risk management plans undertaken. Shockingly, but not surprisingly it is here that the Olympic Delivery Authority has already made a serious error.

We are all familiar with the way a project runs – and it is not an uncommon for unexpected events to threaten to scupper budgets and time-scales. It seems however that rather than address this, the ODA has instead buried its head in the sand, ignoring risk, resource and liability issues, and failing to put an appropriate contract management strategy in place.

On a properly managed project, robust risk strategies should be agreed from the outset, budget overruns foreseen and dealt with promptly, and adjustments made across the supply chain to avoid delays. The Olympics is no ordinary project. It does not have the luxury of flexibility that so many other public sector projects have wallowed in – but instead faces a wholly immovable deadline.

And what of the issue of accountability in all of this? Who is leading this project, and who is ensuring that essential communications channels are in place? Is it the ODA, or is it one of the many Government figures that have waded in to stamp their mark on the latest Olympic legacy?

Responsibility, must to a degree, lie with all parties involved in the Olympics. No matter how small or peripheral their role, they all have a part to play in ensuring that targets are met and that the Games are a success. But as the debate rages on, I cannot help but wonder what has happened to our construction industry in all of this? Politics may take the headlines, but it is the UK construction industry that will be left to take the blame if things go wrong. Is the ODA really drawing upon their expertise? Is it listening to their advice and their concerns as every stage of the project unfolds?

Contracts rely upon partnership, trust, knowledge and a clear acceptance of risk – but without clear management they are all equally subject to fallout, mistrust and concealment. No man is an island – and this is one Olympic challenge that will not be conquered in isolation. It’s about time that the ODA faced up to the battle ahead and took an expert view on how best to address it. Do this, and we might just keep that Olympic torch alight.

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