The ability to successfully procure built assets is at the heart of the construction process and in turn at the heart of the procurement process is identifying the constantly evolving needs of the construction client. Despite client criticism and a mountain of reports and statistics, spanning both the public and private sectors, until now the construction industry has failed to transform the diverse and often separate and inefficient processes of design and procurement of built assets into one single integrated production process. There are now signs however that the construction industry is beginning to transform its approach to built asset procurement and client care. This book draws heavily on the experiences and best practice of other industries and market sectors who have, just as construction is now having to do, taken a critical look at their procurement practices and techniques and the inherent waste in many traditional systems. The text includes practice-based case studies, from both the public and private sectors, to demonstrate how new procurement approaches are delivering value for money over the life cycle of built assets. This book is recommended reading for a range of students in the field of the built environment from quantity surveyors and commercial managers to architects and an essential and comprehensive guide to all construction procurement professionals seeking to familiarise themselves with the latest approaches to procurement.

'A much-needed attempt to increase our understanding of procurement processes and how new approaches in this most crucial of areas are enabling clients to work with integrated, knowledgeable supply chains at a much earlier stage to achieve much more effective delivery of their built assets. This book will be relevant not only to students, but also to practitioners, who will be able to use it to make more informed decisions when procuring (or organising supply chains to deliver) better quality "built assets".' SupplyManagement.com

Duncan Cartlidge is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors with more that twenty-five years involvement in construction. Experience includes; private practice in both the UK and Europe, commercial management for leading European contractors and managing and delivering graduate and post graduate programmes in surveying and related topics. A regular contributor to professional journals and invited speaker at CPD events, he founded the European Procurement Group in 1996. He is an external tutor at the College of Estate Management, Reading and a Visiting Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University.www.duncancartlidge.co.uk