Government and industry speakers will showcase their experiences and insight at the upcoming 2024 NEC Annual Conference.
How artificial intelligence (AI) can make contracts more efficient will be one of many insightful topics attendees will hear about at the 2024 NEC Annual Conference.
Lydia McGuinness, site manager at Wates Construction, will also share how AI can help:
- tackle industry challenges
- streamline project processes
- harness real-time data delivery for faster decision-making
- retain talent effectively
The one-day conference, taking place on 21 June, will be at the ICE headquarters, One Great George Street, in London.
It will explore the theme of ‘striving for excellence, innovation and collaboration in the implementation of global projects’.
Joining McGuinness will be Simon Corben, head of profession and director at NHS Estates and Facilities, NHS England, who will deliver the keynote address on setting high standards.
Transforming the industry
The Environment Agency (EA) will share an insightful case study highlighting the practical advantages of using NEC.
The EA’s Siu Fa Ng, Nic Stazicker, and Andy Gufogg will discuss their strategies for carbon reduction in construction through collaborative frameworks and cultural shifts.
They will also showcase how the NEC Clause X29 can incentivise emissions reduction.
Following these, Trudi Sully, impact lead at Mott MacDonald, will delve into changes in the industry, and provide an update on the Transforming Infrastructure Performance (TIP) 2030 roadmap.
Maximising social outcomes
John Welch, NEC Users’ Group chair, will present a session on 'Defining levelling up and its social-economic dimension'.
He will explore the government's role in achieving levelling up through infrastructure and investment in new areas.
He will touch on how to leverage existing infrastructure, innovative research, and NEC's collaborative contracts to support public interests and boost regional productivity.
In the afternoon, there will be a presentation on maximising social value in infrastructure and tackling regional inequalities.
It will explore the role of infrastructure in supporting community wellbeing, driving positive change and fostering inclusivity.
Updates on NEC contracts
Attendees will get an update on NEC contracts from Ian Heaphy, NEC4 Board member.
They will also get guidance on using NEC with FAC-1, a framework to boost collaboration, delivered by Peter Higgins, from the NEC Contract Board, and Professor David Mosey, who teaches law at King’s College London.
The two practical workshops for this year will focus on adjudication under W1 & W2 clauses, and the application of X22 early contractor involvement.
The event will end with the Martin Barnes Awards ceremony.
As ever, there will also be opportunities for attendees to network with industry experts and NEC users and exhibitors during breaks and at an evening reception.
