GUEST COLUMN:
Cat Griffith-Williams,
CEO,
Constructing Excellence in Wales,
The publication of the Welsh Government’s Built Environment Mission Statement and the Digital Action Plan marks an important moment for our sector.
For the first time, we have a clear articulation of what the built environment means to Wales and a joined-up vision that reflects both the ambitions of Welsh Government and the needs voiced by industry.
Having spent the past year working closely with colleagues across the sector to help shape this work, I welcome its publication and the direction it sets.
At Constructing Excellence in Wales, we continue to listen to the ambitions and concerns of businesses and have worked hard to strengthen the sector’s voice with government. The evidence is clear: every pound spent in our sector is not only an essential driver of GDP, it also catalyses inclusive growth and long-term value across the wider economy.
The Mission Statement acknowledges this, placing the built environment firmly within the Foundational Economy and recognising the breadth and interconnectedness of the work we do and how we do it; across businesses, projects and people.
Throughout the development of both publications, we gathered extensive intelligence from across the sector. My thanks go to everyone who took the time to engage with us, challenge the thinking, and help establish the priorities now set out. Those priorities reflect what we have heard consistently: the need for sector to be championed as a priority, with unified goals, clearer pathways through the full lifecycle of a project, the development of a resilient local supply chain, and stronger alignment with skills, procurement and sustainability ambitions.
The Mission Statement brings these points together and sets an intention to support businesses to thrive. It highlights the contribution made by the 16,450 VAT-registered construction businesses in Wales, the vast majority of which are small firms, and the 83,565 people employed across the sector. It also recognises the role we play in enabling the Well-Being of Future Generations Act and the importance of local wealth creation, particularly in rural areas where small and medium-sized enterprises underpin economic vitality.
Alongside this sits the Digital Action Plan within the Digital Economy for Wales, which addresses one of the most significant areas of change facing the sector. Construction has long grappled with fragmented processes, variable digital understanding and traditional approaches that can hamper efficiency, productivity and safety. The Action Plan offers a collective voice on digital priorities, rooted in the Digital Strategy for Wales, and highlights the opportunity for digital adoption to improve information management, drive better decision-making, strengthen collaboration and support the journey towards net zero. It also reflects the growing influence of legislation and policy, such as the Building Safety Act and the UK Construction Playbook, in shaping an increasingly digital future.
From our perspective at CEWales, these two publications taken together provide the strategic clarity and leadership that sector has been calling for. They recognise the built environment as an essential enabler of economic and social wellbeing and set out how digitalisation, procurement reform, skills and sustainability must work together if we are to unlock the full potential of our sector.
We are clear-eyed about the scale of the task. There is always more to do to turn strategy into practical change. Delivering on the Mission Statement, progressing the Digital Action Plan, improving pipeline visibility, preparing for the construction-specific duties in the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act, and responding to the Building Safety Act are all significant areas of focus. But taken together, they offer the basis for a new era of collaboration between Welsh Government and sector.
As demand for construction and built environment services continues to grow, we need ambitious leadership that can recognise and deliver on the connected opportunities in front of us. Through our contractual relationship with Welsh Government, CEWales has been pleased to support the development of these two publications, which together provide a strategic and unified vision for profitability, productivity, efficiency, safety and sustainability.
Our work does not end here. We remain committed to supporting our members and partners to turn these ambitions into tangible outcomes: unlocking existing potential, building the schools, hospitals, infrastructure, housing and workplaces Wales needs, and ensuring that the sector can continue to deliver long-term value for communities across the country.
