Initially, our focus will be on the United States because the US is a large consumer of coal-based energy, and we are more familiar with the North American situation in terms of supply chains and regulations.
Defining the Need.’ report – which came hot on the heels of the Construction Playbook at the end of 2020 – does exactly what the policy says.
It sets about harmonising, digitising and rationalising demand by aggregating the next five years’ pipeline data from the major government departments (health, education, justice,.and housing) to identify areas of commonality and difference..When these documents were published, I commented that they would both be enablers of an ‘Amazon for construction’.
Using ‘Amazon’ was meant as shorthand for some form of digital marketplace.to advance construction procurement methods.
, not a suggestion of a perfect model to follow, but it prompted an interesting debate..
It is partly with that debate in mind that I think we should discuss what e-commerce may look like when applied to construction.However, we’re also going to need to definitively demonstrate that the sharing of data will lead to capturable benefits, because such benefits are distributed, and until we demonstrate that, people won’t be motivated to take things forward.
We want the people who invest to continue to invest.Sharp points out that we use a lot of energy to make water, and a lot of water to make energy.
We need to understand which is the most economically efficient, and which is the best for the environment.Having clear, data-based answers, will help to make regulatory and policy decisions.
(Editor: Quiet Stabilizers)