What Specifiers Want Report 2023

The importance of high quality product information and expertise

Building safety, environmental sustainability, better information management, digital transformation. These challenges are not new. They are in the media daily and have been relevant to those working in the built environment for years. But the importance of meeting these challenges seems to be increasingly urgent – in particular for the first two. The Building Safety Act received Royal Assent last year, with much of the legislation expected to come into force by October this year. The Act will amend the Building Act 1984 to allow new Building Regulations to be made on various topics, which could affect all building works, as well as the more stringent building control processes for higher-risk buildings (HRBs). It has been talked about as being the most significant legislation for the built environment in decades.

In terms of the need to achieve an environmentally sustainable approach to construction, the latest IPCC report in March again stresses the urgency with which action on climate change needs to be taken. The window to prevent damaging temperature rises of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius is closing.

The challenges of better information management and digital transformation can also be part of the solution. The amount of information for specifiers to access, evaluate and communicate is ever increasing and the consequences for getting that wrong can be significant. Managing information more effectively can help improve project outcomes. In turn, digital technologies can help manage and share this information but there is a learning curve, and the information needs to be available in formats that specifiers need. This report shines a light on what those formats are and what else specifiers need to meet the challenges they face.